[movie 2009] Paju 파주

[melusine]

Lee Seon Gyun, Seo Woo

Paju 파주

Cast

Lee Seon-Gyun 이선균

as Kim Joong-Shik 김중식

Seo Woo 서우

as Choi Eun-Mo 최은모

Shim Yi-Young 심이영

as Choi Eun-Soo 최은수

Kim Bo-Kyung 김보경

as Jung Ja-Young 정자영

Lee Dae-Yeon 이대연 as Reverend Doo-Man 목사 두만

Kim Ye-Ri 김예리 as Mi-Ae 미애

Lee Young-Kyung 이경영 as Gangster Boss 보스

Written & Directed by

Park Chan-Ok 박찬옥

Cinematography

Kim Woo-Hyung 김우형

Art Direction

Kim Joon 김준

Editing

Kim Hyung-Joo 김형주

Music

Jang Young-Gyu 장영규

Sound

Kim Suk-Won 김석원, Park Ju-Kang 박주강

Produced by

Kim Ju-Kyung 김주경

Jaime Shim

Production Company

TPS Company

Domestic Distribution

MK Pictures

International Sales

M-Line Distribution

<Download Press Kit>

World Premiere

October 10, 2009

14th Pusan International Film Festival

http://file7.webspread.co.kr/paju/mailing/paju_busan.zip

mms://vod.cine21.com/cine21.com/movie/making/2009/10/paju_busan.wmv

[MultiUpload] [Streaming]

<more pics+videos @ posts #14-22>

Press Screening

October 21, 2009

http://vod.ietn.co.kr/mov/2009/1028/200910281256714975_s.wmv [Streaming]

<more pics+videos @ post #42>

VIP Premiere

October 22, 2009

mms://vod.cine21.com/cine21.com/movie/making/2009/10/paju_vipsisa.wmv

[MultiUpload] [Streaming]

http://vod1.ytnstar.co.kr/ytnstar/general/...101175784_s.wmv [YouTube]

(English subbed) [MultiUpload]

<more pics+videos @ post #43>

Release Date

October 28, 2009

Official Website

http://www.paju2009.co.kr/

http://blog.naver.com/paju2009/

Teaser Trailer

http://file7.webspread.co.kr/paju/trailer/...trailer_512.zip

http://file7.webspread.co.kr/paju/trailer/...trailer_720.zip

mms://vod.cine21.com/cine21.com/movie/trailer/2009/07/paju_teaser.wmv

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[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfwjumPgZZY] [YouTube] [YouTube] [YouTube] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3yb8I_48W4]

Main Trailer

http://file7.webspread.co.kr/paju/trailer/...ler_512x384.zip

http://file7.webspread.co.kr/paju/trailer/...ler_720x480.zip

mms://vod.cine21.com/cine21.com/movie/trailer/2009/09/paju_tr.wmv

[MegaUpload] [MediaFire] [SendSpace]

[YouTube] [YouTube] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYjRmD1d1pU] [YouTube] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyjchyPJqDk]

(English subbed) [Download] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXfDCBz_zAA]

Music Video

"Inside Eternity" by Yoon Sang

mms://vod.cine21.com/cine21.com/movie/mvideo/2009/10/paju_mv.wmv

[MultiUpload]

[YouTube] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VD6KsApLWk]

Interview - Lee Seon-Gyun

http://file7.webspread.co.kr/paju/trailer/..._leesunkyun.zip

mms://vod.cine21.com/cine21.com/movie/making/2009/10/paju_lee.wmv

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[YouTube]

Interview - Seo Woo

http://file7.webspread.co.kr/paju/trailer/...cter/C_seou.zip

mms://vod.cine21.com/cine21.com/movie/making/2009/10/paju_seou.wmv

[MegaUpload] [MediaFire] [SendSpace]

[Streaming]

Interview - Park Chan-Ok

(English subbed) [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CZfD-3hCQ0]

Wallpaper

1280x1024 + 1024x768

Download

<01 02 03 04 05>

DVD

YesAsia | DVDAsian | Sensasian | SeoulSelection | K2DVD | AsianDB

Watch Streaming

[YouTube]

Download

ed2k://|file|%C3%AD%C2%8C%C2%8C%C3%AC%C2%A3%C2%BC%20Paju,%202009.DVDRIP.XviD-Unknown.avi|1493766724|4A23C2FB3736014C29F83E193B769AF3|/

ed2k://|file|Paju.2009.DVDRip.XviD-BeFRee.cd1.avi|733513728|5B8DD685AE3A1FACC5464CFE9CD85B27|/

ed2k://|file|Paju.2009.DVDRip.XviD-BeFRee.cd2.avi|736028672|AFF205B5FC0FE897B36B1BD2195B553C|/

[

Lets Look] [Torrent]

Subtitles

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Reviews

Screen International | Hollywood Reporter | Variety | Yonhap News | JoongAng Daily | Koreanfilm.org | Twitch

Synopsis

Eun-mo is back in her hometown, Paju after spending three years of soul searching in India. However the reality she returns to is far from comforting as she is faced with a dreaded reunion with her widower brother-in-law, Joong-shik. Almost a decade ago when Joong-shik came to Paju as a student activist fugitive, Eun-mo never took a liking to Joong-shik who ended up marrying her older sister, Eun-soo.

But she was forced to live with him when a tragic accident took her sister’s life. During a course of three years, Eun-mo gradually discovered she was carrying complex emotions toward Joong-shik. Having felt trapped, she decided to leave Paju. Eun-mo believed she had resolved all emotional conflicts in India, but as she digs further into her sister’s death, she becomes torn between the truth and her feelings for Joong-shik.

Related links: Cine21 | Naver | Daum | KoreaFilm | MaxMovie | Movist | HanCinema | AsianMediaWiki | IMDb

Forum Rules

No hotlinking pls!

[melusine]

Stills

<click photos to enlarge>

No hotlinking pls!

