Lee Jung-Jae 이정재 [Movie “Hunt” | Upcoming: Star Wars series “The Acolyte” (Disney+)]

[Helena]

https://k-odyssey.com/news/newsview.php?ncode=1065579370486901
'Daejong Film Award' to take place on December 9

YonhapNews / 2022-10-13 11:16:48
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Joonha Yoo)
 

▲This photo shows '2022 Daejong Media Day.' (Yonhap)

Spoiler

▲This photo shows director Lee Chang-ho. (Yonhap)

▲This photo shows executive director Kim Woo-jeong. (Yonhap)

SEOUL October 13 (Yonhap) -- “Grand Bell Award”, also known as “Daejong Film Award” which was unfortunately canceled in 2021, will kick off on December 9 at New Millennium Hall in Konkook University.

South Korean movie organization held “Media Day” in Chungmu Art Center on Wednesday, and addressed their plans and ways to improve “Grand Bell Award.”



Director Yang Yoon-ho (the leading figure of the organization) addressed “We have made significant modification to ‘Grand Bell Award’ since we are restarting this year.  We will do our best to make ‘Grand Bell Award’ which encompasses cultural richness to become a globally known award.“



Starting this year, the pre-screening method has been changed from submission based to selection based.

Eleven of the individuals from the field related to movie industry such as movie critics, reporters, programmers and more went through the screening process of 237 movies which premiered throughout the year, from there on 19 of the movies were carefully selected to be featured at the main event.


The organization opened a way for the public to participate in the selection of the award winners.


In total of 10 thousand national review boards will be recruited and they will participate in naming winners of six different awards given such as the “Best lead actress and actor awards”, “Best supporting actor and actress” and more. The final award winners will be selected based on both of the scores from the boards and the judges.



“Grand Bell Award” is one of South Korea’s long lasting traditional movie awards since it first kicked off in 1962. However, due to the transparency of the selection process, the name value of the award ceremony has plummeted.



Throughout the event held on October 12, self reflection of “Grand Bell Award” took place.


Director Lee Jang-ho is assigned as the lead figure of “Grand Bell Award Committee” addressed “I feel very ashamed and that I was not capable of putting a stop to the derailment of Grand Bell Award.  Individual interest in ‘Grand Bell Award’ at this moment in time will be greatly appreciated.”




Director Yang Yoon-ho stated “I feel like the indifference of ‘Grand Bell Award’ by those within the movie industry has led to the drop of name value of the award.  I would like to send dearest apology.”



Moreover, secretary general Lee Sang-wu stated “Everything about this award needs modification. “I am very bad about how the reputation of ‘Grand Bell Award’ has fallen, I would send my deepest apology.”



Lineup of movies competing at the main event were revealed.



“Decision to Leave,” “Hunt,” “Kingmaker,” “Hansan : Rising Dragon,” and “Broker” will be fighting for the title of Best Picture award.



As for the award for directors, Park Chan-wook from “Decision to Leave,” Kim Han-min from “Hansan: Rising Dragon,” Shin Su-won from “Hommage” and Hong Sang-soo from “In Front of Your Face” are nominated.


For the best actress award, Tang Wei from “Decision to Leave,” Yum Jung-ah from “Life is Beautiful,” Lee Hye-young from “In Front of Your Face,” Lee Jung-eun from “Hommage” and Park So-dam from “Special Cargo” are nominated.

Park Hae-il from “Decision to Leave,” Sol Kyung-gu from “Kingmaker,” Song Kang-ho from “Broker,” Jung Woo-sung from “Hunt,” Lee Byung-hun from “Emergency Declaration” and Ryu Seung-ryong from “Life is Beautiful” are nominated for the best actor award.


South Korean movie “Hunt” has been nominated in 12 different categories, taking the title of most nominated movie.


The slogan of “Grand Bell Award” is “People are watching, the world is watching.” This encompasses the committee’s firm stand and ambition to make “Grand Bell award” as one of the globally known film festivals.


For the honorary ambassador of “Grand Bell Award,” oldest South Korean actor Lee Soon-jae, recently debuted actress Choi Jung-woon, numerous media creators, and influencers have been appointed to advertise the upcoming “Grand Bell Award.” (END)

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved

[Helena]

https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1006931156
[SBS Star] VIDEO: Lee Jung Jae Gets Surprised as He Sees His Longtime Korean Fan in Spain

By Lee Narin  | 2022.10.13 14:21

Actor Lee Jung Jae got surprised after spotting his longtime Korean fan outside Korea―in Spain.  

On October 7, Lee Jung Jae attended an annual film festival 'Sitges Film Festival' for his film 'Hunt' that he directed and acted.   As Lee Jung Jae walked up the red carpeted stairs, he was welcomed by one fan who had come to Sitges all the way from Korea.   When the fan shouted, "Oppa!", he looked at her and instantly commented in a very surprised tone of voice, "What? What are you doing here?!" 

