[movie 2009] Paju 파주

melusine · October 16, 2009

14th PIFF Wraps With Awards

Nigel D’Sa (KOFIC)

Oct 22 2009

The 14th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) wrapped Friday Oct 16 with an awards ceremony followed by closing film The Message, in its international premiere. Co-directed by Taiwan’s CHEN Kuo-fu and China’s GAO Qunshu, the lavish period epic is a suspenseful spy thriller set in the tense political climate of China in 1942.

Attendance to this year’s PIFF was strong with 173,516 theater admissions and 7,270 accredited guests and press, including 860 international participants. PIFF’s top prize, the New Currents Award, was shared again this year by two films.

Winners were I’m in Trouble by South Korean debut director SO Sang-min - a subtle and controlled comic-drama about the meanderings of a jobless young poet, and the Iraqi feature Kick Off by Shawkat Amin KORKI, about an Iraqi-Kurdish community that finds inspiration in football. The latter also picked up the FIPRESCI award.

A Special Mention went to Squalor by Giuseppe Bede SAMPEDRO of the Philippines. New competition section Flash Forward named Finnish-German co-production Last Cowboy Standing by Zaida BERGROTH as its winner, while adding a Special Mention to Miss Kikki by Taiwanese-Swedish director Håkon LIU.

The Sonje Award for best short film went to Somewhere Unreached by KIM Jae-won and Rare Fish by Basil Vassili MIRONER of Indonesia. The PIFF Mecenat Award for Documentaries was presented to Earth’s Woman by KWON Woo-Jung and The Other Song by Saba DEWAN.

A NETPAC award was given to Korean director PARK Chan-ok for her second feature Paju, described by the jury as “a fine example of passionate, high-quality filmmaking.” The Audience Award was captured by JIANG Wenli of China for her feature Lan.

Kick Off, Trouble take New Currents Award at PIFF

16 October, 2009 | By Jean Noh, Screen International

The 14th Pusan International Film Festival closes today (Oct 16) with the top New Currents award going to Shawkat Amin Korki's Kick Off and So Sang-min's I'm In Trouble.

The inaugural Flash Forward award went to Zaida Bergroth's Last Cowboy Standing.

The New Currents jury, headed by French filmmaker Jean-Jacques Beneix, and also including Kim Hyung-koo, Penek Ratanaruang, Territ Kwan and Yesim Ustaoglu, noted that the competition films showed a certain darkness and uncertainty about the future, but also a concern for the era we live in and the meaning of humanity and values.

One of the few buzz films of the festival, I'm In Trouble, humorously follows a young poet's wanderings while he delays joining the workforce. The film is a graduation project from the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA)'s Advanced Program, which started producing feature films last year -- including Members Of The Funeral which was another PIFF buzz film and winner in 2008.

Kick Off follows a Kurdish Iraqi community as it gears up for an inter-community football game. The jury described it as a "simple movie and yet full of imagination and strength" which "consecrates the emergence of a director whose talent is unanimously greeted by the jury."”

Headed by veteran actress Kang Soo-yeon, the Flash Forward jury commented that Last Cowboy Standing's "overall storytelling, acting and directing is carefully constructed and shows the subtlety of a female director, as well as strong mise-en-scene" and also lauded the director's potential.

The festival screened a record 355 films with stronger star power than usual -- with guests including Josh Hartnett, Tilda Swinton, Lee Byung-hun and Jang Dong-gun.

Second-time director Park Chan-ok's Paju was the standout of the festival, but only took the NETPAC award.

PIFF, which brands itself as a festival of discovery, continues to have strong points and weak points. It boasts enthusiastic audiences, high-profile guests and is a key event to network and have conversations about films and business.

But the general atmosphere this year was subdued -- partly because guests had to contend with the logisitics of events and screenings split between three areas -- Nampo-dong, Haeundae Beach and the new Centum City shopping area.