[melusine]

Park Chan-Ok

Biography [via M-Line Distribution]

Born in 1968, PARK Chan-ok studied film at Hanyang University and the Korea National University of Arts (KNUA). She began her career in the independent film scene with film group and film production company Generation Blue Films, directing several award-winning shorts. After working as assistant director to one of Korea’s leading auteur filmmakers HONG Sang-soo on Virgin Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors, she made her first feature film Jealousy is My Middle Name which not only received critical acclaim but also a number of awards including the Rotterdam Film Festival Tiger Award and the Pusan International Film Festival New Currents Award. Acknowledged for her sensitive and in-depth depiction of restless and absurd characters, she has established herself as one of Korea’s leading female filmmakers. Her second feature Paju once again brings in director PARK’s unique gaze of the world, delicately exploring human relationships and the human nature and emotions revealed through such relationships.

Filmography [via KoreaFilm + Daum]

2009 [Paju 파주] Screenplay/Director

- Tribeca Film Festival (2010): World Narrative Competition

- 12th International Women's Film Festival in Seoul (2010): New Currents

- 11th Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival (2010): Best Actor (Lee Seon-Gyun)

- 12th Deauville Asian Film Festival (2010): Jury Prize (tied with Au Revoir Taipei 一頁台北)

- 39th International Film Festival Rotterdam (2010): Opening Film

- 14th Pusan International Film Festival (2009): New Currents: NETPAC Award

2004 [Warm Swamp 잠복] (short, 35mm) Screenplay/Director

- 8th International Women's Film Festival in Seoul (2006): New Currents

- 19th Singapore International Film Festival (2006)

- 10th Pusan International Film Festival (2005): Reunion of New Currents

- 23rd Vancouver International Film Festival (2004)

- 8th Jeonju International Film Festival (2004): Korean Shorts: Critics' Week

2002 [Jealousy is My Middle Name 질투는 나의 힘] (feature-length, 35mm) Screenplay/Editor/Director

- 32nd International Film Festival Rotterdam (2003): VPRO Tiger Award

- 24th Blue Dragon Film Awards (2003): Best Screenplay

- 7th Pusan International Film Festival (2002): New Currents Award (Best Feature Film)

<DVD: DVDAsian, KoreaPop>

2000 [Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors 오! 수정] Assistant Director

1999 [Common Facts 공연한 사실] (short) Screenplay/Director

1998 [Heavy 느린 여름] (short, 16mm) Screenplay/Editor/Director

- 3rd Pusan International Film Festival (1998): Sonje Award (Best Short Film)

1996 [To Be 있다] (short, 16mm) Screenplay/Director

- 1st International Women's Film Festival in Seoul: Winner of First Prize and People's Choice Award

- 제1회 독일 하노버영화제 우수상

<DVD: YesAsia, Sensasian, SeoulSelection>

1996 [Welcome 웰컴] (short) Music

1996 [A Bit Bitter 생강] (short) Screenplay

1995 [Cat Woman and Man 캣우먼과 맨] (short, 16mm) Screenplay/Producer/Director

1994 [Shutter Man 셔터맨] (short, 16mm) Screenplay/Cinematography/Director

Source: Moon Seok. "Return of the Masters". Korean Film Observatory No.28, pp. 16. Korean Film Council, 2008.

[melusine]

Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP), which had its 8th opening ceremony on the 9th, is increasingly elevating its reputation along with PIFF. As the largest film free-market in Asia, PPP is set for the platform to present the films of various colors. Also it will give an opportunity for Korean and Asian films to meet international buyers with its expansion the film market and industry screening. PPP this year that runs through the 12th has a special meaning in that PIFF has decided to launch its own film market starting next year. Sung-kyu Kang, the PPP Board Member has shown has shown his expectations of PPP bringing out its synergetic result with the PIFF.

It is notable that the 27 projects of this year’s PPP present both the young energetic talent and the thriving mainstay directors. Afghanistan director Siddiq Barmak who won the Best Foreign-language Film Award with <Osama> at the Golden Globe 2004, has visited PPP again with <Opium War> (<Osama> was also presented as a PPP project>. Soo-hyun Kim, who had caught people’s eyes with <So Cute>, presents <Prison Hotel (working title)> to refresh the atmosphere of PPP along with Chan-ok Park’s <Paju> and the Indonesian new generation director Riri Riza’s <3 Days to Forever>. Especially, it is nice to see the director Kwang-mo Lee again with the <Fairy Tale of a Picture Tree> after the long 7-year rest since <Spring in My Hometown>. Also, Fruit Chan the director of <Made in Hong Kong>, Chinese director Jhang Lu, Taiwanese Lin Cheng-sheng, and Japanese Shinya Tsukamoto have come back with their new films.

PPP this year has made its small but important challenge of expanding the event to the theater Primus. Originally, the event was centered at Paradise Hotel. Market screenings have started to present their films at theaters instead of DVD players set up in hotel rooms due to the film production companies hoping to have their films presented in the best quality. The board member Kang has predicted next year’s situation by saying, “Not only the Korean film production companies participating in PPP, but also most of the Asian film production companies will have their market screening at the Primus. It may be a risk, however, the events will be scattered to different places after the formal market gets started.”

Many gorgeous films such as <All About Lily Chou Chou>, <Woman Is the Future of M an>, and <Osama> were being presented at PPP. Launch of the PIFF’s film market next year, yet not being prepared in detail, will be the starting point to become a promising one. Of course it will be the industrial and artistic fame of Korea that will make this possible. The board member Kang says, “It isn’t hard at all for any market to gather sellers. It is the buyers we are concerned about. They don’t care about good services but only the quality. Elevating the level of the Korean film industry is necessary for the success of the future film market at PIFF.”

Source: Cine21

2005-10-10

On the last day of the 8th PPP, October 12th, Kwang-mo Lee’s < Fairy Tale of a Picture Tree>, Thai directors, Thunska Pansittivorakul and Sompot Chidgasornpongse’s <Heartbreak Pavilion> received $20,000 together as a collaborate. Chan-ok Park of <Paju> received a Kodak Korea Ltd. Award and will be given support for more than 20 won million worth of negative films. MBC DramaNet awards, 10 million won, went to Ki-sun Hong’s <Broken Piece of Mirror>. Afghanistan director Siddiq Barmak’s <Opium War> received $10,000 through CineclickAsia Awards and Tajikistan director Djamshed Usmonov’s <To Get to Heaven First You Have to Die> also received the same amount by the BFC(Busan Film Committee) Awards. Awards which were aimed towards the new directors’ first projects, were given to Hee-sung Chung’s <Stay with Me> and Eun-young Park’s <A Girl from 4th Dimension>.