It was because Lee Jung Jae recognized her right away, and was surprised to see her at an unexpected place.  Apparently, the fan had been fangirling Lee Jung Jae for the past 10 years.  

 

The next day, the fan attended 'Sitges Film Festival' and met Lee Jung Jae on the red carpet once again.  While getting his autograph, she told Lee Jung Jae that she was worried that he would not like it if he saw her here. To this, Lee Jung Jae gave the sweetest response that made the fan tear up.  Lee Jung Jae smiled and said, "Don't be a fool! Why wouldn't I like it? I was simply surprised."

 

Along with this video, the fan commented, "I was thinking that it was a little too much for me to have come all the way here just to see him, but his response melted my heart. Later on, when I entered the theater to watch his film, I cried in my seat thinking back to what he told me."    

 

 

The fan also uploaded a photo of the autograph that Lee Jung Jae signed, and wrote, "I've been Lee Jung Jae's fan for 10 years, but never asked him for an autograph on the red carpet. I don't know why but it's just funny that this all happened in Sitges. I'm so happy that I've been smiling and laughing all evening like a crazy person."  She continued, "I'll never forget you, Sitges. You're a land of happiness!"

 

Spoiler

(Credit= 'xoxoraemi' Twitter) 
(SBS Star) 

[Sleepy Owl]

   Event: Accidental Kisses in Dramaland

 

Accidents do happen, and so do kisses! Combine them both and we get Accidental Kisses! Come and vote for your most favorite Accidental Kisses! 

 

 

 

Your Event Organizers, 

@Sleepy Owl, @partyon, @agenth, @confusedheart

[Helena]

https://kbizoom.com/lee-jung-jae-whose-pay-rate-has-risen-significantly-after-squid-game-continues-to-deliver-good-news/
Lee Jung-jae, whose pay rate has risen significantly after “Squid Game”, continues to deliver good news

By phuonganhvu | October 18, 2022

Actor Lee Jung-jae and director Hwang Dong0hyuk of Netflix’s drama “Squid Game” will receive the Order of Cultural Merit.

On October 18th, YTN Star reported, “The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has confirmed actor Lee Jung-jae and director Hwang Dong-hyuk as winners of this year’s Order of Cultural Merit”.

According to the media outlet, director Hwang Dong-hyuk is preparing to attend the ceremony while Lee Jung-jae is expected to deliver a video message as he will be absent due to overseas schedules.

 

Order of Cultural Merit is a medal awarded to people who have contributed to the development of culture and arts as well as the improvement of national culture and national development. The highest level of the Order of Cultural Merit is Grade 1, which is the Geumgwan Order of Culture Merit. It is not yet known which grade Lee Jung-jae and Hwang Dong-hyuk will be awarded.

Meanwhile, Lee Jung-jae and Hwang Dong-hyuk, who made their names known to the whole world through the huge success of Netflix’s original series “Squid Game”, received Best Actor and Best Director at the 74th Primetime Emmy Award held in the U.S on September 12th (local time).

In addition, Lee Jung-jae will start filming the second season of “Squid Game” next year and is expected to earn 1 billion as his appearance fee per episode. In short, if Season 2 is produced as a 9-episode series like Season 1, he will be paid a guarantee of 9 billion won in total.

Source: Wikitree

 

——

http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?blbdComCd=601006&seq=5857&mode=VIEW
Actors Lee Jungjae・Lee Jungeun・Im Siwan, Awarded at the 7th London East Asia Film Festival

by Park Hyejin | Oct 21, 2022

Actor Lee Jungjae, Won LEAFF Honorary Award by Unanimous Consent

The 7th London East Asia Film Festival opened at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London on October 19. At the opening ceremony, which began with the opening film Hunt by actor/director Lee Jungjae, the awards ceremony was also held to grant awards to actors in each category.

For LEAFF Honorary Award (Honorary Award for Contribution to East Asian Cinema), Lee Jungjae was unanimously selected by the jury as the winner. The festival organizers said, "This is the result of the recognition of the outstanding performance of Lee Jungjae as the director and lead actor of Hunt, which will be unveiled for the first time in the UK as the opening film of this year, and also noted that he became the first Korean and Asian actor to win Best Actor at the Emmys, proving his global power.”
 

The Best Actor Award of LEAFF went to Actor Lee Jungeun for her role in Hommage. ‘LEAFF Best Actor Award’ is given to an actor who has excellent acting skills regardless of gender. The jury selected the award winner because the desire, frustration, and courage of a middle-aged woman with dreams were delicately and realistically depicted by Lee Jungeun in the invited work Hommage this year. 