PIFF 2009 Full List of Awards:

1. New Currents Award:

Kick Off -- Shawkat Amin Korki (Iraq, Japan)

I'm In Trouble -- So Sang-Min (Korea)

*Special Mention: Squalor -- Giuseppe Bede Samperdro (Philippines)

2. Flash Forward Award:

Last Cowboy Standing -- Zaida Bergroth (Finland, Germany)

*Special Mention: Miss Kicki -- Hakon Liu (Sweden, Taiwan)

3. Sonje Award for Short Films:

Somewhere Unreached -- Kim Jae-won (Korea)

Rare Fish -- Basil Vassili Mironer (Singapore, Indonesia)

4. PIFF Mecenat Award for Documentaries:

Earth's Woman -- Kwon WooJung (Korea)

The Other Song -- Saba Dewan (India)

5. FIPRESCI Award:

Kick Off -- Shawkat Amin Korki (Iraq, Japan)

6. NETPAC Award:

Paju -- Park Chan-ok (Korea)

7. KNN Movie Award (Audience Award):

Lan -- Jiang Wenli (China)

The 14th PIFF Final Statistic Data

Total admissions: 173,516

Accredited Guests (Press excl): 6,400

Korea: 3,178

Overseas: 860

Cinephiles: 1,388

Asian Film Market: 974

Press: 2,202

Korea: 1,832

Overseas: 370

Screenings

Number of Films: 355

World Premieres: 98

International Premiere: 46

Total amount of Screenings: 803

via 10Asia, Newsen

melusine · October 18, 2009

Korean film "Paju" wins NETPAC Award at PIFF

By Lynn Kim, Asia Economic Daily

2009.10.16 18:00

Korean film "Paju" won the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) Award at the 14th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), according to a press release on Friday.

The film received the NETPAC Award, given to the best film nominated amongst the New Currents and Korean Cinema Today-Vision categories.

NETPAC is an international organization composed of 29 member countries that promotes Asian cinema and gives out the namesake award at select international film festivals.

"Paju", which stars Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun and actress Seo Woo, is about a forbidden love between a woman and her late sister's husband.

The film reportedly received raving reviews at the PIFF. "It is a great example of passionate and high-quality filmmaking and the jury was impressed by the director's poetic and moving expressions. We are proud to support the courage of the director who approached this tragic and controversial topic."

Director Park Chan-ok debuted in 2002 with the award-winning "Jealousy Is My Middle Name".

"Paju" is set for release in Korea on October 29.

Reporter : Lynn Kim lynn2878@asiae.co.kr

Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@asiae.co.kr

melusine · October 19, 2009

Paju

12 October, 2009 | By Darcy Paquet, Screen International

Dir: Park Chan-ok. South Korea. 2009. 110 mins.

Korea's Park Chan-ok takes a big step forward with her second feature Paju, a richly layered drama about the complicated relationship between a young girl and her brother-in-law. Close to five years in the making, Paju is intimate in scale but forcefully ambitious in its rich imagery and confident handling. The critical buzz surrounding its premiere at Pusan suggests a healthy festival career ahead, although this challenging work could have a hard time finding its feet commercially.

The film goes out in South Korea on October 29, when it can expect a better-than-average arthouse release, backed by warm notices, with particular attention to the fine performances by lead actors Lee Sun-kyun and Seo Woo.

Park already impressed with her 2002 debut Jealousy Is My Middle Name, winner of a Tiger Award at Rotterdam. Paju, which adopts a more female perspective, should help to cement her reputation as one of Korea's most talented art-house directors.

The film's plot is told in a sequence of flashbacks, not always in order, reflecting how a series of freak accidents and betrayals from the past still loom large in the main characters' lives.

Joong-shik (Lee) is a young activist wanted by the police in 1996. After inadvertently causing a horrific injury to his lover's infant son, he flees to the city of Paju, a quickly developing satellite town outside Seoul. There he meets and marries a woman named Eunsoo (Shim Yi-young) who lives with her younger sister Eunmo (Seo). Before long, Eunsoo dies in a gas explosion.

In 2003, Eunmo returns to Paju after spending her university tuition on an extended trip to India. There she is reunited with Joong-shik, who heads a group of squatters battling (with rocks and Molotov cocktails) against the demolition of an apartment complex. Her feelings about her brother-in-law, which had always been complicated, grow more so when she begins to suspect him of having killed her sister.

Park's deliberately obscure storytelling technique causes some confusion in the opening reels, and viewers must work hard in order to orient themselves. However as the pieces start falling into place, the characters develop an unusual psychological depth which makes their interactions riveting. Joong-shik's motivations become clearer by the end, but Eunmo retains an enigmatic quality that makes her a fascinating character to watch.