PPP (which held more than 500 meetings this year with 300 companies and about 1000 people attending) introduced industrial screening and has proven its strength as a market. Sung-kyu Kang, the top of the PPP Administration Committee, commented, “Having secured the PRIMUS screens, the 38th Industrial Screening was able to go on without any problems. It was a success.” With the proposition that directors from undeveloped Asian countries are to be invited, PPP was given 15 million won by Gothenburg Film Festival. This year’s PPP was an important one in that we were able to discuss the fate of BFM (Busan Film Market), which is to be established next year. According to the BFM Establishment press conference, which was held on the same day as the PPP Award ceremony, BFM will cost 3000 million won and will be held during 4 days of next year’s PIFF. Dong-ho Kim’s reaction to the questions on the difference compared with the other European International Film Markets was, “Berlin is strengthening their European Market and AFM (American Film Market) is also strengthening their domestic markets. It’s natural for an Asian Film Market to be created too.” “BFM will be an important gateway for the Asian films to go worldwide.”

Source: Cine21

2005-10-13

[PIFF] Korean, Thai Directors Win Top PPP Prize

The 8th Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP) wrapped up its three-day schedule yesterday by handing out awards in Pusan (Busan).

Among 33 official projects - 27 PPP projects from 19 countries and six New Directors in Focus (NDIF) projects by promising Korean directors - eight projects were announced at the closing ceremony at the Paradise Hotel in Haeundae.

Both "Fairy Tale of a Picture Tree" by Lee Kwang-mo from South Korea and "Heartbreak Pavilion" by Thunska Pansittivorakul and Sompot Chidgasornpongse from Thailand won the Busan Award, the largest prize bestowed by the Pusan city government with $20,000 in prize money.

"Paju" by Park Chan-ok, which won the Kodak Award, received 20 million won ($19,000).

Ten million won ($10,000) for the MBC Movies Awards and $10,000 for the CineclickAsia Award were given to Hong Ki-seon's "Broken Piece of Mirror" and Afghanistan director Siddiq Barmak's "Opium War". French director Djamshed Usmonov's "To Get to Heaven First You Have to Die" grabbed $10,000 provided by the Busan Film Commission (BFC).

Among NDIF projects, LJ Film Inc. granted 20 million won to "A Girl from the 4th Dimension" by Park Eun-yeong and guaranteed its production. Barunson Inc. also endowed 10 million won to "Stay with Me" by Cheong Hee-seong.

Some 1,100 potential investors, directors and producers from around 30 different nations visited this year's PPP, holding some 600 meetings, the organizing committee said.

IHQ Inc., one of 21 local and international promotion companies participated in this year's Industry Center of PPP, announced its new film "Sad Movie'" was sold at a record high price to a Japanese firm.

"Compared to 2001, when I first visited PPP, it's been improved so much", said Eric Geay from French firm SND. "PPP helps me save time before visiting the American Film Market, the largest motion picture trade event in the world. I select many Asian films here and buy them at AFM".

"Our upcoming blockbuster `Typhoon' has been sold to Japan. Last year we had a lucrative deal at PPP as Japanese buyers aggressively contended to buy our `A Moment to Remember', which they thought would greatly appeal to Japanese audiences" said Kim Sung-eun, overseas sales representative of CJ Entertainment.

Kim added CJ promotes not only big commercial films, but also such independent films as "Love Talk" directed by Lee Yoon-ki and "The Peter Pan Formula" by Cho Chang-ho, which drew keen attention from audiences at this year's PIFF.

Source: Korea Times

2005-10-12

Fairy Tale, Heartbreak share top PPP award

Korean director Lee Kwang-mo's Fairy Tale Of A Picture Tree and Thai project Heartbreak Pavilion shared the top prize at this year's Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP) - the $20,000 Busan Award - supplied by the city of Busan.

When it goes into production, Fairy Tale will mark the first film from Lee since his multiple award-winning debut, Spring In My Hometown, in 1998. His new project is a fantasy drama that touches on issues including families divided between South and North Korea.

Heartbreak Pavilion, from Thai directors Thunska Pansittivorakul and Sompot Chidgasornpongse, is a collection of stories about heartbroken people who end up trapped on a boat together.

Meanwhile, the Cineclick Asia award of $10,000 went to Opium War from Afghani director Siddiq Barmak, whose debut film Osama won a Golden Globe in 2004. Newly established this year, the award includes a first-look option for investment and overseas distribution with Korean sales agent Cineclick.

The Busan Film Commission award, also worth $10,000, went to a project from Tajikistan - To Get To Heaven First You Have To Die - to be directed by Djamshed Usmonov.

The year's PPP featured 27 projects from Asian filmmakers and a further six from Korean directors in the New Directors In Focus (NDIF) programme. Not surprisingly perhaps, Beautiful, from Korea's best-known arthouse director, Kim Ki-duk, received the most meeting requests according to event organisers.

Launched in 1998, the PPP draws ever increasing crowds of industry guests and media attention. Over the previous seven editions, 137 projects have participated in the market of which 43% are either in production or completed.

FULL LIST OF PPP AWARDS:

Busan Award ($20,000)

Fairy Tale Of A Picture Tree - Lee Kwang-mo

Heartbreak Pavilion - Thunska Pansittivorakul, Sompot Chidgasornpongse

Kodak Award

(negative film worth 20m Korean won)

Paju - Park Chan-ok

MBC Movies Award

(10m Korean won)

Broken Piece Of Mirror - Hong Ki-seon

Cineclick Asia Award

($10,000)

Opium War - Siddiq Barmak

Busan Film Commission Award

($10,000)

To Get To Heaven First You Have To Die - Djamshed Usmonov.

