Showing posts with label the front line. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the front line. Show all posts

Monday, October 17, 2011

48th Daejong Film Awards

The Daejong film awards are the oldest and most prestigious film industry awards in Korea.  They are essentially the Korean oscars and they will soon be celebrating their 50th edition.  Just like the Oscars, they feature musical performances, celebrity presenters, and a host of other similarities.

Tonight the ceremony for the 48th Daejong film awards took place in Seoul.  A very even field battled it out this year as many films walked away with multiple awards and there was no outright champion of the event.  That said, while the films represented in this year's nominations were more-or-less all worthy contenders, they did not compare favorably to the stellar lineups of years past.  Last year's big winner was Lee Chang-dong's formidable Poetry,  while Kim Jee-woon's I Saw the Devil and newcomer Jang Cheol-su's Bedevilled were among the other films that ranked high on the nominations list.

This year, the most nominated films were (wins in parentheses):

The Front Line - 12 (4)
The Yellow Sea - 11 (2)
Sunny - 9 (2)
War of the Arrows - 8 (4)
Blind - 7 (2)
The Unjust - 7 (0)
Hindsight - 5 (0)
Late Autumn - 4 (1)
Hello Ghost - 4 (0)
Late Blossom - 4 (0)
Detective K - 3 (1)
Moby Dick - 3 (0)
Poongsan - 3 (0)
The Last Blossom - 3 (0)
Bleak Night - 2 (2)

The six most nominated films were all big performers at the box office, each scored over two million admissions.  Currently I have only seen seven of the films listed above but it does seem like a poorer than usual roster.  As excited as I am to see The Front Line, War of the Arrows, Sunny, and Blind, I am not expecting them to make significant impressions on me like other Korean films have, but I hope I am wrong!

That said, this year's films are all solid and I am especially happy that Ryoo Seung-wan's brilliant The Unjust wound up with 7 nominations, although it is unfortunate that it wasn't able to bag a single win.  I thought it would pick up Best Screenplay at the very least but this went to Blind.  

I was also happy to see that  Late Blossom score 4 nominations even if it didn't win anything.  Personally I think it should have been nominated for Best Cinematography which  is always a great category for Korean film.  So far I've only seen one of the nominees so I'm exited to how the rest look, including winner The Front Line.

I was surprised that neither Quick nor the much-Ballyhooed Sector 7 managed to score nominations for Best Visual Effects.  The films were not well-received but by all accounts the effects were very impressive. War of the Arrows ended up taking the prize.

The biggest successes of the night were the big blockbusters The Front Line and War of the Arrows with 4 wins each, including Best Film for the former.  That result was not surprising as it is also the Korean selection for next year's Oscars.

In the face of some pretty stiff competition, Kang Hyung-chul won Best Director for the small but wildly popular Sunny, which also won Best Editing.

The acting categories all went to different films this year. Best Actor and Actress went to Park Hae-il for War of the Arrows and Kim Ha-neul for Blind, while Jo Sung-ha and Shim Eun-kyun walked away which the Supporting Actor/Actress prizes for The Yellow Sea and Romantic Heaven.

Bleak Night, which has very well-received critically but failed to draw much of an audience in Korea, was a big success tonight, winning its two nominations for Best New Director (Yoon Sung-hyun) and Best New Actor (Lee Je-hun, also nominated for The Front Line).  Meanwhile, best New Actress went to Moon Chae-won for War of the Arrows.

Best Production and Best Lighting went to The Front Line, Best Song went to Late Autumn, Best Costume Design went to The Yellow Sea, Best Art Design went to Detective K, and Best Sound Effects went to War of the Arrows.

Won Bin, who won last year's Best Actor for his role in The Man From Nowhere, was the recipient of the  Popularity Award.  This year's Lifetime Achievement Award went to actor Lee Dae-Geun.

Special thanks to Asian Media Wiki, which live-tweeted the results.


