Reel Talk: The Thriving, Yet Embattled Korean Indie Scene

Every Friday I appear on a segment called Reel Talk for Arirang TV on the 2 o'clock news, mostly covering Korean cinema.

There's plenty to celebrate in Korea's contemporary indie scene, with fascinating new works appearing year-round and across the world's biggest festivals, yet few viewers in Korea are getting a chance to see them. In the most recent Reel Talk I preview a few of the films that will get limited runs in Korea soon as well as the challenges the industry faces.

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Korean Cinema News (06/20-06/26, 2011)

As we roll into Summer, the news cycle is slowing slightly but there were still some interesting stories this week, including some on theater monopolies and the huge success of Sunny.

KOREAN CINEMA NEWS

A Look at Asia's Take on Spaghetti Westerns

Based on the spaghetti westerns that emanated from Europe in the 60s and 70s, Asia has recently taken to shifting what is chiefly an American genre to the East. Korea's The Good, the Bad and the Weird (2008)is the most popular example thus far. (Bleedingcool.com, June 20, 2011)

Kim Ki-duk's Latest Selected for Karlovy Vary Film Fest
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has invited Kim Ki-duk's latest film, the documentary Arirang to screen in its 'Another View' section. (Yahoo! News, June 21, 2011)

New Character Posters for Sector 7
The much anticipated Sector 7 has released some new posters, they are characters shots for the main stars of the picture. Sector 7 will be released on August 4. (Film Smash, June 21, 2011)

Upcoming Blockbuster Quick Promises Speedy Thrills
Quick, a summer action film focusing on motorcycle will be released on July 21 in Korea and producers are promising that it will be the fastest Korean blockbuster ever. (The Korea Times, June 21, 2011)

Seoul Begins Showing Local Films with Japanese Subtitles
The City of Seoul, with the help of CGV Theaters, will begin to exhibit Korean films with Japanese subtitles. This follows the increasing popularity and viability of English subtitles being added to local films in Korea's capital. (The Korea Herald, June 21, 2011)

Poongsan Readying for Big Splash
The Kim Ki-duk scripted Poongsan, directed by his protege Jeon Jae-hong, was just released this past weekend in Korea, and its producers have high expectations that their low-budget film will make a big impact on the marketplace. (Joong Ang Daily, June 22, 2011)

Korean Stars Owed 2.2 Billion Won in Backpay
The Korean Entertainment Management Association (KEMA), is claiming that various stars are owed a total of 2.2 billion won in backpay. Affected screen talent includes Hyeon Bin and Song Hye-kyo. (Manila Bulletin, June 23, 2011)

Quick Presold to 7 Countries
Incoming blockbuster Quick has been presold to 7 countries, including France. The film is reported to have cost around 8 million dollars. (hancinema.net, June 23, 2011)

Outcry from Independent Producers as Multiplexes Monopolize Screenings
Following previous complaints, the Korean Film Producers Association (KFPA) has outlined new grievances against multiplexes which continue to exhibit monopolistic tendencies. The main problem is that in Korea the main exhibitor are also the main film producers, thus they control access to their films and smaller, independent features are often squeezed out of the marketplace. (Joon Ang Daily, June 24, 2011)

Will Sector 7 Be the Next Hit to Crack 10 Million?
This summer sees the return of potent Ha Ji-won/Yoon Je-kyoon team, who previously collaborated on Haeundae (2009). Many are wondering if they will again have a hit on their hands that will cross the 10 million viewer mark. (Hancinema.net, June 26, 2011)

TRAILERS

Dr. Jump (no subs)

Pain (no subs)

Quick (no subs)

BOX OFFICE

Sunny Back on Top
After 4 weeks coming in behind Kung Fu Panda 2, Sunny saw its weekend take increase by 50% (330,000) and handily took first place, it has no accrued an enormous 5.7 million admissions. Kung Fu Panda is still going strong and looks set to cross 5 million next week. Poongsan was the big new release and did well with 240,000 while holdover White added 100,000 to its total, which stands at 615,000. (Hancinema.net, June 26, 2011)



Korean Cinema News is a weekly feature which provides wide-ranging news coverage on Korean cinema, including but not limited to: features; festival news; interviews; industry news; trailers; posters; and box office. It appears every Wednesday morning (GMT+1) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at the Korean Box Office Update and the Weekly Review Round-up. Reviews and features on Korean film also appear regularly on the site. 

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