NDIF Project Awards:

LJ Films Award

(20m Korean won)

A Girl From The Fourth Dimension - Park Eun-young

Barunson Award

(10m Korean won)

Stay With Me - Chung Hee-sung

Source: Screen International

2005-10-12

[melusine]

Paju - Lee Sun Kyun & Seo Woo

Source: KPculture

2009 February 18

Lee Sun Kyun (Romantic Island) and Seo Woo (Crush and Blush) are the leads in Paju, being directed by Park Chan Ok (Jealousy is My Middle Name). Park been preparing for this film since (s)he thought of the storyline seven years ago. Paju is the name of a city in Korea. The movie will show the city as being mysterious and full of fog.

According to TPS Company, Paju is about Choi Eun Mo (Seo Woo) who had a lonely childhood growing up without her parents. When Eun Mo falls in love with her brother-in-law, Kim Joong Sik (Lee), she decides to go away to avoid seeing him. However, they meet again after her sister dies. Eun Mo struggles between her feelings for Joong Sik and her suspicions that he's somehow involved in her sister's death. Joong Sik hides the truth along with his feelings.

This role will show a different side of Lee Sun Kyun from the gentle image viewers are accustomed to, as the character is very complex and mysterious. Seo Woo is relatively new to the industry; she debuted in 2007 and won three Best New Actress awards in 2008 for Crush and Blush. Film creators said that Seo Woo's youthful appearance yet mature expression made her perfect for the part, which shows Eun Mo go from a 15-year-old girl to a woman in her early twenties.

Filming for Paju began on February 16 and will continue for about three months. The movie will premiere in the latter half of 2009.

----------------------

Minimix 5

Source: KPculture

2009 March 3

Seo Woo threw a surprise party for Paju co-star Lee Sun Kyun on March 2 for his 34th birthday. When Lee came on set for filming after lunch, Seo Woo approached him carrying a cake, and the cast and crew joined in as she sang "Happy Birthday". When the embarrassed actor asked, "How did you know it's my birthday?", she smiled and responded by saying that she's been a fan of his since youth and knows everything [about him].

----------------------

Minimix 26

Source: KPculture

2009 June 8

The poster for Paju, starring Lee Sun Kyun and Seo Woo, was released today. Its tagline is, "I want it more because it's forbidden".

http://blog.naver.com/paju2009/90070268980

[melusine]

Seo Woo takes on a Lolita role in Paju

Source: Dramabeans

June 23rd, 2009

I guess the sexy schoolgirl is never going out of style, but the plot of the upcoming melodrama/romance film Paju [파주] seems like it may have an interesting take.

Seo Woo (who won some awards for best new actress at the end of last year for her role in Crush and Blush) takes the lead as a "provocative and outrageous" student who falls in love with her older sister's boyfriend, played by Lee Seon-kyun (Coffee Prince, Triple). This is complicated by the fact that she also suspects the boyfriend of foul play, as he's the only one who knows the secret behind her sister's death.

The 21-year-old Seo Woo plays ages spanning from middle through high school, and portrays a mix of innocent and provocative appeal. Her character first meets Lee Seon-kyun's when he is brought in as her tutor, and he begins dating her sister. After her sister dies, she becomes closer to him and eventually falls in love with him.

Paju is directed by Park Chan-ok of Warm Swamp (2004) and Jealousy Is My Middle Name (2002). The film is currently in post-production and will release in the fall.

[...]

[melusine]

Arirang Showbiz Extra [MegaUpload] [MediaFire] [SendSpace]

(w/ English subs)

MBC Section TV [MegaUpload] [MediaFire] [SendSpace]

Y-Star http://vod1.ytnstar.co.kr/ytnstar/general/...606578601_s.wmv [Streaming]

ETN http://vod.ietn.co.kr/mov/2009/0722/200907221248243197_s.wmv [Streaming]

Mnet Wide News (Japan) [MegaUpload] [MediaFire] [SendSpace]

video+screencaps credit: Cutiepie's Drama Goodies <

1, 2, 3, 4, 5>

[Guest lovehunter12]

Can't wait for this movie! Love her in Tamra:)

[melusine]

Elle

Lee Seon-kyun and Seo Woo’s "dangerous moment"

Source: Dramabeans

August 20th, 2009

A couple months ago, I mentioned a new movie called Paju starring Seo Woo and Lee Seon-kyun. The two are now featured in a fashion spread for Elle magazine, and I have to say that the photos are lovely.

The spread may be a dash more interesting than your typical fashion spread because the theme ("a dangerous moment") ties in nicely with the movie plot (kind of like Thirst’s fashion photos). In the film, Seo Woo plays a high school student whose older sister dies; she then starts to fall in love with her sister’s boyfriend (Lee Seon-kyun) despite suspecting him of harboring secrets related to the death.

Seo Woo’s character has been called a “Lolita role” though I’m not sure if it actually has shades of Lolita or is just called that because of the age difference. The film is aiming for a release near the end of the year.

Seo Woo has made a bit of a splash recently as she takes on the role of a spunky Jeju diver in the weekend drama Tamra the Island. Lee Seon-kyun recently took a late honeymoon following the close of his drama Triple, and is expecting his first child.

[오승연 박사 연예뉴스 영어로 따라잡기]이선균·서우 ‘위험한 순간’ 패션 화보 공개

Source: SportsWorldi

기사입력 2009.08.21 (금) 09:18, 최종수정 2009.08.20 (목) 10:13

The provocative pictorials of Lee Sungyun and Seowoo for the movie ‘Paju,’ which depicts the forbidden love of a woman who loves her sister’s man, have been released.

Lee Sungyun and Seowoo took pictures for the pictorials under the theme ‘Dangerous Moment’ for the monthly fashion magazine ‘Elle.’ Lee Sungyun, who is well known as a ‘romantic’ guy, expressed a short moment in which he falls for a young girl’s provocation. Seowoo expressed her maturity seducing an older man. The pictorial is as beautiful and as sensual as the Chinese movie ‘Lust, Caution.’ The pictures were taken by photographer Park Kisook, who also took pictures of actors and actresses such as Jung Woosung, Kim Taehee, and Kim Ajung.

[melusine]

Main trailer is out!