48th Daejong Film Awards Winners and Nominees:


Best Film
Winner:The Front Line
Nominees:
The Front Line
The Unjust
Sunny
War of the Arrows
The Yellow Sea

Best Director
Winner: 
Kang Hyung-chul (Sunny)
Nominees:
Jang Hun (The Front Line)
Kim Tae-yong (Late Autumn)
Ryoo Seung-wan (The Unjust)
Kang Hyung-chul (Sunny)
Na Hong-jin (The Yellow Sea)

Best Actor
Winner: 
Park Hae-il (War of the Arrows)
Nominees:
Kim Yun-seok (The Yellow Sea)
Ryoo Seung-beom (The Unjust)
Park Hae-il (War of the Arrows)
Yoon Kye-sang (Poongsan)
Lee Soon-jae (Late Blossom)
Cha Tae-hyun (Hello Ghost)

Best Actress
Winner: 
Kim Ha-neul (Blind)
Nominees:
Kim Ha-neul (Blind)
Kim Hye-soo (Villain and Widow)
Bae Jong-ok (The Last Blossom)
Yun So-jeong (Late Blossom)
Choi Gang-hee (Petty Romance)

Best Supporting Actor
Winner: 
Jo Sung-ha (The Yellow Sea)
Nominees:
Ko Chang-seok (The Showdown)
Kim Sang-ho (Moby Dick)
Ryoo Seung-ryong (The Front Line)
Yu Hae-jin (The Unjust)
Jo Sung-ha (The Yellow Sea)
Jo Hie-bong (Blind)

Best Supporting Actress
Winner: 
Shim Eun-kyung (Romantic Heaven)
Nominees:
Kim Soo-mi (Late Blossom)
Kim Ji-young (The Last Blossom)
Seo Young-hee (The Last Blossom)
Shim Eun-kyung (Romantic Heaven)
Jang Yeong-nam (Hello Ghost)
Cheon Woo-hee (Sunny)

Best New Director
Winner: 
Yoon Sung-hyun (Bleak Night)
Nominees:
Kim Sung-hoon (Ryang-kang-do: Merry Christmas, North!)
Kim Young-tak (Hello Ghost)
Min Yong-keun (Re-encounter)
Park In-je (Moby Dick)
Yoon Sung-hyun (Bleak Night)

Best New Actor
Winner: 
Lee Je-hoon (Bleak Night)
Nominees:
Kim Hwan-young (Ryang-kang-do: Merry Christmas, North!)
Yoo Yeon-seok (Re-encounter)
Lee Je-hoon (The Front Line)
Lee Je-hoon (Bleak Night)
Jang Ki-beom (GLove)

Best New Actress
Winner: 
Moon Chae-won (War of the Arrows)
Nominees:
Kang So-ra (Sunny)
Moon Chae-won (War of the Arrows)
Baek Jin-hee (Foxy Festival)
Shin Se-kyung (Hindsight)
You Da-in (Re-encounter)

Best Screenplay
Winner:
Choi Min-suk (Blind)
Nominees:
The Unjust
Blind
Sunny
The Front Line
Hello Ghost

Best Cinematography
Winner:
The Front Line (Joo Woo-hyung)
Nominees:
The Front Line
Late Autumn
War of the Arrows
Hindsight
The Yellow Sea

Best Lighting
Winner:
The Front Line (Kim Min-jae)
Nominees:
The Front Line
Blind
Hindsight
Poongsan
The Yellow Sea

Best Production
Winner:
The Front Line (Lee Woo-jung)
Nominees:
The Front Line
Moby Dick
The Unjust
Sunny
Poongsan

Best Editing
Winner:
Sunny (Nam Na-young)
Nominees:
The Front Line
The Unjust
Blind
Sunny
The Yellow Sea

Best Music
Winner: Late Autumn (Woo & Choi Young-rak)
Nominees:
Late Blossom
Romantic Heaven
Late Autumn
Sunny
Hindsight

Best Art Design
Winner:
Detective K: Secret Of Virtuous Widow (Chae Gyung-sun)
Nominees:
Late Autumn
Detective K: Secret Of Virtuous Widow
War of the Arrows
Hindsight
The Yellow Sea

Best Costume Design
Winner:
The Yellow Sea (Chae Kyung-hwa)
Nominees:The Front Line
Sunny
Detective K: Secret Of Virtuous Widow
War of the Arrows
The Yellow Sea

Best Visual Effects
Winner:
War of the Arrows (Han Young-woo)
Nominees:
The Front Line
Romantic Heaven
Blind
War of the Arrows
The Yellow Sea

Best Sound Effects
Winner:
War of the Arrows (Choi Tae-young)
Nominees:
The Front Line
Blind
Detective K: Secret Of Virtuous Widow
War of the Arrows
The Yellow Sea

Popularity Award
Winner: 
Won Bin

Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner: 
Lee Dae-geun (actor)

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Monday, July 25, 2011

Korean Cinema News (07/18-07/24, 2011)

Lots of news this week including some interviews with directors Jang Hoon and Lee Joon-ik, casting news, festival items, and english-language home market release announcements.


