All articles by Darcy Paquet – Page 7
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Fantastic line-up for Korea's Puchon festival
The Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan) has unveiled an expanded lineup for its 7th edition, which will be held from July 10-19 in the Korean city of Bucheon, near Seoul. With three more screening venues added and a total of 190 films, the festival now claims to be ...
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Plenus plans merger with Korea's online game giant, NetMarble
Plenus Entertainment, parent company of South Korean major Cinema Service, has unveiled plans to merge with Korea's largest online game company NetMarble. The announcement comes only months after the collapse of a planned merger between Plenus and rival studio CJ Entertainment.NetMarble, which has been 51% owned by Plenus since ...
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Korean energy conglomerate enters film funding
South Korea's Daesung Group, a major energy conglomerate, has unveiled plans to enter the Korean film industry as an investor. The group's initial venture will come in the form of a strategic partnership with production companies EGG Films and Keyweck Shidae. After an initial investment of $250,000 (WON ...
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France's MK2 boards Korea's Hong Sang-soo project
The as-yet untitled fifth project by South Korean director Hong Sang-soo has secured partial financing from French production/distribution company MK2. The company will reportedly distribute the film directly through its French distribution circuit, as well as handling international sales and marketing outside of Asia.Currently in the casting stage, Hong's ...
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Iranian Exam wins Jeonju Int'l Film Fest
The 4th edition of the Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) in South Korea wrapped on Sunday with Iranian director Nasser Refaie winning the top award in the Asian NewComers section with his film Exam. The debut work centers around a group of Iranian women who gather to take a ...
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Korean Memories Of Murder holds off X2
Memories Of Murder, the second film by director Bong Joon-ho (Barking Dogs Never Bite), has become a major success at the South Korean box-office, holding off strong competition from X2: X-Men United to remain at number 1 in its second week.Released on April 25, Memories Of Murder has grossed $8.2m ...
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Korean mega-merger cancelled
South Korean major CJ Entertainment announced on April 4 that it had called off its proposed merger with rival studio Cinema Service, which would have created the Korean film industry's biggest-ever company.Disagreements over price are reported to be the primary reason for the cancellation, although a change in fortunes for ...
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Korea's Good Fellas targets Vietnam for multiplex growth
Good Fellas, a Korean exhibition company, is to open its second cinema in Vietnam in May with a dozen more in the pipeline, confirming Vietnam as one of the most promising, untapped international cinema markets.The new venue, to be part of the company's Diamond Cinema (DMC) joint-venture multiplex chain, will ...
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New film investment, distribution company launched in South Korea
Kim Dong-joo, ex-president of Korea Pictures, has announced the launch of an ambitious new investment and distribution company to focus on film and the performing arts. Named Show East, the company has recently began shooting on its first feature Mutt Boy, by the director of Korea's current box-office record ...
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World premiere of If You Were Me to open Korea's Jeonju fest
The fourth Jeonju International Film Festival in South Korea will screen the world premiere of If You Were Me, an omnibus collection dealing with human rights and shot by six leading Korean directors, as its opening film. Produced and financed by Korea's Commission on Human Rights, the omnibus collection ...
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Distributors jockey for position as Korean majors merge
Faced with the merger of South Korea's two biggest film companies, mid-sized distributors are jockeying for position in a rapidly changing market.With market prospects undermined by the recent bursting of an investment bubble, four mid-sized players - Showbox, Korea Pictures, Aura Entertainment and Big Blue Film - have the best ...
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Film-maker appointed as South Korea's Minister of Culture
South Korean film director Lee Chang-dong has been named Minister of Culture and Tourism in a surprise appointment by new Korean president Roh Moo-hyun. This marks the first time in Korea's history that a member of the film industry will head the ministry.As Minister, Lee will oversee governmental affairs ...
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Columbia TriStar starts shooting first South Korean production
Silmi Island (working title), Columbia TriStar's first foray into the South Korean production sector, started principal photography on March 1. Fully financed by Columbia for $10m, an unusually high budget by local standards, the Korean-language feature is directed by Cinema Service founder Kang Woo-suk. Kang, a producer and ...
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South Korean cinema risks becoming a victim of its own success
If the signals emerging from the South Korean film world these days seem a bit contradictory, it may be because the industry is on the brink of a transformation. Despite producing numerous award-winning films and an amazing 47% local market share in 2002, Korean cinema finds itself facing a host ...
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South Korean comedy attracts record admissions
Romantic comedy My Tutor Friend has opened to blockbuster business in South Korea, having drawn over a million admissions in its first five days. This matches the record five-day openings of local smashes Friend and My Wife Is A Gangster, which went on to earn $44m and $31m respectively ...
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New movie giant emerges in Asia
South Korean major CJ Entertainment signed a memorandum of understanding today to acquire a stake of up to 35.4% in Plenus Entertainment, the parent company of rival studio Cinema Service. The linking up of the two firms, which are by far the biggest film companies in Korea, is ...
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South Korean exhibitors enjoy robust health
South Korea's top three cinema circuits enjoyed strong growth in 2002 on the back of a building boom and an overall 20% rise in admissions. Taken together, CGV, Megabox Cineplex and Lotte Cinema now account for 45m admissions, a 42% share of the nation's total 107m admissions.Market leader CGV, ...
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Korea's A-Line to re-launch as independent
A-Line, an informal distribution network formed last year between five South Korean companies, has announced it is parting ways with KangJeGyu Films and re-launching itself as a separate entity. Renamed Entertainment A-Line, the distributor expects to release a total of 18 local and imported titles per year.The move follows ...
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Korean cinema admissions break 100m for first time in 29 years
Annual cinema admissions in South Korea have passed 100 million for the first time since 1973, according to a report issued by film company IM Pictures. Continued multiplex growth, a move to Friday openings and a strong lineup of imported and local titles are credited with boosting the total ...
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Mega-merger set to rock South Korean film industry
A radical shake-up of the South Korean film industry is in the offing, with major CJ Entertainment reportedly entering final negotiations to acquire 40% of Plenus Entertainment, owner of the industry's second major studio, Cinema Service.According to a report by local magazine Film 2.0 today, representatives from both sides have ...