Actor Im Siwan landed the LEAFF Rising Star Award (Buldak Rising Star Award from this year) for his performance in Emergency Declaration. ‘LEAFF Rising Star Award’ is given to support Korean films and filmmakers reaching out to Europe, and Actors Kim Dami, Ryu Junyeol, Jung Haein, etc. were the previous winners of the award.

The 7th London East Asia Film Festival, which will be held in London for 12 days until October 30, will showcase about 50 Asian films from China, Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, including 11 Korean films.

 

LEAFF 2022 Opening Gala

The 7th Edition of the London East Asia Film Festival opened on 19th October at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square with the UK premiere screening of HUNT. Check out Seoul Night kindly sponsored by Buldak, bbq and Seoul Tourism Organization and the Opening Gala ceremony, followed by the screening of HUNT and the Q&A with Director Lee Jung-Jae!

[Helena]

https://kbizoom.com/squid-game-star-lee-jung-jae-talks-star-wars-role-his-dream-and-goal-marriage-plans-and-more/
“Squid Game” star Lee Jung Jae talks “Star Wars” role, his dream and goal, marriage plans, and more

By minnyoo | October 21, 2022

Lee Jung Jae, who visited the UK for his directorial debut in “Hunt”, talked about his upcoming project.

 

Spoiler

 

Lee Jung Jae visited the UK to attend the 7th London East Asia Film Festival and had an exclusive interview with Yonhap News at a hotel in London on October 20th (local time).

When asked about his “Star Wars” role, Lee Jung Jae asked for understanding, saying, “I can’t say anything because I’ve signed all the top-secret agreements. There will be announcements soon.”

He said, “It’s my first time working on a foreign project, and it’s my first time doing such a big project, so I’m in a position where I have no choice but to follow what I’m told to do.”

Lee Jung Jae was selected for the lead role in the new Disney+ series “Star Wars: The Acolyte”, but the specific character he will play has not yet been revealed.

He said, “I’m still working on my English. I’m preparing every day because I’m going to shoot soon.” When asked if he was going to start filming in England right away without returning home, he replied, “Yes”. He said his visit to the UK was the first in a long time since COVID-19.

The British have completely different reactions to Lee Jung Jae before and after “Squid Game”. Lee Jung Jae said, “People in London recognize me a lot and talk about Squid Game a lot.”

In an interview with British media such as The Guardian and Metro that day, Lee Jung Jae said that he was asked many questions about “Squid Game”. 

When asked about the British Academy Award (BAFTA) challenge following the American Emmy Award, Lee Jung Jae responded, “Isn’t there a TV category (at the BAFTA)? I have never thought about it.”

Originally, the main purpose of the interview with the British press on this day was to promote “Hunt”, which will be released in the UK early next month. “Hunt” was first screened as the opening film of the London Asian Film Festival the day before.

When asked about his dreams or goals in the UK as the director and actor of “Hunt”, Lee Jung Jae replied, “At our age, we don’t necessarily set goals or dreams. The idea of what to do in London is…I don’t know.”

He said, “When I was young, I don’t know if it was because I was less famous or if I didn’t know what success is, but only then did I have a dream and a goal, but now I know too well what doesn’t work out. The future is unknown, so the present situation is important. Now, I think my goal and dream is to do my best in any work.” 

When asked what he would like Lee Jung Jae to look like in his 60s and 70s, he said, “I hope it’s just a healthy Lee Jung Jae. These days, walking is a little uncomfortable because of ankle pain, my shoulder ligaments are broken, my back hurts, and my eyes are dry.”

He said that the pace of “Hunt” could be fast for foreigners who are not familiar with Korea’s modern and contemporary history. He explained, “I thought the pace should be tailored to the Korean audience.”

He added, “It’s important for both Korean and foreign audiences to think it’s appropriate, but it is not easy.”

Regarding the expectations of British audiences who have seen “Hunt”, he said, “It would be nice if they could say, ‘There are spy things like this in Korean movies, it’s interesting’, and it would be better if they also looked at the hidden messages.”

He said, “These days, audiences say that even if they put the name of a Korean place name or event in the subtitles, they can find it right away, so it would be nice if they look up Korean history and culture.”

 

To the question of when did Lee Jung Jae become interested in modern and contemporary history, he answered that it was a natural thing to do as a Korean and a person who lived at that time.

Before the interview, the most asked question from those around Lee Jung Jae was whether he planned to marry his girlfriend, Im Se Ryung, vice chairman of Daesang Group.  He said, “It’s a personal matter, so it’s a bit difficult to answer.”

