Edinburgh 2013: National Security (남영동 1985, 2012)

Part of Connor McMorran's coverage for MKC of the Edinburgh International Film Festival (June 19-30, 2013).

Though 2012 was an important year in Korean cinema for many reasons, one of the more interesting ones is that it saw the return of director Chung Ji-young. 2012 was essentially bookended by his two films; Unbowed was released in January, and National Security arrived at the end of November. Both films featured highly political narratives based on real life events, yet National Security struggled to bring in anywhere near the same audience numbers as Unbowed.

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UDINE 2013: National Security (남영동1985, 2012)

Part of MKC's coverage of the 15th Udine Far East Film Festival.

Corruption, injustice and terror have always been a sad reality of politics. Over the years, many filmmakers have gone to great lengths (sometimes even putting their lives in peril) in a bid to give a voice to the victims of political malfeasance and to shed light on the frequently covered-up truths within the halls of power. Notable examples include Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers (1966) and Costa-Gavras’ Z (1969). Among the pantheon of political works it is true that those that endure are the ones that shock; works that can elicit an audible gasp from audience members. However, a filmmaker must be careful not to go too far and should also pay due consideration to narrative and filmic requirements when presenting a politically charged narrative on screen.

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Fribourg 2013: National Security (남영동1985, Namyeong-dong 1985) 2012

Playing at the 27th Fribourg International Film Festival (March 16-23, 2013)

Corruption, injustice and terror have always been a sad reality of politics. Over the years, many filmmakers have gone to great lengths (sometimes even putting their lives in peril) in a bid to give a voice to the victims of political malfeasance and to shed light on the frequently covered-up truths within the halls of power. Notable examples include Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers (1966) and Costa-Gavras’ Z (1969). Among the pantheon of political works it is true that those that endure are the ones that shock; works that can elicit an audible gasp from audience members. However, a filmmaker must be careful not to go too far and should also pay due consideration to narrative and filmic requirements when presenting a politically charged narrative on screen.

Chung Ji-young made a big comeback following a 13-year absence this time last year when Unbowed debuted at the 16^th edition of the Busan Film Festival. Hot on its heels and proving that it wasn’t a fluke, he has returned with a searing indictment of the brutal Chun Doo-hwan administration that terrorized Korea for the better part of the 1980s.

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Top 10 Korean Films of 2012

2013 has just gotten underway and what better way for MKC to ring in the new year than to reflect on what has simply been a gargantuan year for Korean cinema. The vaunted 10 million admissions club welcomed two new members as The Thieves and Masquerade rode their way into the top three of the all time Korean box office chart. Indeed commercial cinema across the board enjoyed spectacular success as well over 100 million tickets were sold to domestic films at the Korean box office, a first for the industry. As of this writing seven films have crossed 4 million admissions (with an eighth on the way in the form of The Tower). What's more Kim Ki-duk became the first Korean filmmaker to prevail at one of the big three European film festivals as he took home the Golden Lion from Venice for his 18th feature Pieta. Elsewhere on the festival circuit a flurry of Korean films took home big awards, including Juvenile Offender, Barbie, The Weight, Circle Line, and many more.

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KBO: A Werewolf Boy Claims 4th Win During Crowded Weekend (11/23-11/25, 2012)

A Werewolf Boy Claims 4th Win During Crowded Weekend

	Title	Release Date	Market Share	Weekend	Total	Screens
1	Werewolf Boy	10/31/12	24.80%	550,880	6,015,700	595
2	Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (us)	11/15/12	21.50%	468,965	1,940,783	536
3	Don't Cry Mommy	11/22/12	19.20%	425,916	538,138	444
4	Confession of Murder	11/8/12	15.10%	310,819	2,109,450	382
5	National Security	11/22/12	6.90%	147,759	188,020	310
6	Masquerade	9/13/12	2.80%	62,631	12,064,506	166
7	Rise of the Guardians (us)	11/29/12	2.80%	50,523	56,850	197
8	Iron Bag Man	11/22/12	1.20%	26,250	42,208	119
9	Tone Deaf Clinic	11/29/12	1.20%	25,876	42,251	203
10	Skyfall (us/uk)	10/26/12	1.10%	23,232	2,349,440	122

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WKR: New Indie Releases Take Center Stage (11/17-11/23, 2012)

Juvenile Offender and National Security were both released and reviewed this week while Rain's R2B: Return to Base and The Thieves get a few writeups in this week's Weekly Korean Reviews update.