Young actress Seo Woo should receive a major boost to her career from this performance, after winning various local awards last year for her turn as the daughter in Crush & Blush (2008). This also marks the most high-profile role to date for Lee Sun-kyun (Sa-Kwa), who effectively portrays the crushing sense of guilt and responsibility that characterises Joong-shik.

One of Paju's few weaknesses is that the physical staging of both of the film's key accident sequences seems slightly off, lessening their impact. Otherwise, technically the film is good. A series of pitched battles between apartment squatters and hired thugs is especially striking.

Well-known DoP Kim Woo-hyung (A Good Lawyer's Wife) imparts a grainy, unsaturated look to the not-quite-urban, not-rural landscape of Paju. Music by Jang Young-kyu, used sparsely, is also effective.

Production company

TPS Company

Domestic distributor

MK Pictures

International sales

M-Line Distribution

+ 82 2 796 2426

Producers

Kim Ju-kyung

Jaime Shim

Screenplay

Park Chan-ok

Cinematography

Kim Woo-hyung

Production design

Kim June

Music

Jang Young-kyu

Main cast

Lee Sun-kyun

Seo Woo

Shim Yi-young

Kim Bo-kyung

Lee Kyung-young

Lee Dae-yeon

melusine · October 19, 2009

Paju -- Film Review

By Elizabeth Kerr, Hollywood Reporter

October 15, 2009 04:05 ET

Bottom Line: Deliberate and honest examination of the female psyche where one is often needed.

BUSAN, South Korea -- After making a debut with a dissection of Korean masculinity in "Jealousy is My Middle Name," filmmaker Park Chan Ok let it be known she was a director to watch. With her follow up, "Paju," Park keeps the camera on a man while looking at the influence and impact three women have on his life. Rarely is such detail and veracity bestowed on female characters in Korean mainstream cinema (if Park can be considered mainstream), and Park proves that her first success was no fluke.

"Paju" should be a guaranteed lock for Asian and women's-themed festivals, though the slow pace and complex characters could make general distribution difficult -- but not out of the question on the art house circuit -- and the film deserves to be seen as an example of what Korea's independent filmmaking scene can offer.

Though ostensibly about Joongshik, "Paju" is also about the women in his life and in many ways this is the film's strongest element. The story follows Joongshik (Lee Sun Kyun) from a tragedy eight years earlier, to a brief marriage to Eunsoo (Shim Yi Young) up to his time living with her younger sister, Eunmo (Seo Woo). It's a simple narrative with few distracting bells and whistles, allowing for a slow build and careful contemplation of Eunmo's love-hate relationship with Joongshik. They make up the couple that anchors the story, and Seo delivers one of the most believable depictions of conflicted female emotion as has ever been put on film in Korea.

Park is able to do something many filmmakers can't or won't, and that's draw a realistic picture of modern femininity that's blessedly free of the stereotypes that make up movie women. There's no shrieking or weeping from Eunmo when she recalls the events that lead to her sister's death; Eunsoo's reactions within her fragile marriage are empathetic; and Joongshik's first live-in lover Jayoung (Kim Bo Kyoung), doesn't have any ulterior motives when she re-enters his life. Paju is a location just outside of Seoul that is rife with its own contradictions and uncomfortable social politics due to its strong military presence -- Korean, American, and North Korean -- and this gray, grim locale is the perfect backdrop for the internal mess each of the characters must deal with to play out against.

Pusan International Film Festival -- New Currents

Sales: M-Line Distribution

Production companies: TPS Company

Cast: Lee Sun Kyun, Seo Woo, Shim Yi Young, Kim Bo Kyoung

Director: Park Chan Ok

Screenwriter: Park Chan Ok

Producer: Kim Ju Kyung

Director of Photography: Kim Woo Hyung

Production Designer: Kim June

Music: Jan Young Kyu

Editor: Kim Hyung Joo

No rating, 112 minutes

melusine · October 22, 2009

An illicit love affair mixed with mystery

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

October 16, 2009

"There was never a moment when I didn't love you."

This would be such a romantic line in most movies, but it takes on a different meaning when uttered by the leading man in director Park Chan-ok's new film, "Paju."

The movie, which was screened in the New Currents section of the Pusan International Film Festival that ends today, attracted the attention of moviegoers even before its world premiere at the event in Busan.