 

Source: daum

 

—

https://kbizoom.com/lee-jung-jae-revealed-news-of-his-hollywood-debutnbsp/
“Filming will start soon”, Lee Jung Jae revealed news of his Hollywood debut

By phuongminhdo | October 22, 2022

Actor Lee Jung Jae revealed that he will soon start filming for the Hollywood series “The Acolyte”, in which he is cast as the main character.

Lee Jung Jae, who visited the UK to attend the 7th London East Asia Film Festival, revealed that filming for the Hollywood Star Wars series “The Acolyte” will soon begin in an exclusive interview with Yonhap News at a hotel on October 20th (local time).

‘According to the media, Lee Jung Jae said, “I’m preparing (for filming) every day”, adding, “I can’t say anything because I’ve signed many confidential agreements. There will be an announcement soon.”

He then explained, “I think they will tell me not to talk about it even after filming the movie. It’s my first time doing a foreign work, and it’s really the first time I’ve done such a big project, so I have no choice but to follow such an opportunity.”

Earlier, the American entertainment media Deadline reported that Lee Jung Jae was cast as the main character in the Disney+ Star Wars series “The Acolyte”, which will be produced by Lucasfilm. The specific role he will play has not yet been revealed.

Lee Jung Jae emerged as a global star last year after assuming the role of male lead Sung Ki Hoon in the Netflix original “Squid Game”. For this work, he won Best Actor at the Actors Guild of America Award (SAG), Independent Spirit Award, and Critics’ Choice Award.

Source: wikitree

[Helena]

https://k-odyssey.com/news/newsview.php?ncode=1065599688944241
S.Korean actor Lee Jung-jae to participate in production of Star Wars series

YonhapNews / 2022-10-24 16:54:51
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Joonha Yoo) 

 

Spoiler

▲These photos show Lee Jung-jae signing autograph at '7th London Asia Film Festival.' (Yonhap) 

 

Spoiler

 

▲These photos show actor Lee Jung-jae during '7th London Asia Film Festival.' (Yonhap)

 

SEOUL October 24 (Yonhap) -- During the interview conducted at a hotel located center of London on October 20 (UK time), South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae who visited United Kingdom to participate at the “7th London Asia Film Festival” for his directorial debut piece “Hunt” said “Soon the production of the Star Wars will begin.  I am preparing for the upcoming production every day.”

 


When asked about his role on the upcoming Star Wars movie, he said “I cannot disclose any information because I have signed a non disclosure agreement, therefore I am not in any position to say anything.  I hope you guys understand. There will be a release of information shortly.”



“I feel like once I am done with the movie they will ask me to keep the details to myself and not to disclose any information.  I have not participated in any foreign production that is this big in size. Therefore I am just following everything as I am told, mainly because I am new to the scene.”



Although Lee Jung-jae has been casted as the lead role of Disney’s upcoming Star Wars series “The Acolyte” detailed information of his role has yet to be disclosed.



“I am working on my English constantly.  I’ll be shooting the scenes pretty soon, so I am putting time and effort to get ready for my role.”



When asked whether he will stay in United Kingdom in order to shoot the series, he hesitated for a moment and answered “Yes.”



He stated that it has been a while since he visited United Kingdom due to widespread of COVID 19. 



British people are showcasing polar opposite reactions to Lee Jung-jae’s work after his appearance in the world phenomenon “Squid Game.”



Spanish worker from the hotel where the interview was conducted was not familiar with the actor Lee Jung-jae until the actor appeared in the series “Squid Game,” the worker stated that he really enjoyed watching him acting out his role in the series.


“A lot of people in United Kingdom recognize me from ‘Squid Game’ and talk to me about the series.” 


Moreover, actor disclosed that throughout the interview with local media such as The Guardian, Metro and more, number of questions related to “Squid Game” were asked.



When asked whether he will try out for the BAFTA after his achievement in Emmys, actor questioned “Is there a segment for TV shows?” showing how the thought has never occurred. 



 

Originally the purpose of the interviews conducted with the UK media was intended for South Korean Movie “Hunt” which will be premiering in United Kingdom. “Hunt” was recently showcased as the opening film of “7th London Asia Film Festival.”



When the UK media asked about his dream and goal as the director of movie “Hunt” and as an actor, Lee Jung-jae stated “At our age, it is normal for us to not pinpoint our future goal or dream.  For the question on what I want to do in London, I have not thought about it.” 



“When I was young, or should I put it as when I was less famous, or was not familiar with the term of being famous, I had dreams and goals I wanted to achieve, however those dreams are early impossible to achieve therefore, I know I will get scared. Hence I don’t think I keep dreams or goals anymore.”



Continuing on with his thoughts “Since we are not at a position to know what our future will look like, I am thankful for the current situation.  Nowadays when I am offered with a role, the biggest concern that lived within my mind would be what I can do to make this character work.” 



