All articles by Darcy Paquet – Page 2
-
News
Hadida acquires remake rights to Korean horror hit
French producer Samuel Hadida (Brotherhood Of TheWolf) has picked upEnglish-language remake rights to Korean horror film Bunshinsaba (2004) by Ahn Byeong-gi. The film, about an ostracised high school student whoinadvertently places a curse on her classmates, will be produced through DavisFilms under the English title The Spell.The deal was concluded ...
-
News
Korean Film Council names new chairperson
The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) has named AhnJeeng-sook, a former editor of weekly film magazine Cine21, to a threeyear term as Chairperson to replace the outgoing Lee Choong-jik. Ahn will join eight other commissioners newlyappointed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to oversee the operation of thefilm support body ...
-
News
Korean industry abuzz as top production houses set to merge
Sidus Pictures and Fun &Happiness, two of South Korea's most successful production companies, arepreparing to merge in an unexpected move that has set the local industrybuzzing. Sidus Pictures, launched in1995 as Uno Films under CEO Tcha Seung-jai, is widely considered Korea'sstrongest production house, having released 31 features including ChristmasIn August ...
-
News
Positive response for Korea's Antarctic Journal at Jeonju
Antarctic Journal, a large-scale Korean mystery thriller set in theAntarctic Circle, provided a high profile close to the sixth JeonjuInternational Film Festival on May 6. The film receives its market premiere viaMirovision in the upcoming Cannes market.Shot in New Zealand, Journal focuses on an expedition to the South Pole thatveers ...
-
News
Hewitt's Love grips South Korea
UK film The Truth About Love, starring Jennifer LoveHewitt, has scored a number one opening in South Korea in its worldwide debut. Bought by Ivision and released by Tube Entertainment, thefilm earned $1.04m over a quiet weekend to outpace the launch of internationalhit The Interpreter, which took $890,000. The film ...
-
News
Chinese Peacock struts off with Udine prize
Chinese director Gu Changwei's Peacock was voted the top prizewinner by audiencesat the 7th Far East Film Festival (FEFF) in Udine, Italy.The FEFF, which ranks as a leading European showcaseof popular Asian cinema, also presented runner-up prizes to the stylish teenagedrama Kamikaze Girls byJapanese director Tetsuya Nakashima and comedy Someone ...
-
News
Ousted Puchon director launches rival festival
The ongoing controversy surrounding Korea's PuchonInternational Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan) has taken a new turn, with thefestival's former director and programmers announcing a rival event to takeplace in Seoul over the same week.The 'Real Fantastic Film Festival' will run inJuly on one-twentieth the budget of its larger rival, and will ...
-
News
Infernal Affairs' Lau to direct major pan-Asian feature
South Koreanproduction company iFilm, which scored a hit with the Korean-HK co-production Windstrucklast year, has unveiled a major new pan-Asian feature that brings together HongKong director Andrew Lau of Infernal Affairs and Jeon Ji-hyun, the lead actressfrom Windstruck and My Sassy Girl.Titled Daisy, thefilm is billed as a "romantic noir" ...
-
News
Monster movie scores $4.7m pre-sale to Japan
The Host, a big-budget monster movie to be shot by one ofKorea's most respected directors, clinched a massive $4.7m pre-sale to Japan'sHappinet .Pictures at the recent Hong Kong FilMart.The deal, which includes a $1.5m investment stake plusdistribution rights for Japan, is unusually high for a film which is still twomonths ...
-
News
April Snow set to engulf Asia
South Korean distributor Show East is enjoying anunprecedented media blitz from across Asia for its upcoming title April Snow- which is being marketed as Korea's first Asia-wide blockbuster ahead of itsSeptember release.On March 17, a visit to the film's setattracted over 350 local and international press members, including 100reporters who ...
-
News
Spring offers hope for Korean box office
April is not considered tobe high season at the box-office in Korea, but in past years it has shown aknack for producing major box-office hits. My Little Bride (2004, $17m local gross), Memories Of Murder(2003, $27m), The Way Home (2002, $20m) and Friend (2001, $38m)have all got off to a ...
-
News
Korean film industry mourns Lee Eun-ju
South Korean actress LeeEun-ju was found dead in her apartment on Tuesday morning. She is believed to have committed suicide.Born in 1980, Lee starred innine feature films since her debut in 1999, including Virgin Stripped BareBy Her Bachelors (2000) by Hong Sang-soo, Bungee Jumping Of Their Own(2001), Lovers Concerto (2002), ...
-
News
Top Korean distributor drops assassination drama
A South Korean political drama that is dividing audienceson the same scale as Fahrenheit 9/11 has been dropped just ahead of itsFebruary 3 release by distributor CJ Entertainment.The President's Last Bang by Im Sang-soo --director of Venice entry A Good Lawyer's Wife (2003) - is a creativeretelling of the hours ...
-
News
Puchon Film Festival loses second artistic director
South Korea's second majorfilm festival, the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan) plungedinto chaos on Tuesday, as its organising committee decided to hold its ninthedition without a festival director.The committee, chaired bycity mayor Hong Geon-pyo, also voted to dismiss its programming team, less thansix months before the event's scheduled opening ...
-
News
Korea's Kim Ki-duk shoots The Bow
South Korean director KimKi-duk has opened shooting on his 12th feature film, a low-budget production tobe titled The Bow.Following a highlysuccessful 2004 in which he won Best Director awards at Berlin and Venice for SamaritanGirl and 3-Iron respectively, Kim began shooting his latest workwith little fanfare on a remote island ...
-
News
Korean film enjoys bumper box office harvest in 2004
South Korean box office surged 16.5% in 2004 and Koreanfilms took an unprecedented 60.3% share of the market, on the back ofrecord-busting performances by local features Tae Guk Gi and Silmido.Nonetheless, a drop off at the end of the year has observerswondering if Korea's boom has reached its peak.According to ...
-
News
Don Kim named as Universal Pictures Korea chief
UniversalPictures International (UPI) has appointed Don Kim, formerly of Johnson &Johnson Visioncare, to be managing director of Universal Pictures Korea.Kim replaces Chang Gon Kim, who headed the Korea officefor two years, and will report to Wayne Borg, Vice President for Latin Americaand Asia Pacific. He will head thecompany's planned expansion ...
-
News
Controversy sparked by exit of Puchon Film Festival director
Kim Hong-joon, the popular director of Korea'sPuchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan), has been removed from hisposition due to lobbying by the city's mayor.The decision wasmade at a meeting of the festival's board of directors on December 29, and Kimwill be replaced by Jung Hong-taek, a former president of the ...
-
News
2004: All eyes on South Korean cinema
In 2004, Korean cinema saw two films, Silmido and Taegukgi, pass the hitherounscaled 10 million admissions mark.The industry also made key strides in its most importantoverseas market - Japan. However, moves by Korea's major studiosled to fears of a 'monopolistic' accumulation of power.CJ Entertainment won a bitter struggle for exhibition ...
-
News
CAA signs South Korean director
SouthKorean director Kang Je-gyu has signed on with Creative Artists Agency (CAA),making him one of the first Korean filmmakers to work through one of the majorHollywood talent agencies.Accordingto production/sales company MKB, Kang is also fielding multiple offers frommajor Hollywood studios regarding his as-yet unannounced next project.Kanghas become a box-office legend ...