[YouTube]

http://file7.webspread.co.kr/paju/trailer/...ler_512x384.zip

http://file7.webspread.co.kr/paju/trailer/...ler_720x480.zip

[MegaUpload] [MediaFire] [SendSpace]

via Arts News

via reviewstar.net

via MaxMovie

via SSTV

[melusine]

Pusan film festival to screen record 355 films

9 September, 2009 | By Jean Noh, Screen International

The 14th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) will screen a record 355 films from 70 countries, including with 98 world premieres and 46 international premieres.

Held in South Korea's second-largest city, the festival will open October 8 with local director Jang Jin's comedy Good Morning President, starring heartthrob Jang Dong-gun (The Promise), and close October 16 with Chinese thriller The Message, co-directed by Chen Kuo-fu and Gao Qunshu.

"Although other major festivals had to reduce their size because of the global economic crisis, we were able to invite a record number of films thanks to increased support from Pusan city and our sponsors," said fest director Kim Dong-ho.

The festival is continuing on its quest to discover and introduce Asian cinema as well as support the industry with its Asian Cinema Fund and projects market PPP - both previously announced.

In addition to its New Currents competition for new Asian directors, PIFF has also launched the new Flash Forward competition for non-Asian filmmakers bringing their first or second features (see lists below).

A Window on Asian Cinema will screen 53 films from 23 countries, with world/international premieres including Kobayashi Masahiro's A White Night, Cheng Wen-tang's Tears and Woo Ming Jin's Woman On Fire Looks for Water.

The World Cinema section will screen 96 films from 52 countries, including Costa Gavras' Eden Is West and Piotr Dumala's The Forest from Poland.

The local films in the Korean Cinema Today section and across the board are marked by "expansion and humour" according to Korean programmer Lee Sang-yong, who explained that in the midst of financial difficulties the local industry has found ways to make more innovative films that "reach out to communicate with the masses."”

These include several second features from filmmakers with noted debuts. Lee Song Hee-il (No Regrets) has Break Away, Park Chan-ok (Jealousy Is My Middle Name) has Paju, and Kim Tai-sik (Driving With My Wife's Lover) has Tokyo Taxi in the fest.

Guests include Josh Hartnett and Lee Byung-hun featuring in Tran Anh Hung's I Come With The Rain, Bryan Singer as producer of Trick 'r Treat, and French director Jean-Jacques Beineix as head of the New Currents jury.

Special sections with visiting guests will include retrospectives on Johnnie To, Filipino independent cinema and Italian horror master Dario Argento.

A retrospective on late director Ha Kil-chong's films will also screen along with the works of Arthur Penn, his professor from UCLA, which will be in a New American Cinema retrospective.

The festival has also added commemorative retrospectives for the recently deceased local director Yu Hyun-mok and actress Jang Jin-young.

The Asian Film Market will host 72 companies from 22 countries opening 44 sales offices in the Seacloud Hotel. Registered buyers include China's Bona International, France's Celluloid Dreams, India's Star Entertainment and Japan's SPO.

Full Competition Line-up Lists:

New Currents

(title/country/director)

Dead Slowly (Hong Kong) Rita Hui

I'm in Trouble! (Korea) So Sang-min

Kick Off (Iraq) Shawkat A. Korki

Lan (China) Jiang Wenli

Lost Paradise in Tokyo (Japan) Shiraishi Kazuya

A Man Who Ate Cherries (Iran) Payman Haghani

Mundane History (Thailand) Anocha Suwichakornpong

My Daughter (Malaysia) Charlotte Lim Lay Kuen

Paju (Korea) Park Chan-ok

Squalor (Philippines) Giuseppe Bede Sampedro

True Noon (Tajikstan) Nosir Saidov

The Well (India) Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni

Flash Forward

(title/country/director)

Bridges (Argentina) Julian Giulianelli

Chicago Heights (US/Korea) Daniel Nearing

Cosmonauta (Italy) Susanna Nichiarelli

Dust (Luxembourg/Austria) Max Jacoby

The Frost (Spain/Norway) Ferran Audi

The Kino Caravan (Romania/Germany) Titus Muntean

Last Cowboy Standing (Finland/Germany) Zaida Bergroth

The Loners (Israel) Renen Schorr

Magma (France) Pierre Vinour

Miss Kicki (Sweden/Taiwan) Hakon Liu

Zero (Poland) Pawel Borowski

PARK Chan-ok's Long Awaited Paju Screens at Pusan

David Oxenbridge (KOFIC)

Oct 01 2009

PARK Chan-ok's long awaited follow up to Jealousy is my Middle Name (2002) is to show at this year's Pusan International Film Festival. Jealousy, PARK's debut film, was well received at Pusan and also went on to play at the Rotterdam Film Festival.

The new film Paju a dark drama about prohibitive love stars the usually gentle LEE Seon-gyun better known for his romantic/comic role in TV gender-bending drama Coffee Prince and movies such as Romantic Island (2008). LEE's dark love interest is played by newcomer female actor Seo-woo. The film reveals what happens when a woman falls for her late sister's husband.

Director PARK has spent 7 years in development on Paju and the film is due for general release this October.

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Five must-sees at Busan film festival

By Song Woong-ki (kws@heraldm.com), Korea Herald

2009.10.10

BUSAN - The 14th Pusan International Film Festival opened with all of the glitz and glamour as promised by its organizers on Thursday, kicking off the 9-day celebration under the cool coastal breeze at the Suyoungman Yacht Marina.

The opening of Asia's biggest film festival began with the screening of director Jang Jin's latest, an inspiring tale of three Korean heads of state titled "Good Morning President," starring Jang Dong-gun as Korea's youngest president-elect.

Continental stars like Jang Dong-gun, Lee Byung-hun, Sul Kyoung-gu, So Ji-sub, Ha Ji-won, Ha Jung-woo, Kim Yoon-jin, and Han Chae-young were all in attendance during the festival's red carpet gala that sent photographers from the press on a mad rush, jockeying for position as the stars walked down the aisle of the venue.

Also on hand throughout the on-going festival will be Hollywood hunks like Josh Hartnett and Japanese heartthrob Takuya Kimura, who were also in attendance during the opening ceremony.