When the actor was asked whether he has similar understanding and thought about his goals before he became the world star, as Lee Jung-jae who appeared in “The Housemaid” in 2010, actor described “I feel like when I was participating in the production of ‘The Housemaid’ I had build up the understanding that every day has greater meaning to me than my goal.” 



Moreover, Lee Jung-jae stated “Way before I appeared in ‘The Housemaid’ I had dreams and ambition.  However, that is because I did not understand the true nature of live therefore I sometimes feel it was more fun as a young actor filled with ambition and goals.” 



When asked what he would want himself to look like when he is in his 60s and 70s, actor gently chuckled “I just want to be healthy.  Nowadays it hurts to walk, and I recently tore a ligament in my shoulder, my back hurts.  My eyes are dry as well.” 



When asked how to foreign viewers who are not familiar with the modern history of South Korea, movie “Hunt” might come across as a fast movie, Lee Jung-jae stated “It was one of the biggest concern to chose a place to speed things up throughout the movie. However I have always thought we should speed things up to meet the standard of South Korean audiences.” 



“It is very hard to find the midpoint of both South Korean and foreign audiences.”



 

Asked what he wants foreign audiences to leave the theater with after watching “Hunt”, Lee Jung-jae said “I hope foreign audiences will go home with this in their mind, ‘Oh, South Korea has some interesting spy action film’ and find all the hidden gems located throughout the movie.”



“Nowadays a lot of foreign audiences have no problem look up the historical events and name of provinces without a translation, therefore I would hope more people will be interested in South Korean culture, however that I not the reason why I created this movie and came all the way to United Kingdom.” 



Lee Jung-jae explained when his interest in modern history has occurred, which in his perspective as a South Korean citizen, who have lived through those eras, it is just natural for one to build up the interest. 



“Since I have acted out various roles, I had to take a deeper look into the roles.  As a person who has worked in the field for this long, I am sure they would have developed interest for modern history.”



When asked with a comparative question between his closest friend Jung Woo-sung who has shown interest in social and political issues where he made stance with his opinion, Lee Jung-jae stated “Some of the actors might use different channel to spread his thoughts, however I try to use movie as a channel to communicate with my fans.” 



 

As for his movie “Hunt” attracting little over 5 million audiences, actor Lee Jung-jae stated “That is a success in my perspective.”


“Throughout COVID 19 our way of enjoying the movie has changed a lot.  When meeting with those involved with film industry we talk a lot about what we need to change to meet the current demand.  When I was introduced with oculus at Jung Woo-sung’s house the other day I was surprised by the technology development. Since technology will continue on with its development more rapidly, changes always occur so I will do my best to follow the trend as it occurs.”


Before the interview the most frequently requested question for Lee Jung-jae to answer was his relationship with heiress Lim Se-ryung and his future plans such as marriage.  Lee Jung-jae stated “Since it is private matter it is hard for me to answer such questions.” (END)

 

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved

[Helena]

42nd Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | 제42회 영평상 [Winners]

Korean Film Critics Association (http://www.fca.kr) announced the winners on the 24th.

Award ceremony will be held on November 23rd at 5 pm.

△ Best Film Award 최우수작품상: 'Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심' (Moho Film)
△ Lifetime Achievement Award 공로영화인상: Actor Ahn Sung-ki 안성기
△ Director Award 감독상: Park Chan-wook 박찬욱 ('Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심')
△ Leading Actress Award 여우주연상: Tang Wei 탕웨이 ('Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심')


△ Leading Actor Award 남우주연상: Jung Woo-sung 정우성 ('HUNT | 헌트')
△ Supporting Actress Award 여우조연상: Jeon Hye-jin 전혜진 ('HUNT | 헌트')
△ Supporting Actor Award 남우조연상: Jo Woo-jin 조우진 ('Kingmaker | 킹메이커')
△ New Director Award 신인감독상: Lee Jung-jae 이정재 (‘HUNT | 헌트’)
△ New Actress Award 신인여우상: Lee Ji-eun 아이유 ('Broker | 브로커')
△ New Actor Award 신인남우상: Son Suk-ku 손석구 ('The Roundup | 범죄도시2')
△ Technical Award 기술상: Jung Sung-jin 정성진, Jung Cheol-min 정철민 ('Hansan: Rising Dragon | 한산: 용의 출현' | VFX)
△ Screenplay Award 각본상: Chung Seo-kyung 정서경, Park Chan-wook 박찬욱 ('Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심')
△ FIPRESCI Award 국제비평가연맹 한국본부상: Director Shin Yeon-sik's <Cassiopeia | 카시오페아> (domestic); Director Kogonada’s <After Yang | 애프터 양>, Director Justin Chon’s <Blue Bayou |푸른 호수> (foreign)
△ Cinematography Award 촬영상: Kim Ji-yong 김지용 ('Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심')
△ Music Award 음악상: Cho Young-wook 조영욱 ('Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심')
△ Independent Film Award 독립영화지원상: <The Pregnant Tree And The Goblin | 임신한 나무와 도깨비>’s Directors Kim Dong-ryung 김동령 · Park Kyung-tae 박경태 (feature film), <I am More | 모어>‘s Director  Lee Il-ha 이일하 (documentary)
△ Newcomer Critics Award 신인평론상: Kim Hyun-seung 김현승