KOREAN CINEMA NEWS

After recently blasting past the 7 million viewer mark, Sunny is set to reappear in cinemas with a special director's cut on the 28th. It will feature 10 minutes of additional footage and will screen in roughly 30 theaters around the country. (hancinema.net, July 24, 2011)

A number of sports film are set to hit Korean screens throughout the remainder of the year, including Fight, Pacemaker, Champ, Korea, and The Perfect Game. (Joong Ang Daily, July 18, 2011)

Popular Korean actress Bae Doona, of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) and The Host (2006) fame, has been cast in the hotly anticipated adaptation of Cloud Atlas. (slashfilm.com, July 18, 2011)

After recently acquiring a Vietnamese exhibition chain, CJ has also inherited the company's legal troubles as many companies sued it for allegedly setting minimum prices and other conditions. (The Hollywood Reporter, July 19, 2011)

Eros International, the Indian film producer and exhibitor, is planning to release Endhiran in South Korea on 50 screens. (Media Mughals, July 19, 2011)

Moon Si-hyun, one of Kim Ki-duk's former assistant directors, has just revealed her debut film at PiFan. The film, Sins of Fathers deals with broken families and the disillusioned middle class. (The Hollywood Reporter, July 20, 2011)

The world's first QR Code Film Festival will make content available online and accessible through the use of QR codes, a new form of digital bar codes that can be scanned by smartphones. (PC Advisor, July 21, 2011)

The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) recently suggested a contract for cinemas and distributors that aims to ensure a minimum screening period for films and alter the proportion of profit shares. It is not a recommendation and sanctions will not be imposed. (The Korea Times, July 21, 2011)

Kwak Kyung-taek (Friend, 2001; Typhoon, 2005) cast Kwon Sang-woo in a new melodrama which is due to hit screens in September. Kwak is normally known for action films but admits a soft side for melodrama which he wishes to explore in his new film Painted. (The Korea Times, July 21, 2011)

Korea has been selected as the guest country for the Guanajuato International Film Festival in Mexico, which will be held July 22 – 31. A whopping 76 Korea films will be on display, including retrospectives on Bong Joon-ho and Kim Dong-won. (hancinema.net, July 21, 2011)

Hong Sang-soo's recent Cannes entry The Day He Arrives is set to open the 5th Cinema Digital Seoul Film Festival. The festival will screen 98 films from 32 countries. (hancinema.net, July 21, 2011)

Elizabeth Shim reflects on the Sea of Revenge spotlight at the recent New York Asian Film Festival. In particular she discusses closing night film The Yellow Sea. (Korean Culture Service NY, July 21, 2011)

Terracotta, a great distributor for Asian films in the UK, is launching a new sub-label that will focus exclusively on horror. Terror-cotta will release the Korean Death Bell (2008) as its first title. (Twitch, July 22, 2011)

Winners were announced for the 15th Pucheon International Fantastic Film Festival and included: Best Film for Rubber, Best Korean Independent Film and Best Asian Genre Film for Bloody Fight in Iron-Rock Valley, and Best Director for Na Hong-jin. (Twitch, July 22, 2011)

Kim Jee-won's revered A Bittersweet Life  (2005) will be coming to Blu-ray on August 30th, courtesy of Korean distributor Content Zone. This English-subbed version has faced numerous problems before finally seeing the light of day. (Twitch, July 22, 2011)

Recently it is no longer marquee names that are attracting audiences in South Korea. Ensemble films and relatively low-budget have been competitive in securing a large share of the market. (The Hankyoreh, July 23, 2011)

After movies, TV, and pop, comics may be the next hook in the Korean Wave. Various comic book source materials have been made into films and TV shows and with the support of festivals and trade associations they seem to be on the rise again. (Arirang, July 23, 2011)


INTERVIEWS

Closer Look at The Front Line
The Joon Ang Daily provides more info on new War drama The Front Line and interviews its director Jang Hoon. (Joong Ang Daily, July 22, 2011)

Conversation with Lee Joon-ik
Lee Joon-ik discusses his retirement, his latest film Battlefield Heroes, and planting trees in the desert in Mongolia. (Twitch, July 22, 2011)


TRAILERS

A pair of new trailers this week including one for the director's cut of the enormously popular Sunny.




BOX OFFICE

Harry Potter held its lead in a crowded marketplace and has now accumulated close to 3 million admissions. Meanwhile The Front Line (550,000) and Quick (430,000) opened strongly even if they were unable to unseat the bespectacled wizard, look to them to perform strongly in coming weeks. Sunny is dying down after reaching the 7 million mark but still added 70,000 viewers this weekend to its tally. (hancinema.net, July 24, 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. 

