Wednesday, September 19, 2012

KCN: New Park Chan-wook Project, Pieta Oscar Bid, BIFF Sched. & Thieves Triumphs in HK (09/13-09/19, 2012)

Lots of news this week as Park Chan-wook takes on yet another new film, BIFF announces its schedule, Pieta gets its chance for Oscar glory and The Thieves begins its world conquest.

KOREAN CINEMA NEWS

Park Chan-wook Signs Onto Another New Project with Gangster Pic Corsica '72
Only a few weeks after signing on to the western The Brigands of Rattleborge, Park Chan-wook has taken on an additional Hollywood gig. This new project is one that has been knocking around for a while after appearing on Hollywood's Black List (a yearly industry poll of tinseltown's best unproduced screenplays) in 2009. Previously Oliver Hirschbiegel (Downfall, 2006) and Luca Guadanigno (I Am Love, 2009) had been attached to the script by the scribes Neal Purvis and Robert Wade who have been involved in all the recent Bond films.

Corsica '72, as the title would suggest, takes place on the small mediterranean island and follows two best friends who grow up to find themselves on opposite sides of the law and in love with the same woman.

It seems that this project will go ahead of Rattleborge as that one will require more time for casting due to its violent nature. It's great to see Park so busy these days but personally I was hoping he would head back home to helm another feature in Korea rather than do three on the trot stateside. But who am I to complain when I now have three films to look forward to from one of the world's best filmmakers? (Modern Korean Cinema, September 18/Twitch, September 18, 2012)

Busan Film Fests Releases Schedule
Following the announcement of its fantastic lineup last week, the 17th Busan International Film Festival has now made its full schedule available. However, tickets will not go on sale until the 26th and it's just as well considering the sheer volume of screenings to parse through. There are nearly 30 films to choose from in any given time slot. The fest will kick off with HK thriller Cold War on October 4th and run through to the 13th. (Modern Korean Cinema, September 19, 2012)

Korea Selects Pieta for Oscar Foreign Language Category
Pieta has been selected as Korea's official entry for the Oscar's Foreign Language Award, beating out Masquerade, In Another Country, The Taste of Money and Nameless Gangster.
Following it's big Golden Lion win at Venice this past weekend it doesn't come as a surprise but it's nice to see a film with real prospects selected. Following The Front Line and A Barefoot Dream, there's hasn't been a good selection since 2009's Mother. Granted the film's violence probably won't sit well with the academy but its recent accolade will give it a boost. (Modern Korean Cinema, September 14, 2012)

The Thieves Tops HK Box Office
Not a huge figure but a big feat nonetheless as no Korean film has done so in over a decade. Granted there are many HK stars in the pic, including Simon Yam, but international prospects for the film are looking good. I wonder how well it will perform overseas? (Modern Korean Cinema, September 14, 2012)

The 3rd 'Yeonghwa: Korean Cinema Today' at MoMA - Preview
New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is kicking off its 3rd edition of Yeonghwa: Korean Cinema Today tomorrow and the event, which features an eclectic array of arthouse and commerical films until its conclusion at the end of the month. Our US correspondent Peter Gutierrez offers up his views on a trio of featured works below (Helpless, Mirage, and A Fish) while I've chimed in with my own two cents on the new Lee Sang-woo film Fire in Hell. (Modern Korean Cinema, September 18, 2012)

What Is the Future of Korean Film?
Director Kim Ki-duk’s grand prize win at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 8 marked a new high for Korean cinema. The Golden Lion Award for Pieta was the first time for a Korean director to take the top prize at one of the “Big Three” film festivals of Berlin, Venice and Cannes. The win was no less than the “biggest triumph in Korea’s film history of the last century,” in the words of Busan Film Festival’s founding director, Kim Dong-ho. (The Korea Herald, September 17, 2012)


TRAILERS

Ghost Sweepers


Star



POSTERS

A Company Man

Bittersweet Joke (Main Poster)

Confession of Murder


BOX OFFICE


(Modern Korean Cinema, September 16, 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 Korean ReviewsReviews and features on Korean film also appear regularly on the site. 

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