Best 10 Films (in Korean alphabetical order)

△‘The Roundup | 범죄도시 2’
△‘Broker | 브로커’
△‘Emergency Declaration | 비상선언’
△‘The Novelist's Film | 소설가의 영화’
△‘Hommage | 오마주’
△‘In Our Prime | 이상한 나라의 수학자’
△‘Kingmaker | 킹메이커’
△‘Hansan: Rising Dragon | 한산: 용의 출현’
△‘HUNT | 헌트’
△‘Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심’

 

https://www.edaily.co.kr/news/read?newsId=01174246632496200&mediaCodeNo=258
http://news.tvchosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2022/10/24/2022102490067.html

[Helena]

https://variety.com/2022/global/asia/squid-game-leading-k-drama-online-searches-1235415647/
‘Squid Game’ Still Leading Online Searches for K-Drama a Year After Release – Global Bulletin

By Patrick Frater | Oct 27, 2022 1:19am PT

‘SQUID GAME’ IS STILL FRESH
‘Squid Game’ remains the most searched South Korean drama worldwide, a new study has revealed. According to research by cybersecurity firm VPN Overview the Netflix show continues to attract 15 million web searches per month, despite being released over a year ago, in mid-September 2021. In second place is “All of Us Are Dead,” a zombie apocalypse drama based on a popular webtoon, with almost three million average monthly searches. Both shows have already been renewed for second seasons. Romantic drama, “Business Proposal” comes in third with 1.5 million average monthly searches. Other shows with search endurance include 2019’s “Crash Landing on You” and Love Alarm” and 2020’s “Itaewon Class.” (A surprising omission is “Extraordinary Attorney Woo.”) “It is interesting to see how even one year after its original release, ‘Squid Game’ is still so popular all over the world,” said a VPNOverview spokesman. “This year’s seven Emmy nominations and the two wins for ‘Outstanding Lead Actor’ and ‘Outstanding Directing’ both in a drama series awarded last month have brought the drama to everybody’s attention once again, reminding the public just how much of an impact it made worldwide and continuing the ‘Korean wave’ that has been raging in the last few years.”

—

https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=223183
Korean film fest in Paris sees sellout opening, closing ceremonies

Spoiler

By Jung Joo-ri | Oct 25, 2022


Video = FFCP Communication's official YouTube channel

 

This is the official poster for the 17th Korean Film Festival in Paris. (Festiva's official website)



The 17th Korean Film Festival in Paris will run from Oct. 25 through Nov. 1.  This year's event will screen a combined 68 films -- 26 long and 42 short -- at Publicis Cinemas on the Champs-Elysees, the famed avenue in the French capital.  The opening film is "Life is Beautiful" by director Choi Kook-hee with actors Ryu Seung-ryong and Yum Jung-ah. The closing film is "Heaven: To the Land of Happiness" starring Choi Min-sik and Park Hae-il.



The festival's organizing committee said all seats for the opening (100) and closing (100) ceremonies were sold out on Oct. 18, the day online ticket sales began. Tickets for the remaining 200 seats will be sold on-site.



Highlights of the festival include "Emergency Declaration" by director Han Jae-rim, which was also invited to last year's festival; "Hunt" in the directorial debut of actor Lee Jung-jae; "Alienoid" by director Choi Dong-hoon and "Confession" directed by Yoon Jong-seok. Starring So Ji-sub, "Confession" is slated for release in Korea on Oct. 26.

 


The festival also features a program of old movies under the theme of female filmmakers including "The Widow," Korea's first movie directed by a woman, Park Nam-ok, and "A Woman Judge" by director Hong Eun-won. Another highlight is the documentary "Keeping the Vision Alive: Women in Korean Filmmaking" by director Yim Soon-rye, whose work explores the history and meaning of female filmmakers in Korea.



Six directors -- Choi Kook-hee, Im Sang-soo, Lee Il-ha, Jeong Seong-jun, Kim Jung-eun and Jung Won-hee -- will take part in a "meet the director" program, which had been suspended for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.



David Tredler, the festival's chief programmer, told Yonhap News of Korea in an interview that given Korea's heightened status, introduction of a variety of Korean films including popular, classic and short works as well as auteur productions is more important than ever.