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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Sunday, July 24, 2011

Korean Cinema News (07/11-07/17, 2011)

A good amount of news this week, including updates on American films tied to Korea, blockbusters opening locally, film festivals, and a great article from Tom Giammarco. Interview, trailers, and box office at the bottom.


KOREAN CINEMA NEWS

Josh Brolin First Name Linked to Spike Lee's Oldboy
After being confirmed last week, Spike Lee's rendition of Oldboy (2003) is rumored to star Josh Brolin. (cinemablend.com, July 12, 2011)

Quick Opens in Korea
Motorcycle summer blockbuster Quick opens this weekend in South Korea and will most likely provide cheap, forgettable thrills. (The Korea Times, July 12, 2011)

The Last Stand on Track at Lionsgate
The Last Stand is now a confirmed project at Lionsgate pictures, they will have domestic and international distribution rights. The pic will aslo be produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura through Bonaventura Pictures. (Business of Cinema, July 13, 2011)

Indian Women's Film Festival Spotlights Korean Cinema
The 4th Samsung Women's International Film Festival which takes place in Chennai, India, from 15-21 July, will feature a section film by acclaimed artist Park Chan-ok. (The Hollywood Reporter, July 13, 2011)

What May Be Borne Out of a Clash Between Kim Jee-woon and Arnie
Korean helmer Kim Jee-woon and returning action star Arnold Schwarzenegger are set to work together on The Last Stand. Given their strong personalities and divergent backgrounds, what will each bring to the project? (indieWIRE, July 13, 2011)

Sector 7 Will Showcase Korean 3D
The filmmakers of the upcoming blockbuster Sector 7 are hoping that the film will showcase Korea's nascent 3D capabilities and believe it should be able to compete on the same level as Hollywood films. (The Korea Herald, July 13, 2011)

City Hunters Star Meets with Hollywood Producer
American film producer Terence Chang flew to Korea to meet with Lee Min-ho, star of the top-rated City Hunters K-Drama. (soompi, July 13, 2011)

Jang Hoon Returns With The Front Line
Jang Hoon's third feature, after Rough Cut (2008) and Secret Reunion (2010), is a big-budget with an A-list cast. More than anything The Front Line showcases the brutality and depravity of war. (The Korea Times, July 14, 2011)

Cats in Korean Horror
Tom Giammarco examines the history of ghostly cats in Korean cinema. Armed with his encyclopedic knowledge of Classic Korean film he runs through a series of films from the 60s, 70s, and 80s.(koreanfilm.org, July 14, 2011)

Secret Expose Being Shot in North Korea
An undercover team of journalists are smuggling out footage of everyday life in North Korea. They have been trained and are being lead by a Japanese reporter. (Radio Australia, July 15, 2011)

Dubbing Takes Over With Rise of 3D Films
Korean viewers, who normally watch American films with subtitles are taking a different tack with 3D films as many of these are now being dubbed. (Joong Ang Daily, July 15, 2011)

Korean Films on Display at Dallas Asian Film Festival
The Asian Film Festival of Dallas got underway and will showcase a number of Korean films, including: Bedevilled, Cyrano Agency, Dance Town, Enemy at the Dead End, and Midnight FM. (dallasvoice.com, July 15, 2011)

PiFan Gets Underway
The 15th Puchon (Bucheon) International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan) got off to a good start as 2000 people attended the opening ceremony. Many shows have sold out in advance and their is great selection of Korea and foreign films on display. (The Korea Times, July 17, 2011)

Korean Wave Stars in Movies
A comprehensive list of Hallyu idols from K-Pop or K-Dramas who have crossed over into movie roles. (soompi, July 17, 2011)


INTERVIEW

Kim Jae-hwan Talks About New Documentary
Documentarian Kim Jae-hwan discusses his new documentary The True-taste Show, he believes that documentary that draw their focus on the media will be more prevalent in the future. (hancinema.net, July 12, 2011)


TRAILERS

A pair of new trailers, including one for one of Korea's most successful and long-running franchises.



Harry Potter Draws in the Crowds
The last Harry Potter opened big and has so far scored 1.7 million viewers. A huge figure but not as impressive as the recent record-breaking Transformers, which held well with over 600,000 admissions and is very close to the 7 million mark. Sunny is also a fraction behind that mark as it continues to do well with nearly 200,000 more spectators. The Cat played well in its sophomore frame and Quick and The Front Line sold a good number of preview tickets in advance of their full release this coming week. (hancinema.net, July 17, 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. 

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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