The buzz centers around the film’s sensitive theme: a forbidden love between a girl and her sister's husband. It is Park's second feature, coming on the heels of the award-winning film "Jealousy is My Middle Name" in 2002.

Before seeing this movie, I imagined - as many others have - that the film would be filled with scenes of love and betrayal. But I was wrong. There is much more to this movie than an illicit love affair.

The story follows Eun-mo (Seo Woo), who returns to her hometown Paju after three years abroad. She quickly learns that her sister Eun-soo (Shim Yi-young), who met an untimely death years earlier, passed away in a different manner than she was led to believe. The other surprising news is that her sister's husband, Jung-sik (Lee Sun-kyun), has transferred a large sum of the death benefits he received to Eun-mo.

The film then flashes back seven years, when Eun-soo fell in love with and married Jung-sik, a democratic activist student-turned-teacher at a night school in Paju.

Eun-soo, however, dies a few years later. At the time, Eun-mo was living in Seoul after having run away from home. Eun-mo, who is told that her sister died in a hit-and-run accident, returns to Paju and begins an uneasy cohabitation with Jung-sik, developing a risque relationship in the process.

But Eun-mo suddenly leaves Jung-sik one day to move to India.

Upon her return three years later, Jung-sik declares his undying love for her, as mentioned earlier. But it is somewhat abrupt and decidedly unromantic, considering his reserved attitude toward Eun-mo in the past and the nature of their relationship.

The director of the film said that was intentional.

"More than a love affair between a man and a woman, the relationship between Jung-sik and Eun-mo is more of compassion that those in agony are likely to develop for each other," Park said.

What makes the story more intriguing is its well-constructed plot, which includes a hefty dose of mystery surrounding Eun-soo's death, as well as the director's superb psychological description of the characters. The film also offers a vivid glimpse into Korean society and the struggles some residents of Paju face.

Park said Paju is the perfect backdrop for this mysterious and gripping story.

"When I think of Paju, I always view it as a mysterious place because it was always foggy whenever I visited there and it also sits right next to the border area dividing the two Koreas," Park said in a meeting with the audience after the film's first screening at PIFF. "I wanted to portray that mysterious feeling in the film."

Paju hits local theaters on Oct. 29.

Paju

Drama / Korean

110 min.

Opens Oct. 29

Director Park Chan-ok

melusine · October 22, 2009

Paju

(South Korea)

By Russell Edwards, Variety

Posted: Mon., Oct. 19, 2009, 1:54pm PT

A Myung Films presentation, in association with MK Pictures, Kofic, of a TPS production. (International sales: M-Line, Seoul.) Produced by Kim Ju-kyung, Lee Eun. Directed, written by Park Chan-ok.

With: Lee Sun-kyun, Seo Woo, Shim Yi-young, Kim Bo-kyung.

Radical politics offer no place to hide from guilt and shame in the superior Korean mystery meller "Paju." Park Chan-ok's long-awaited follow-up to her celebrated 2002 debut, "Jealousy Is My Middle Name," reveals the helmer has retained her powerful ability to depict the burning passions that can make relationships searingly painful. Complex narrative will make this emotionally intense pic a tough sell at Korean arthouse venues, and fest auds also will need patience to fully absorb Park's dense storyline, but perseverance will be rewarded.

Twentysomething Eun-mo (Seo Woo, "Crush and Blush") listens to a taxi driver drone on as she rides down a foggy highway. The story then cycles back eight years earlier, when a lustful Joong-shik (Lee Sun-kyun) accidentally causes a woman to neglect her baby with disastrous consequences. Ashamed, Joong-shik goes on the lam and holes up in the titular city of Paju near the North Korean border. Teaching religious classes to the town's schoolgirls, Joong-shik captures the heart of local house owner Eun-soo (Shim Yi-young), despite the protestations of her pubescent younger sister and Joong-shik's student Eun-mo.

Back in the present day, Joong-shik is now the ringleader of a political protest group whose interests run from obstructing the city's plans of gentrification to strengthening relations with North Koreans. Squatting in Paju's derelict apartments, the group is under siege from an unidentified property developer who has engaged goons to bulldoze the buildings. With only the briefest of hints as to what has transpired, Eun-soo is nowhere to be seen and Joong-shik and Eun-mo are clearly at odds. Narrative flashes back twice more to sparingly fill in the gaps on their shifting lives.