More information on the festival is available in its official website: http://www.ffcp-cinema.com/ (French only).


etoilejr@korea.kr

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https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20221024000556
Twitter to be official partner for 58th Daejong Film Awards

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https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/10/23/culture/features/Hallyu-Hallyu-30-Squid-Game/20221023161627136.html
The Hallyu Korean wave is not just here to stay — it's gaining momentum

 

[Helena]

https://www.cbr.com/star-wars-the-acolyte-begins-filming-disney-plus/
Star Wars: The Acolyte Reportedly Begins Filming

A new report claims that upcoming Disney+ Star Wars series The Acolyte has kicked off filming at Shinfield Studios in the United Kingdom.

Spoiler

BY LEON MILLER 

Disney+ Star Wars series The Acolyte just began filming, if a new report is to be believed.

Cameras started rolling on the Berkshire, United Kingdom-based production in late October, according to several unnamed sources cited by Bespin Bulletin. These insiders claim that the Acolyte cast and crew shot footage on the expansive outdoor set that backs onto Shinfield Studios. Several cast members were supposedly spotted moving to and from the set, including lead actor Amandla Stenberg. It's worth noting that neither Lucasfilm nor Disney+ have officially confirmed that filming is currently underway on The Acolyte, which means this report should be taken with a grain of salt for now. 

That said, at least some aspects of the report track with previously verified information about The Acolyte's progress. Notably, the outdoor set referenced by Bespin Bulletin's sources definitely exists, as unofficial behind-the-scenes photos of it surfaced online in early October 2022. These snaps showed the set in a partially completed state and, based on its layout and overall size, it appears to be a small village or town. Even so, it's possible that VFX house ILM will expand the claustrophobic walkways constructed behind Shinfield Studios into a much larger environment. It's therefore difficult to say with any certainty exactly what kind of locale The Acolyte's outdoor set is meant to represent.

The Acolyte Expands Star Wars' Galaxy of Talent

Word that The Acolyte has begun filming also aligns with the steady stream of casting announcements related to the Star Wars series, which collectively suggest that the production is ramping up. Stenberg officially confirmed that she was onboard to portray The Acolyte's as-yet-unnamed protagonist in July 2022. The Hunger Games star broke the news via an Instagram post which included a photo of her wearing a Darth Maul T-shirt and leaning on an R2-D2 prop. In the accompanying text, Stenberg described herself as both excited and honored to be joining the beloved franchise.

Several actors have also signed on for the production since Stenberg's announcement. The Acolyte cast now boasts Jodie Turner-Smith, Lee Jung-Jae and Manny Jacinto among its ranks, all of whom are filling roles that haven't yet been revealed. The show's plot specifics are equally unknown at this time, although The Acolyte is confirmed to take place during the High Republic era, roughly 100 years before the events of the Star Wars movies.

The Acolyte does not yet have a release date.

Source: Bespin Bulletin 

 

[confusedheart]

NEW EVENT: Spooky Soompi: Part 2 (Ghosts & Zombies & All Things Spooky in K-Dramas & K-Movies!)

 

We are back with Part 2 of our  Spooky Soompi. 

 

Let's talk about all our favourite spookiest K-dramas and K-Movies that we absolutely love watching  in spite of experiencing sleepless nights afterwards. 

 

Vote for your favourites now! 

 

 

 

 

re: Your friendly neighbourhood EO Team

 

@confusedheart  @Sleepy Owl @agenth and @partyon

[Helena]

https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/squid-game-star-violence-film-exclusive-newsupdate/
Squid Game star talks violence and brutality in his new film project

Lee Jung-jae says the violence in his new film Hunt is toned down compared to real-life events.

By Adam Davidson | Thursday, 3rd November 2022 at 5:00 pm

 

Altitude

Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae has revealed that the violence in his directorial debut Hunt is toned down compared to the real-life events that inspired it.

Although the film is fictional, it takes inspiration from political events and figures that Lee experienced while growing up in 1970s Seoul – including protests around the presidency of Park Chung-hee and his subsequent assassination in 1979.

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Lee discussed how he went about translating the brutality and violence of this period onto the big screen.

"What I experienced and witnessed myself and also the research that I did whilst writing the script was way more violent than what you see on screen," he said.

"I needed to show just how violent it was but also leave a very strong impact in a short amount of time, so striking that balance was important."

Striking a balance was also important when it came to sorting fact from fiction in the film, and Lee explained that he kept thinking about how "movies are not documentaries".

"Although I do deal with actual events in history that happened, I coupled that with something we hoped would happen," the actor explained.

"Trying to maintain a balance of the two was really important to do because I had to deal with actual events that happened and then the thought that we would like to see a more hopeful future."

