All articles by Darcy Paquet – Page 8
-
News
Bomb threat escalates for Korea's CJ Entertainment
Police in Seoul are searching for a man who sent a mail bomb to the head offices of CJ Entertainment as part of an extortion scheme. The small explosive, concealed inside a book addressed to CEO Lee Kang-bok, caused minor burns to Lee's hands and forehead.A note pasted on ...
-
News
Three new Korean films maintain strong local market share
South Korean cinema continues to perform strongly, with local films currently maintaining a 45% market share in Seoul and three Korean titles heading the box-office this weekend. Cinema Service's Jail Breakers (pictured) has become the latest comedy to top the box-office, drawing 554,000 admissions nationwide in its first four days ...
-
News
Jealousy, Passion share top honours at Pusan
South Korea's Park Chan-ok's (pictured, right) debut Jealousy Is My Middle Name and Indian director K.N.T. Sastry's (pictured, left) The Rite' A Passion shared the top prize in the Pusan International Film Festival's New Currents competition for first and second-time Asian directors.A Special Mention was awarded to Park Jin-pyo's Too ...
-
News
Asia gets multi-purpose market after Korea's BIFCOM-PPP merge
The Busan International Film Commission Exhibition (BIFCOM), held during the Pusan International Film Festival, is set to merge with the Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP)'s Korean Film Industry Centre to form an expanded industry expo for the Asian market in 2003. Renamed the Asian Film Industry Center (AFIC), the event will ...
-
News
Pusan's PPP shows way into Asian film
Prospective financiers and co-producers will get the opportunity to invest in some of Asia's hottest film projects at the 5th Pusan Promotion Plan which runs November 18-20 in South Korea. Running alongside the Pusan International Film Festival, the Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP) has quickly achieved prominence as a pre-market for ...
-
News
Asian Film Industry Network to be launched at Pusan film festival
The Korean Film Commission has unveiled a long-term initiative to promote Asian film industries, to be launched at the upcoming Pusan International Film Festival.The Asian Film Industry Network (AFIN) which will launch in association with the Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP) which runs November 19-20, will initially function as an annual ...
-
News
Pusan film critics announce annual awards
Park Chan-wook's hard-hitting Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance has been named Korea's top film of the year in the annual Pusan Film Critics Awards. The film, also honoured with a Best Director prize, will be presented with its awards on November 15 at the upcoming Pusan International Film Festival.Other top ...
-
News
Jackie Chan suits up for hit in Korea
Jackie Chan-vehicleThe Tuxedo landed top of the South Korean box office last weekend with an impressive $1.96m nationwide opening. Sporting a strong screen average of $11,140, the film is another hit for Chan, who has a long history of box-office success in Korea, and easily bested the $1.4m opening for ...
-
News
South Korea's MP Entertainment launches ambitious film production fund
South Korean production/talent management company MP Entertainment has announced the formation of an ambitious $41.7m (WON 50bn) film production fund, which is expected to greatly boost its profile in the rapidly-evolving Korean industry. With capital to be provided by parent company J&C Holdings, MP Entertainment intends to devote $16.7m to ...
-
News
South Korean cinema boosts local market share
South Korean cinema has maintained a 44% market share in Seoul through the end of September, according to figures released this week by the Korean Film Commission (KOFIC). Overall admissions were up 16.4% on the same period last year, despite what was viewed as a disappointing summer season.Hollywood features ...
-
News
South Korea adds to list of foreign-language Oscar submissions
Lee Chang-dong's third film Oasis has been picked to represent South Korea for the best foreign language Oscar. The film joins a rapidly-growing list of national submissions, including, most recently, Bohdan Slama's Wild Bees from the Czech Republic and Fernando Lopes's O Delfim from Portugal Oasis (pictured) an ...
-
News
Pusan Int'l film festival unveils 7th edition line-up
The Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) has unveiled the line-up of its 7th edition, to be held from November 14-23 in South Korea. Increasingly seen as the region's leading showcase of Asian cinema, this year's festival will feature a record 228 films as well as further efforts to expand ...
-
News
Cinema Service boosts investment in Korean film industry
South Korean major Cinema Service is to boost its investment in local film production amidst what appears to be an exodus of venture capital from the industry. With industry sources predicting leaner times ahead for production companies, the increased spending by Cinema Service is expected to give it even ...
-
News
Korean box office hit may be the last of the blockbusters
New Korean gangster comedy, For The Glory Of Our Family (pictured) looks like it could be a contender for the new local all-time box-office crown. But the relative success of its performance pales in comparison with the recent disastrous failure of local mega-budget title: Resurrection Of The Little Match Girl.One ...
-
News
Village Roadshow unloads 50% interest in leading Korean exhibitor
Australian exhibition giant Village Roadshow announced the long-anticipated sale of its 50% stake in leading Korean cinema circuit CGV for $81m (A$150m). Korean partner CJ Entertainment, which has operational control of the company, will retain its 50% share.The stake was bought by venture capital firm Asia Cinema Holdings, a ...
-
News
Loews leads South Korean exhibition push
The South Korean exhibition industry looks to be stepping up its rate of growth, with U.S.-based Loews Cineplex announcing an additional $21m investment in Megabox Cineplex. With ambitious plans for expansion both among independent exhibitors and the nation's four major cinema circuits, some industry figures predict a further 700 ...
-
News
Six Korean directors to create human rights omnibus
The South Korean Human Rights Commission has announced plans to assemble six high-profile Korean directors to shoot an omnibus-style collection of short films dealing with themes related to discrimination and human rights.Five directors have already signed on to the project - Park Chan-wook (JSA), Jeong Jae-eun (Take Care Of My ...
-
News
Korean films surprise again but studio titles hold their own at BO
Thesummer season has produced some unexpected heavyweights at the South Koreanbox-office. Following a year in whichlocal titles My Sassy Girl ($24m) and Kick The Moon ($21)dominated theatres, the strongest performer has been Steven Spielberg's MinorityReport, remaining atop thebox-office for five weeks after its July 26 release and earning over $17m. ...
-
News
Korean cinemas exceeding local quota requirements
Korean cinemas are screening local films at a record-setting pace, exceeding requirements of the nation's Screen Quota System for the second year on record and raising issues of 'cultural exception'. According to Korea's Coalition for Cultural Diversity in Moving Images (CMDI), which independently monitors the activities of 617 screens nationwide, ...
-
News
Cinema Service set to join Korean exhibition giants
Korean major Cinema Service is poised to become the country's fourth exhibition giant when it unveils detailed plans next week to build a country-wide multiplex circuit (see Screendaily.com April 14).Structured as a joint venture, the circuit will concentrate on developments in under-serviced regional areas. The company envisages having 10 venues ...