An unusual structure and deliberately opaque transitions require auds to work hard, but each installment smartly sets up sufficient story hooks to keep the viewer engaged. Though it works primarily as a meller, the story also has some action and mystery elements that make it function like a Bergmanesque thriller. A final extended flashback successfully draws myriad threads together to reveal truths avoided by the participants and deftly alluded to by the filmmaker.

Helmer-scripter Park has a strong grip on her material and rolls it out with confidence in the audience's ability to handle narrative complexity. With equal confidence, Park has clearly given precise instructions to her thesps, but leaves them plenty of room to breathe.

Perfs are riveting and pitch-perfect. Woo convinces in each stage of Eun-mo's life, from immature, jealous schoolgirl to rebel whose cause is to unravel the circumstances around her sister's fate. Lee's changes are less pronounced, but the thesp is also versatile in his portrayal of Joong-shik. Supporting cast is flawless.

Grainy blue-gray lensing by Kim Woo-hyung ("A Good Lawyer's Wife," "Resurrection of the Little Match Girl") adds a docu feel and acts as a metaphor for the murky secrets at the yarn's heart. Other tech credits are pro.

Despite powerful content, the uninformative title -- though instantly evocative for Korean auds -- may compound the pic's commercial obstacles abroad.

Camera (color) Kim Woo-hyung; editor, Kim Hyung-joo; music, Jang Young-kyu; production designer, Kim Joon; sound (Dolby Digital), Kim Suk-won. Reviewed at Pusan Film Festival (New Currents), Oct. 10, 2009. Running time: 110 MIN.

deka_if · October 22, 2009

October 22, 2009

(Movie Review)

'Paju' examines female psyche through forbidden love, social disorder

SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- A girl is convinced her brother-in-law killed her sister. While halfheartedly investigating the mysterious death, she comes upon an unexpected realization: That she is in love with him.

Through this simple narrative, "Paju" examines a girl's maturation and contradicting emotions, drawing a realistic picture of modern femininity free of the stereotypes often found in South Korean cinema.

Jung-sik (Lee Sun-kyun), suffering from the guilt that he caused a tragedy involving his first love and her family, escapes to Paju, an underdeveloped and desolate city just north of Seoul.

There he meets Eun-su (Shim Yi-young), whom he is briefly married to before her death, and ends up living with her much younger sister Eun-mo (Seo Woo).

While believing her brother-in-law killed her sister for insurance money, Eun-mo finds herself falling in love with him, the sole guardian and grownup in the lonely girl's life.

A grim, foggy locale rife with its own contradictions and uncomfortable social politics due to its strong military presence -- Korean, American, and North Korean -- Paju acts as a perfect backdrop for the internal mess of the characters.

Whether she liked it or not, filmmaker Park Chan-ok was once considered a "female version of director Hong Sang-soo" for the male-centered portraits of society and relationships in her debut "Jealousy is My Middle Name (2002)," despite her gender.

In her second feature "Paju," the director appears to have rid herself of the influence of her mentor, creating a unique film that proves her first success was no fluke.

"I stopped (filming) because I could not make any more modifications to it," said Park, who took almost seven years to complete her second feature, at the movie's Seoul preview Wednesday. "I wanted to talk about emotions shared by two people who are similarly alone."

While vividly depicting the girl's maturation, "Paju" also spends a great deal of time tracking the changes in the male character Jung-sik.

A former democratic activist student, he strives to wipe out his guilt about his first love as well as his growing emotions for his young sister-in-law by working as a night school teacher and fighting with evictees against city development.

Through Jung-sik's life, the movie delves into the disorders in contemporary South Korean society, creating a story separate, yet overlapping, with the forbidden romance between in-laws.

The narrative is unkind to the audience at times, making some bold abbreviations and often retrograding time sequence to follow the characters' emotions. As a result, the film hoards up, throughout its lengthy running time, a mysterious aura that resembles the gray background and the modern Korean society.

Actor Lee Sun-kyun appears to shine at his best in the film, breathing some reality into Jung-sik, who could easily have become a dull character if someone else played him. Emerging actress Seo Woo also delivers one of the most believable depictions of conflicted female emotion put on film in Korea.

Invited to the Pusan International Film Festival's competition section New Currents this year, the movie, with a running time of 111 minutes, will hit the local theaters on Oct. 29.

