CZECH REPUBLIC: THE 36TH KARLOVY VARY INTEWRNATIONAL FESTIVAL HOSTS A RETROSPECTIVE OF NEW KOREAN CINEMA

Record ID: 547309

  • Title: CZECH REPUBLIC: THE 36TH KARLOVY VARY INTEWRNATIONAL FESTIVAL HOSTS A RETROSPECTIVE OF NEW KOREAN CINEMA
  • Date: 12th July 2001
  • Summary: PEOPLE WALKING ON ESPLANADE OUTSIDE THERMAL HOTEL, ONE OF THE LOCATIONS OF THE TOWN'S 36TH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (2 SHOTS) ***FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** CU MYUNG KAYNAM, SOUTH KOREAN ACTOR AND PRODUCER OF SUCCESSFUL 1999 FILM, "PEPPERMINT CANDY" SCU PUSAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ADVISOR MS. AN-CHA FLUBACHER-RHIM INTRODUCES A DEBATE ON THE DYNAMISM AND DIVERSITY OF NEW KOREAN CINEMA CU MYUNG KAYNAM AND SHIM JAE MYUNG, PRODUCER OF, "THE ISLE" AND "JOINT SECURITY" SVS JOURNALISTS LISTENING (2 SHOTS) CU JEON SOO-LL, DIRECTOR OF "THE BIRD WHO STOPS THE AIR" (1999) CU YOUNG DIRECTOR OF SHORT FILMS MV LEE KWANG MO, DIRECTOR OF "SPRING IN MY HOMETOWN" AND CHUNG JI-YOUNG, DIRECTOR OF "THE LIFE AND DEATH OF THE HOLLYWOOD KID" PARK CHUL SOO, DIRECTOR OF "BONGJA" SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS
  • Embargoed: 27th July 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: CZECH REPUBLIC AND VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
  • Country: Czech Republic
  • Reuters ID: LVA7N4Q681PRR203MQ8DL97F60PV
  • Story Text: The recent, 36th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic turned its spotlight eastwards when it hosted a retrospective of New Korean Cinema which featured some of the most interesting films produced in Korea over the past 15 years.
    Korean films have steadily been gaining international attention and acclaim in recent years. A retrospective at the 36th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic presented 28 award-winning features and shorts to packed theatres, and a heated debate on the dynamism and diversity of the nations recent cinematic renaissance.
    Directors and producers representing their films at Karlovy Vary included; Chung Ji-Young, director of, "Life and Death of the Hollywood Kid", Shim Jae-Myung, producer of, "Joint Security Area", and "The Isle" and director, Park Chul-Soo, whose film, "Bongja" was in the festivals Official Competition.
    Bongja is a lonely woman whose only joy in life is making maki rolls and drinking rice wine. Her life is turned upside down when a young teenage girl takes over her home. The mysterious, equally angelic and demonic girl helps Bongja unleash her desires, opening her heart to both love and disaster.
    Park Chul-Soo is one of Koreas leading directors. His 1996 black comedy, "Student Riot", picked up awards at festivals around the world and his film, "301,302" about two women with eating disorders, was the first internationally distributed Korean film, winning a successful theatrical release in the USA and Japan in 1997.
    More recently Chul-Soo has set up a film academy to encourage the nations young up and coming talent.
    Another director with a reputation for supporting the nations industry is Chung Ji-Young. A French literature graduate, Ji-Young worked as an assistant for leading Korean directors, Kim Suypng and Im Kwontaek before making his debut as a director with, "Mist Whispers like a Woman."
    Ji-Young helped in the establishment of a screen quota for home-produced films when he led a campaign against UIPs direct distribution of American films in Korea and the revision of the Korean Films Promotion Law.
    His 1994 film, "Life and Death of the Hollywood Kid", in which a young man grows up so addicted to American movies heup confusing reality and fantasy, is a cinematic self-portrait. The film carries a self-criticising message for the generation that grew up on the images and ideology of Hollywood, as the domestic film industry was on the verge of collapse along with the nations cultural identity.
    "In this particular film I try to portray my generation which spent its youth in the sixties and seventies, the post-Korean war era, engrossed in American culture. I wanted to portray the young peoples confusion about their identity, their cultural identity and the kind of complexities that were brought on by the domination of American culture.
    "At that time, for our generation, Hollywood was an object of adulation and so I wanted to portray a young man who was not American but whose conscience was taken over by Hollywood films, by American culture. And I wanted to use that as a kind of simile to express our generation's cultural identity crisis.
    "And there are also a few directors in Korea who are like this character in the film and whose consciences are so taken over by American culture and Hollywood films that they have trouble making their own films." Says Ji-Young.
    Despite his criticisms of Hollywood Ji-Young recognises the importance of diversity. "I believe there should be various films from different countries. I don't believe that we shouldn't see Hollywood. I believe we should see Hollywood films as well as Czech films and Russian films and Korean films. I don't think Hollywood films are dangerous in their content its that the system is so powerful they take over the industry of other countries and that's what is dangerous." He says.
    Ji-Young believes Korea needs to fight a continual battle against American culture colonisation.
    "It will never be easy for Korea to be free of American influences.
    Politically and geographically Korea is in a place where its hard not to listen to American policy. For the screen quota movement, its true it most definitely stands in the way of Hollywood films coming into Korea, but Korean filmmakers regard this as our very small effort to guard our own culture against American culture. And we try to convince the Americans that this is not an economical or political movement but a means to protect our own culture, and we will continue this fight to guard our cultural identity although I don't know how long we'll be able to."
    Despite Ji-Youngs fears, Karlovy Vary's tribute highlights the richness and uniqueness as well as the healthy state of Koreas film industry. Im Kwon Taek, one of the country's greatest film-makers has made over ninety films in his career. His film Chunhyang, (2000), which has been hailed a masterpiece, was the largest cinematic production ever made in Korea.
    The film recounts a tale of forbidden love through the use of "pansori", an ancient storytelling form that incorporates music, song and dance. Chunhyang was the first ever Korean film to be selected for the official competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
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