The two are here on a special invitation from Hallyu-star Lee Byung-hun, who co-stars in the film "I come with the rain."

The list of VIPs to the festival also includes Bryan Singer who produced the "X-Men" series and Italian horror maestro Dario Argento.

Unlike last year's edition, this year's PIFF shifted its focus from small independent films from the central and southeast Asian region to a more broader and commercial-centric selection.

This year's choice of "Good Morning President" as the opening film came as a surprise to many. Last year's selection was an obscure Kazakh film that organizers claimed would showcase films from emerging film markets.

This year, organizers have switched their focus to domestic films buoyed by the string of recent success of local films.

More than 2 million visitors are expected to congregate in Busan this year. For ticket and venue details, log onto www.piff.org

Must-see picks

"Good Morning President"

Directed by celebrated playwright and acclaimed writer-director Jang Jin, "Good Morning President" stars Jang Dong-gun as Korea's youngest head of state in a fictional film that chronicles the political lives of three presidents.

Director Jang, whose previous films have been hailed by critics for seamless integration of comedy and drama, is back in the cinema-fold after a five-year sabbatical from behind the camera.

"Good Morning President" is an inspiring tale about the life of three different presidents who all struggle to make moral choices while serving their country. The three are: the older President Kim Jung-ho at the end of his term, the young President Cha Ji-wook, a determined and skillful manipulator of foreign policy, and the country's first female President Han Kyuong-ja, who is constantly at odds with her bumbling husband.

President Kim Jung-ho - played by veteran actor Lee Soon-jae - is at a moral crossroads when he wins a 24 billion won lottery jackpot. Cha Ji-wook, the youngest Korean president in history, must choose whether he should commit himself to a medical procedure that would save the life of an elder citizen. And finally, Han Kyuong-ja, Korea's first female president, is faced with having to overcome a disintegrating marriage.

"Air Doll"

There has been tremendous buzz surrounding Hirokazu Kore-eda's seventh feature film.

Kore-eda is of course the Japanese filmmaker who has been compared to cinematic masters like Yasujiro Ozu, who has brought us such contemporary masterpieces as 1995's "Maborosi," 1998's "After Life" and 2004's "Nobody Knows."

In "Air Doll" Hideo has an unappreciated existence as a waiter in a tacky restaurant chain where his boss dislikes him and his customers mistreat him.

Lonely and utterly unsociable, Hideo has a faithful "woman" at home. This woman is Nozomi, a sex doll.

She is everything he would want in a woman. She doesn't judge, she's quiet, she listens and she's beautiful (and also available, sexually).

But through magic, Nozomi comes to life, and the now sentient and mobile former sex doll begins to live as a mortal - deciding to only get up and explore the human world when Hideo is at work.

"I Come with the Rain"

Kline, played by Josh Hartnett, is a former Los Angeles police officer turned private detective.

He is hired by a powerful head of a pharmaceutical conglomerate to investigate the disappearance of his son in Asia.

Kline finds out the head of the Hong Kong underworld, Su Dongpo (Lee Byung-hun), is also searching for mini cooperao.

He seeks him as he believes he has mysterious powers to cure the sick and can heal his terminally ill wife.

Shot in HD and featuring music by Radiohead and Gustavo Santaolalla, this modern thriller plunges viewers into an exotic urban underworld with seedy characters in every corner.

"A Little Pond"

Based on the harrowing true story of the Nogun-ri massacre that shook the nation, "A Little Pond," chronicles the tragic event in a fictitious account.

On July of the year 1950, the country is being ravaged from the on-going Korean War.

In the small village of Bawigol - a rural village in the mountainous region of Yongdong County in North Chungcheong Province - life for its resident go on as normal.

But as the tide of war turns against the south and its allies, the people of Bawigol are forced to evacuate and seek refuge as legions of platoons surge into their tiny village.

In the midst of confusion and paranoia, retreating American soldiers massacre villagers trying to escape advancing North Korean forces by crossing U.S. military lines.

The American soldiers, under the command of General Hobart R. Gray, fear they are North Korean soldiers in disguise, and open fire, killing 400 South Korean refugees.

"Paju"

After 7-years missing in action "Paju" marks the return of one of Korea's heralded new filmmakers in Park Chan-ok.

After studying the masculinity of Korean society in her debut feature "Jealousy Is My Middle Name," director Park gives us a psychological thriller and drama about a girl living with her deceased sister's husband.

Though she believes he killed her sister, she grows to love him regardless. The stronger the feelings grow for him, the more at odds she is with herself.

A suburban city an hour north of Seoul, Paju is portrayed in the film as a place full of such contradictions, inhabited by the aimless.

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http://www.piff.org/Template/Builder/00000...p?page_num=2394

This year’s ‘New Currents’ is featuring twelve films from 11 different countries. Except for Korea, which will present two films, it’s almost as if we are being introduced to newcomers, each representing their country. Most of this year’s films deal with the relationship between individuals. The movies show the young Asian directors’ perspectives regarding the human soul by reflecting on the relationships between mother and daughter ('My Daughter', Charlotte Lim, Malaysia), friends or brothers ('Lost Paradise in Tokyo', Kazuya Shiraishi, Japan), lovers ('I’m in Trouble!', Sangmin So, Korea), grandfather and granddaughter ('Lan', Jiang Wenli, China), father and son ('Mundane History', Anocha Suwichakornpong, Thailand), and a husband and wife and a friend ('A Man Who Ate His Cherries', Payman Haghanin, Iran).

There are also several films that look at society from a more comprehensive perspective. 'True Noon', a black comedy by Nosir Saidov (Tajikistan) portrays how easily peace can broken in a community, and 'Squalor' by GB Sampedro (Philippines) displays the dark side of today’s Philippine society through the life of four young people. 'Kick Off' by Shawkat Main Korki reflects sadly on the deplorable and unsafe conditions of different races in Iraq. 'Paju' by Chanok Park interlocks the story between the peace efforts of the government and the conditions of the people who have to face a forced demolition of their homes in Paju, a city located on the outskirts of Seoul.