Credits : Shin Hae-in (hayney@yna.co.kr)

Source : Yonhap News

melusine · October 22, 2009

^thanks deka_if All the reviews seem to be positive!^^

melusine · October 22, 2009

Movieweek part 1+part 2+part 3+part 4

via IS Plus

Movieweek part 1+part 2+part 3+part 4

melusine · October 22, 2009

Interviews - Park Chan-Ok

Cine21 part 1+part 2

Asia Economic Daily

10Asia

Naver part 1+part 2

Herald Biz / Herald Biz

Yonhap News

Busan.com

Kuki News / Kuki News

PRESSian

melusine · October 22, 2009

Interviews - Lee Seon-Gyun

Cosmopolitan

Mk.co.kr part 1+part 2

Yonhap News

Asia Economic Daily

Newsen part 1+part 2

Interview365

melusine · October 22, 2009

Interviews - Lee Seon-Gyun

melusine · October 23, 2009

Interviews - Seo Woo

The Star Chosun / The Star Chosun

Excerpted from [10Asia] [iNTERVIEW] Actress Seo Woo:

10: In film "Paju," the transition you showed with your character growing from a middle school student to a female in her 20s was very natural. You had to pull off quite a large age range. What did you do to express the differences in a character's age and mind set?
Seo Woo: The director of "Crush & Blush" showed me a video of how middle school students talk nowadays. I noticed that kids nowadays are much more mature and smarter than in my days, whether they are talking to someone of the opposite sex or just friends. I realized that you don't talk like a kid just because you are young. When my character in "Paju" was in high school, she was mature and had a lot of inner thoughts. And just because Hyo-seon from "Sister of Cinderella" is 25 years old, it doesn't mean that she is all grown up. It's not important to differentiate between a middle school student, high school student and an adult but a person's inner age is more important. I rather work hard on the external changes the character goes through, such as the pronunciation, vocalization and tone.

melusine · October 26, 2009

Interviews - Seo Woo

Newsen / Newsen / Newsen

OSEN / OSEN

Sports Khan / Lady Khan

melusine · October 26, 2009

Interviews - Shim Yi-Young

Sports Khan

Asia Economic Daily

rubie · October 27, 2009

October 27, 2009

Lee Seon-kyun Comments on His Role in 'Paju'

Actor Lee Seon-kyun, who plays Jung-shik in Park Chan-ok's movie "Paju," was never known as a romantic guy. Jung-shik is a man who has to live with his deep wounds and sense of guilt. Lee describes his character as a "big person" who he didn't want to approach in an emotional way.

To Lee, "Paju" is a milestone, which he set by portraying Jung-shik, a former athlete who falls in love with his sister-in-law. It was Lee's first big-screen leading role, which has also become his favorite one and which demanded a higher degree of responsibility. "It was the most fulfilling role by far, " said Lee.

Lee said, "I wanted to play a more 'film-y' and inspirational role. I wanted to approach acting from a more serious perspective. Director Park Chan-ok has a very keen eye. I wanted to work with her and I made the right decision."

Lee says he was unable to study his character in more detail because of a time limit. His scenes were shot in an apartment building that was subject to demolition. He said, "The scene where I confess to Eun-mo felt special to me when I read the script and I worried about it a lot. But since we had to finish shooting as soon as possible, we had to shoot for 36 straight hours, so I didn't have a chance to give it as much thought as I wanted."

Lee also says the scene made him feel grateful to the production team. He said, "I didn't feel satisfied even when I heard the director wrap a scene. But I didn't have the courage to suggest that we re-shoot the scene, because everyone was tired after working all night long. But I ended up saying it because I couldn't concentrate on the other scenes. Just then, someone from the production crew said that he was ready to shoot as many times as was needed. He adjusted the lighting and we began shooting again. I was moved to tears."

Director Park Chan-ok discussed every scene with Lee in front of the monitor and the two almost never disagreed. Lee said, "'Paju' is like Ms. Park. It's slow and quiet, but it makes you listen to it. Ms. Park has lucid and shy eyes. She's like a girl yet sometimes she is like your big brother who is always ready to listen to you and give you good advice."

Worried about Jung-shik's safety, Eun-mo (played by Seo Woo) asks him why he demolishes buildings for a living. Jung-shik says he started doing it to look cool, then to pay off his debts, but now he doesn't know why he does it. Lee said, "That's Jung-shik's way. He joined a club because his older friend Ja-young looked cool. He was attracted to fights. Then he waited for Eun-mo. Because of the time pressure, I didn't realize the profound meaning of that. It might look the same on the outside, but to me it's a huge difference."

