Coming in the midst of an unprecedented political scandal and benefitting from a prime Lunar New Year holiday release date, prosecutor drama The King aims to be the first Korean hit of the year. A glossily entertaining saga with big stars, timely corruption themes and a boatload of Scorsese references, this fourth film from director Han Jae-rim aims for greatness until a finale that ultimately buckles under the weight of its own political ambitions.
Though absent from Korean marquees this year until now, the period Korean film makes a big comeback with the release of Han Jae-rim's arresting The Face Reader. Sublimely mounted, intriguingly plotted and featuring a terrific cast, this seems the ideal film for Chuseok (Korea's biggest holiday), which it was no doubt carefully tailored for.
Not a huge amount of news this week though my tie to go digging for it is also a bit limited as I'm on site covering the 26th Fribourg International Film Festival.
KOREAN CINEMA NEWS
Certain Seoul Movie Theatres to Add Chinese Subtitles
After English and Japanese, Chinese subtitles will be added to Korean movies in theatres as soon as the latter half of this year. A spokesperson from the city said that "Due to the increasing number of Chinese tourists we are going to have major theatres begin service with Chinese subtitles so that they will be able to easily watch Korean movies." (Page F30, March 22, 2012)
Festival to Bring Films on Women’s Experiences
The Seoul-based women’s film festival is back, with its line-up ever so conscious of the world’s turbulent modern history. From the breast cancer campaign to contemporary racism to women’s sexuality, this year’s IWFFIS (International Women’s Film Festival in Seoul) is filled with diverse themes and socially conscious issues that have been affecting the lives of women worldwide. (The Korea Herald, March 22, 2012)
6 of the Most Distinguished and Extraordinary Movies to Be Expected in 2012
Art theater Cinecube has carefully selected movies that are to be expected this year in 2012 and is presenting fans with a mega-exhibition called "Cinecubes Choice: Movies To Be Expected In 2012". This mega-exhibition will open on the 22nd until the 29th for 8 days with 6 movies that will brightly decorate 2012 with their significant qualities and shocking topics. (hancinema.net, March 22, 2012)
Korea's presence on the world's silver screen has boomed in the last decade, forming the cinematic crest to the cultural phenomena know as the 'Korean Wave'. Along with Korean cuisine and the increasingly popular world of K-pop, Korean cinema and local dramas have managed to capture the international community's interest and imagination. The mysterious force behind this drive is riddled in Korea's unique ability to dramatize conflict in a manner that, not only surprises and delights, but directly challenges, or presentsalternatives to, the audiences' expectations and sensibilities. (hancinema.net, March 24, 2012)
Planet of Snail Invited to Canadian Film Fest
Director Yi Seung-jun’s award-winning documentary Planet of Snail has been invited to yet another major documentary festival overseas, following its invitation to the 11th Tribeca Film Festival earlier this month, according to the movie’s production house. An everyday portrayal of a hearing and visually impaired man and his wife, the film will be featured in the competition section of Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary film festival held annually in Toronto, Canada. (The Korea Herald, March 25, 2012)
Song Kang-ho's First Historical Fortune
Song Kang-ho is attempting at his first historical movie. According to an official, Song Kang-ho will start making the movie Fortune in July or August after the movie Snow Piercer. Director Han Jae-rim is in charge of this movie and he worked with Song Kang-ho in the 2007 movie The Show Must Go On. To be released in 2013. (hancinema.net, March 26, 2012)
Late Autumn Has Indian Summer
Kim Tae-yong's Late Autumn (2010) was second-placed at the China box office at the weekend, securing bigger numbers for the cross-national romance than on its original South Korean release in Feb 2011. Set in the US, the film stars Tang Wei as a female prisoner, originally from China, who is given 72 hours parole to visit her family in Seattle. On the train, she befriends a man on-the-run, played by South Korea's Hyun Bin. (Film Business Asia, March 27, 2012)
INTERVIEW
With Wit and Wisdom, Rebel Architect Lends His Shine to the Cinema
Director Jeong Jae-eun, who made a grand debut in the local movie scene more than a decade ago with the feature film Take Care of My Cat (2001), comes back with her first documentary, Talking Architect. The 95-minute film follows maverick Korean architect Chung Guyon (1943-2011) during the last year of his life, while he was suffering from colorectal cancer. As with any kind of change, the director admitted the transition from features to documentaries was awkward and nerve-wracking at first. (Joong Ang Daily, March 23, 2012)
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. To keep up with the best in Korean film you can sign up to our RSS Feed, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.
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