UPCOMING FILMS

El Condor Pasa

(Modern Korean Cinema, November 20, 2012)

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KBO: Werewolf Boy Fights Off Twilight For Third Win (11/16-11/18, 2012)

Werewolf Boy Fights Off Twilight For Third Win

	Title	Release Date	Market Share	Weekend	Total	Screens
1	Werewolf Boy	10/31/12	34.40%	901,842	5,093,692	678
2	Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (us)	11/15/12	34.60%	880,700	1,080,756	665
3	Confession of Murder	11/8/12	17.20%	416,119	1,538,341	388
4	Code Name: Jackal	11/15/12	4.10%	109,017	141,284	301
5	Masquerade	9/13/12	3.80%	98,383	11,933,678	283
6	Skyfall (us/uk)	10/26/12	2.70%	69,181	2,285,115	239
7	Sinister (us)	11/15/12	1.10%	26,386	33,809	183
8	Upside Down (us)	11/8/12	0.40%	11,328	169,384	107
9	Jungle Emperor Leo (jp)	11/8/12	0.30%	9,984	38,984	56
10	Brave (us)	9/27/12	0.20%	5,424	1,228,682	34

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WKR: Busan Winds Up (10/13-10/19, 2012)

Few more pieces come in from Busan as the festival wraps up, not to mention some reviews of brand new films on the Korean marquees.

UPCOMING FILMS

Doctor

(Variety, October 14, 2012)

National Security

(Film Business Asia, October 19, 2012)

(Modern Korean Cinema, October 13, 2012)

Touch

(Word From the ROK, October 13, 2012)

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BIFF 2012: National Security (남영동1985, Namyeong-dong 1985) 2012

Part of MKC's coverage of the 17th Busan International Film Festival.

Corruption, injustice and terror have always been a sad reality of politics. Over the years, many filmmakers have gone to great lengths (sometimes even putting their lives in peril) in a bid to give a voice to the victims of political malfeasance and to shed light on the frequently covered-up truths within the halls of power. Notable examples include Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers (1966) and Costa-Gavras’ Z (1969). Among the pantheon of political works it is true that those that endure are the ones that shock, works that can elicit an audible gasp from audience members. However, a filmmaker must be careful not to go too far and should also pay due consideration to narrative and filmic requirements when presenting a politically charged narrative on screen.

Chung Ji-young made a big comeback following a 13-year absence this time last year when Unbowed debuted at the 16^th edition of the Busan Film Festival. Hot on its heels and proving that it wasn’t a fluke, he has returned with a searing indictment of the brutal Chun Doo-hwan administration that terrorized Korea for the better part of the 1980s.

Click to read more»

WKR: Busan Showcases New Korean Films, The Thieves Opens Stateside (10/06-10/12, 2012)

A raft of Busan reviews as the festival is in full swing! The Thieves also gets a few big broadsheet writeups in the US after opening there on limited release.

UPCOMING FILMS

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WKR: Busan Reviews Pour In (09/29-10/05, 2012)

Little late in posting this as I got caught in covering my first Busan Film Fest, starting my new job at the Korean Film Council and moving into a new apartment! That said, plenty of great content from BIFF and will have caught up on all of the Weekly Korean Review updates by weekend's end!

Thanks for your patience!

UPCOMING FILMS

Fire in Hell

(Next Projection, October 1, 2012)

Mai Ratima

(Screen Daily, October 5, 2012)

National Security

(The Hollywood Reporter, October 4, 2012)

Sleepless Night

(Variety, October 29, 2012)

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