When asked the same question as "actor Lee Seon-kyun," not Jung-shik, Lee said, "I have no greed. No ambitions. Acting is the only thing that makes me move when I don't feel like doing anything. Acting is not my ultimate goal. I act because I want to be happy. Once it loses its meaning and becomes simply a way to make a living, I will hate it."

Credits: KBS Global

rubie · October 27, 2009

October 27, 2009

Seo Woo Courted by Foreign Directors

Seo Woo

Actress Seo Woo is being courted by foreign movie directors after "Paju," a film in which she starred with actor Lee Sun-kyun, screened during the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) earlier this month.

According to Sports Hankook, the sister paper of The Korea Times, Seo, 21, had already been asked to appear in movies to be directed by American and Dutch directors.

An official with the actress' agency was quoted as saying, "We have been offered twice. But we have not decided on appearance yet. She will take a rest for the time being before choosing the next film. We will also consider going abroad."

Sports Hankook quoted a movie analyst as saying, "Ms. Seo has been recognized highly for her acting in the movie. She was all the more charming because Eun-mo, which she played in 'Paju,' remained an enigmatic figure."

Seo was among the group of Korean actors who visited Busan during PIFF as "Paju" competed in the New Currents section. The movie, directed by Park Chan-ok, won the Netpac (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) award. "Paju," a film about the subtle romance between a man and his dead wife's sister, will hit local theaters on Thursday.

Seo made her TV debut with "Kimchi Cheese Smile" in 2007 and won the best new actress prize at the 2008 Korea Film Awards for her role in the movie "Crush & Blush."

Credits: sahds@koreatimes.co.kr

melusine · October 30, 2009

^thanks so much, rubie. Good for Seo Woo

Lee Seon-Gyun and Shim Yi-Young on tvN 'Taxi'

via JK News, JK News, TV Report, TV Report, TV Report, TV Report, TV Report, SSTV, SSTV, Newsen, Newsen, Newsen, Today Korea, Today Korea, Net to News, DongA, Review Star, Nanum News, BNT News, Segye, Arts News, Kyunghyang.com

melusine · October 30, 2009

Actor Lee Seon Kyun is appearing on the music show Yoo Hee Yeol’s Sketchbook! He will be showing off his singing talents, and, of course, promoting his upcoming dark film Paju, co-starring Seo Woo. He reportedly sang Yoo Jae Ha’s “My Reflection In My Heart”. He also participated in a short talk with host Yoo Hee Yeol, during which he revealed how he’d proposed to his wife, Jeon Hye Jin. His episode airs on the 16th.

Source: Dahee's Plastic Castle

Lee Seon-Gyun on KBS2 'Yoo Hee-Yeol's Sketchbook'

via Newsen, Newsen

Lee Seon-Gyun on SBS 'Live TV Entertainment'

via Newsen, TV Daily, TV Daily

Seo Woo on 'On Style'

via TV Report, On*Media

melusine · October 30, 2009

Lee Sun Gyun is a Hot Kisser...

At least Seo Woo said so. On the October 22nd episode of "Happy Together 3," the leads of Park Chan WookOk's Paju, Lee Sun Gyun and Seo Woo, MC Kim Jae Dong, and Kim Tae Woo were guests for the show.

Anyway, so the lovely actress Seo Woo commented on her first kiss scene with Lee Sun Gyun and she said she was all worried about whether they would actually kiss or just pretend to, then presently found herself being kissed. One of the MCs, Park Mi Sun, asked if Lee Sun Gyun was a good kisser. Seo Woo replied that it was hot - by which I mean she said that he was unhesitating and bold. Way to sweep the girl off her feet, Lee Sun Gyun.

The man didn't put up much of a defense, but said that he learned how to kiss from actress Moon So Ri. In their movie, Apple, during their first kiss scene, which happened to be our dear, innocent Mr. Lee's first kiss scene ever, he simply put his lips to hers and didn't do much else. The woman asked him, "Boy, is that how you kiss?"

From then on, he learned to be free, passionate and aggressive with his kissing and has even gone to the point where he embarrassed his female counterpart. [...]

Source: seoulbeats