Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Korean Cinema News (06/28-07/04, 2012)

Some good news for the state of Korean box office this week as well as some features on this year's PiFan. In addition, yours truly was interviewed by hancinema.net recently about Korean film and my recent move to Korea!



PIFAN


I'm covering this year's PiFan on MKC and over at Twitch with James Marsh where we're currently breaking down the program for everyone in a series of previews, check out the first two parts below:

PiFan 2012 Preview Part 1: Puchon Choice (Main Competition)
PiFan 2012 Preview Part 2: World Fantastic Cinema

KOREAN CINEMA NEWS

CJ Pumps Another $40 Million into Bong Joon-ho's Snow Piercer
Due to some reported problems with funding South Korean media giant CJ Entertainment is set to invest 45 billion won (or $40 million) into the global co-production Snow Piercer. The film, which is CJ's biggest investment to date, is currently in production at the famed Barrandov studios in Prague and set for release next year. I'm not overly worried about the funding debacle as I imagine it's just a hitch in the midst of a gigantic global production. Snow Piercer is currently in production at the famed Barrandov studios in Prague and set for release next year. I'm not overly worried about the funding debacle as I imagine it's just a hitch in the midst of a gigantic production. (Modern Korean Cinema, July 4, 2012/Twitch, July 2, 2012)

Korean Films Drew Record Audiences in First Half of 2012
South Korea saw a record-high number of audience members going to see homegrown films in the first half of 2012, the culture ministry said Tuesday. A total of 44.18 million people saw local films in the first half, the highest number since 2006, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said in a statement. The number represents a year-on-year increase of 34.6 percent, or 11.36 million, it said. Boosted by the strong performance of Korean films, their occupancy rate in the local movie market also remained high with 53.4 percent, the ministry said. (The Korea Herald, July 3, 2012)

Toronto to Host First N.K. Rights Film Festival in N. America
From July 6-8 the Innis Town Hall in Toronto will play host to North America’s first North Korean Human Rights Film Festival, organized by some former residents of South Korea. Two of the event’s co-organizers, Gilad Cohen and Michelle Ragno, took an interest in North Korean human rights after visits to the Korean Peninsula. (The Korea Herald, July 3, 2012)

Im Kwon-taek Brought Korean Tradition to Screen
An in depth feature from writer Andrew Salmon about Im Kwon-taek's contribution to bringing Korean tradition to the big screen when most other cineastes in the industry focus on the present. He discusses his pansori films Sopjonye (1993), Chunhyang (2000), his Owon biopic Chihwaseon (2002) and more. (The Korea Times, June 27, 2012)


INTERVIEW

A New York Asian Film Festival Interview with Rufus de Rham!
For its 12th edition, there have been some personnel changes in amongst the staff that sweats and bleeds celluloid to bring us our favorite summer obsessions, the New York Asian Film Festival. Among the new faces on board is one Rufus de Rham. Not familiar with that name? Worry not, your viewing experience is in more than capable hands. Rufus is no small storehouse of encyclopedic knowledge of Korean cinema, some of which appears in published works. He is cohost of the addictively informative and banter-filled movie podcast, CINEAWESOME, as well as its review laden hosting site. And he happens to love Asian movies.  (Unseen Films, June 28, 2012)


TRAILER

Masquerade (Teaser Trailer)



POSTERS

I Am a King (Main Poster)

I Am a King (Character Poster 1)

I Am a King (Character Poster 2)

I Am a King (Character Poster 3)

I Am a King (Character Poster 4)

Plump Revolution (Main Poster)

The Grand Heist (Main Poster)

BOX OFFICE


(Modern Korean Cinema, July 2, 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 (Korean Standard Time) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at the Korean Box Office Update and the Weekly Review Round-upReviews and features on Korean film also appear regularly on the site. 

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