Although the narrative style that blends the boundary between in and out is not necessarily alienated from the existing trend, it certainly implies an effort to make a statement within the confines of the past conventions. The new frame created in this year’s movies helps us to quietly reflect on our norms through the mundane aspects of life. This subtle yet exquisite frame delights the audience with the joy of discovery.

http://www.piff.org/eng/html/program/prog_view.asp?idx=14071

After studying the masculinity of Korean society in her debut feature [Jealousy Is My Middle Name], director Park Chan Ok turns her eyes on the initiation of a girl who happens to live with her sister’s husband. Though the girl believes he killed her sister, she loves him against her deep hatred. He also has a contradiction. A former democratic activist student as well as a teacher at a night school, he stands by evictees to fight against ruthless evictions while having an affair with an older alumna from his college days.

A suburban city of Seoul and a longtime military area, Paju is full of such contradictions, wandering souls without anchor, blurring phantoms awkwardly fathoming their depth of life. (LEE Sang-yong)

PARK Chan Ok

Born in 1968, Park Chan-ok graduated from Hanyang University, majoring in cinema and theatre studies. Her short film, [To Be](1996), won the First Prize at Women’s Film Festival in Seoul and another of her short films, [Heavy](1998), was awarded the Sonje Fund at the 3rd Pusan International Film Festival. Her feature debut is [Jealousy is My Middle Name] and it won Tiger Award of Rotterdam Film Festival. [Paju] is her second feature film.

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PIFF opening ceremony red carpet

Busan Yachting Center, Haeundae Beach

October 8, 2009

Video / Video / Video / Video / Video

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<[sports Chosun] Seo Woo getting ready>

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Outdoor Stage on PIFF Square, Nampo-dong

October 10, 2009

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More pics:

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Fansigning Booth

PIFF Village, Haeundae

October 10, 2009

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Screening + Guest Visit [World Premiere]

CGV Centum City 4

October 10, 2009 7:30pm

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Pusan a sophomore curse, blessing

Directors feel the pressure after early success

By Park Soo-mee, Hollywood Reporter

Oct 10, 2009, 01:15 PM ET

BUSAN -- Korean films featured in this year’s Pusan festival have some peculiar things in common, such as making reference to particular locations through their titles or the film’s settings, such as “Paju,” “Haeundae” and “Tokyo Taxi.”

Many Korean directors who found early success at the festival are now returning with second features. Through them, one can predict the trends of Korean cinema in the next few years, or so the programmers of Pusan thought in organizing “#2,” an open discussion of six emerging Korean directors at the festival’s beachfront Saturday -- Park Chan-ok, Lee Seong-han, Lee Hae-joon, Lee Song Hee-il, Kim Dong-won and Kim Tae-shik.

For each one, doubt and anxiety about the uncertain conditions of filmmaking in Korea at the moment seem to have overpowered their enthusiasm.

“It became more complicated the second time because the pressure has gotten too big that I couldn’t just shoot a film because I think it’s all fun and it’ll work,” said Lee Hae-joon who directed “Castaway on the Moon,” about a man stranded on an island within Seoul.

Lee’s debut feature “Like a Virgin” (2006) was a comedy about a chubby schoolboy who wants to save money to get a sex-change operation. The film widely attracted critical reviews, but failed at the local boxoffice.

“The fact that I didn’t succeed as a commercial director put lot of burden on my attitude for my second film,” he said. “I had to come to terms with the fact that my interest doesn’t always match the audience's.”

The rough transition seems painfully inevitable for those who have witnessed the Korean film industry suffer in the past few years.

“You have to understand that many of these directors shot their first film when Korean cinema was enjoying the peak of a brisk market,” said Lee Sang-yong, Pusan’s programmer of Korean films. “It’s natural that they feel pressured. The investment condition has changed completely, and it’s so common for Korean directors to disappear after their first film.”

Others have gone the other way from commercial filmmaking.

Kim Dong-won began his film career as a writer for Bong Joon-ho’s twisted comedy “Barking Dogs Never Bite” (2000) and made his commercial debut through another comedy, “Bet on My Disco." For his latest feature he turned to a smaller-budget film “Drifting Away,” which portrays the life of Korean theater actors on and off the stage.

Director Lee Seong-han, whose debut feature “Spare” was shown at Pusan two years ago, set up his own production company for his latest feature “Wish,” a coming-of-age story about a local schoolboy.

“I developed a stronger mechanism for self-censorship,” Lee said, of producing his own film. “I cut out more ambitious scenes, and boldly highlighted parts that I wanted to stress.”

For Park Chan-ok, helmer for “Jealousy is My Middle Name” (2002), her second feature was the first in seven years. Her previous film was known for raw depictions of a Korean society, giving her the nickname “the female Hong Sang-soo.” (Park was an assistant for Hong in “Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors.”)

Park’s realist style is still visible in her second feature, especially in disclosing the hypocrisy of Korean liberal intellectuals, as evident in the male lead of “Paju,” who is a student activist from college but cheats on his wife. The film is a subtle romance between him and his dead wife’s sister.

Others make a curious transition from their first to second. Lee Song Hee-il of “No Regret,” a gay romance, shot a poignant short earlier this year -- part of an episode for an omnibus film “Show Me the Money” shown as the opening of Jeonju International Film Festival.

His episode is a horrifying psychological drama of a wife on the verge of nervous breakdown after learning that her husband lost money on stocks, and that he might kill her to collect insurance money. His latest feature, “Break Away,” delves into the lives of young soldiers trying to escape the military.

Others have stayed on a more predictable track. Kim Tae-shik in “Tokyo Taxi” continues to explore the notion of urban space from his debut feature “Driving with My Wife’s Lover” (2006), also a film about a man who discovers that his wife is cheating on him with a taxi driver.

For all six, their second features are fragile experiences of growing up as a Korean director and adjusting their expectations.

“I feel like a little child who doesn’t want to learn what it’s like to be outside of the house,” said Lee Song of “Break Away.” “Already, I feel like I was drowned and crashed. People always encourage you after you shoot your first film, because they know you’re still a child. But they don’t treat you the same the second time, and I have a feeling that they’ll be tougher on me for my third film.”

Open Talk #2

QOOK TV PIFF Audience Lounge

October 10, 2009

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Six filmmakers confront the struggle of the second time

By Park Sun-young [spark0320@joongang.co.kr], JoongAng Daily

October 22, 2009

‘These budding directors shot their first films when Korean cinema was at its peak, so it’s no wonder they now feel pressure.’ -PIFF programmer

Six emerging Korean directors returning to the 14th Pusan International Film Festival with their second feature films participate in “Open Talk No. 2,” held during this year’s PIFF. Provided by PIFF

The “sophomore slump” refers to when a second effort fails to meet the standards or expectations of the first. It affects bands, performers and artists of all types - and movie directors are no exception.

Six emerging Korean directors discussed the pressure and the anxiety they felt while making their second films, as well as the challenges of dealing with the changing landscape of filmmaking in Korea at “Open Talk No. 2” during the Pusan International Film Festival, which closed its nine-day run last Friday.

The six directors - Park Chan-ok, Lee Song Hee-il, Lee Seong-han, Lee Hey-jun, Kim Tai-sik and Kim Dong-won - first gained recognition for their debut features at previous Pusan film festivals, and returned to this year’s event with their second works.

“I feel like I keep growing through filmmaking, even though growing up is something one can look forward to and be afraid of at the same time,” said Lee Song Hee-il, who is well-known for his films, which deal mostly with homosexuality.

The director returned to PIFF this year with “Break Away,” which had its world premiere there and tells the story of runaway soldiers. His first feature, “No Regret,” a gay romance, premiered at PIFF three years ago.

“I feel like a little child who is just about to learn how to walk,” Lee Song said. “In the beginning, people always cheer for you, but once people think you’ve learned, they just leave it to you and see whether you can do it for yourself.

“It’s the same for movie directors - people encourage you when you shoot your first film, considering you yet as a child. But they don’t treat you the same the second time, and I have a feeling that they’ll be even more critical of my third film,” he said.

Lee Hey-jun, whose second feature, “Castaway on the Moon” came out early this year, had a similar experience with his second film.

“With the pressure building, I found it harder and more complicated to make a second film,” said Lee Hey-jun.

Castaway on the Moon starred actor Jung Jae-young and actress Jung Rye-won and illustrates an unexpected encounter between a man living on an uninhabited island on the Han River in Seoul and a lonely young woman living a detached life in the city.

“I realized that as a commercial film director I can’t just make the film that I want to make ? instead, I have to consider the audience,” said the director, whose 2006 debut feature “Like a Virgin” did not do well at the box office here despite having drawn acclaim from local critics.

“I had to understand the fact that my interests don’t always match the audience’s, and there was also the pressure of making a return on the investments in my film,” Lee said.

Park Chan-ok, the director of the multiple award-winning 2002 film, “Jealousy is My Middle Name,” returned to this year’s PIFF to win the Netpac (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) award with her second feature “Paju,” a film about the subtle romance between a man and his dead wife’s sister.

Park also talked about the uncertainty that comes with being a filmmaker as she discussed her seven-year hiatus from the business.

“These budding directors shot their first films when Korean cinema was at the peak of a brisk market,” said Lee Sang-yong, the programmer of Korean films for the Busan film festival. “So it’s no wonder that they now feel pressure.

“In addition, the investment environment in the film industry has changed completely, and many local filmmakers actually disappear after their first film.”

Funding for Korean films declined last year, as a survey conducted by the Korean Film Council indicates. In 2008, the average production cost for Korean films saw a significant decrease to early 2000 levels of 3 billion won ($2.5 million).

The number of films with a budget of less than 1 billion won was 38, accounting for 35.2 percent of the movies released last year. This is in contrast to previous years when the majority of commercial films had budgets of 3 billion won to 6 billion won.

To cope with the situation, filmmaker Kim Dong-won scaled back his budget to make his second feature, “Drifting Away.” In its depiction of a married theater actor’s affair with an actress, the film reveals a cross section of Korean society while also portraying the local theater community. Kim’s debut feature, “Bet on My Disco,” had a bigger budget, he said.

Meanwhile, Lee Seong-han, whose debut feature “Spare” was shown at the Busan film festival two years ago, decided to take a different route to filmmaking.

He established his own production company to make his first film. The company also produced his latest feature, “Wish,” which depicts the violence resident in Korean society through a local high school student’s coming-of-age story.

“[setting up my own production company] turned out to be good for me because I can do what I want more freely,” said Lee.

Kim Tai-sik, who made his feature film debut with “Driving with My Wife’s Lover” in 2006, made another road movie, “Tokyo Taxi,” for this year’s PIFF.

“The other day a foreign moviegoer called me the ‘taxi director,’ which actually sounds similar to my real name,” Kim said with a smile.

But he grew more serious when talking about his profession.

“I was originally a producer of commercials and TV programs, and was a latecomer to the movie industry. I thought it would be great to tell my own stories through film, but now I realize that filmmaking is a costly and complicated job,” Kim said.

He added, half-jokingly, “I don’t recommend it as an occupation.”

However, Kim Dong-won seems to have a more positive view of his chosen profession, saying he finds it is more like an internal struggle that grows more intense as the process continues.

“The filmmaking process itself is like a struggle with the self because you have to work until you are satisfied with the outcome and I feel like I get to know myself better while making films,” he said. “I’d like to be making films with the same energy and passion as I had at the beginning.”

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(L to R) Festival director Kim Dong-Ho, film directors Anocha Suwichakornpong, So Song-Min, Kazuya Shiraishi, Nosir Saidov, Park Chak-Ok, Charlotte Lim Lay Kuen, Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni, Shawkat Korki, Jiang Wenli, Rita Hui and Payman Haghani attend the New Currents - Directors Presentation during the 14th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) at the Shinsegae Centumcity on October 12, 2009 in Busan, South Korea. New Currents Award is given to two best feature films selected from works of new Asian directors in New Currents, a competitive section of PIFF.

credit: Zimbio

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Related links: Break News, My Daily, [Hollywood Reporter] Identity a main theme of New Currents