While writing the script for Hunt, Lee was always focused on crafting a plot following two completely different men with separate goals and ideologies but the same target, but the specifics of the story changed many times throughout the creative process.

Eventually, it took shape as a spy action drama centring on two agents of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency who are tasked with finding a mole within, while also learning of a grand plot to assassinate the South Korean president.

For Lee – who is an award-winning actor with nearly 30 years in the industry – one of the biggest challenges as a writer/director was figuring out how best to captivate the audience.

 

"There are different ways that I used to make people focus and in some cases it was the action, sometimes it was the lines being spoken and sometimes it was the twist in the plot," he revealed.

"Taking all of these things and making sure that the story proceeds at a certain tempo or speed and trying to figure out the best way to do that and to arrange the composition, speed and balance of everything was very difficult."

Playing the lead role in a movie he was directing also brought its own challenges, with Lee explaining: "It made me much more critical of my performance and I wanted to have more takes but I couldn’t because I had to keep things rolling."

The movie also stars another Squid Game alum, Heo Sung-tae, who played gangster Jang Deok-su in the hit Netflix series.

On reuniting with his former co-star, Lee said: "Heo Sung-tae is an amazing actor, very well known and well acknowledged in Korea. What is surprising is that despite his looks, he is actually very cute. He is a lovely guy so I thoroughly enjoyed working with him again."

Lee rose to instant worldwide fame following his lead role in Squid Game last year, with the show becoming the most-watched series in Netflix history with an astounding 1.65 billion hours viewed in its first 28 days.

 

Squid Game. Netflix

The show was also critically acclaimed, with Lee winning the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series – something which slightly took him aback.

"It was really surprising because it is not in English and to win an award within the US for something not in English was completely unthinkable, it was way beyond what I could have imagined," he said.

"Of course because the script was so good I did expect that it would reach a certain level of success but not to this extent."

Undoubtedly, fans will be excited for the second season and to provide an update, Lee revealed: "I did hear that we would start shooting somewhere around autumn next year but I’m not sure when you’d be able to see the finished content."

Lee will also be starring in the upcoming Star Wars series The Acolyte alongside Amandla Stenberg and Jodie Turner-Smith, and although the actor was tight-lipped about the show, he revealed that details will be coming shortly that fans can look forward to.

Hunt is in cinemas and available on Altitude.Film from Friday 4th November. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide or visit our dedicated Film hub for the latest news.

The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is released on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast.

 

——

https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/HonoraryReporters/view?articleId=223628
Canadian actor in Korea discusses career, appearance in 'Hunt'

Spoiler

Nov 03, 2022
By Honorary Reporter Eftychia Dovletoglou from Greece || 
Photos = Paul Battle

I have seen Canadian actor Paul Battle in several Korean dramas and movies, but his role as CIA Director Gee in the recent film "Hunt," the directorial debut of actor Lee Jung-jae, motivated me to learn more about him.



I conducted an email interview on November 1 with the actor, excerpts of which are below.’

Paul Battle is a Korea-based Canadian actor.

What is your background?


I'm from a small town on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. I studied music composition at university and played the saxophone in a jazz fusion band. Acting came later but was equally fulfilling to me as music. In Korea, I have appeared in movies such as "Hunt" and "Boston 1947," dramas like "Vincenzo" and "Narco-Saints," and commercials.

Why did you decide to go to Korea?


I initially came to Korea to teach English and after a year, I saw a newspaper ad for a job at the network EBS. With my performing arts background and certification in teaching English as a second language, it seemed like a good fit. 

I did hundreds of shows and gained a wealth of experience. I moved back to Canada but returned to Korea a few years later to work as a manager in education and content creation. But because of my burning desire to perform, I eventually found my first acting job in Korea through a Facebook post.

You spoke fluent Korean in "Hunt." How has learning the language been for you?


With an extremely busy schedule, I find learning Korean a constant challenge. I had to learn two full pages of Hangeul to prepare for the audition. While my speaking skills are functional for daily life, they are nowhere near as good as my character in "Hunt." I got a lot of help from the director, and I think the scenes came across as believable.

How did you adapt to life in Korea?


Coming to Korea in the mid-1990s, every day was an adventure in my first year. People were friendly and accommodating, but you needed at least a little fluency in Korean or a patient Korean friend to get by. Back then, there were no digital maps, online translation apps or even smartphones. I did feel isolated at times, but this encouraged me to get more involved and leave my comfort zone.

Paul Battle has also appeared in many Korean commercials.

You debuted in Korean entertainment in 2020. How did you pursue your career here?


I thought breaking into the industry would be easier because of my previous work on Korean TV, but it took over a year to get my first audition. The calls began coming after I connected with a few foreign casting agencies. When starting out in Korean entertainment, you'll probably get cast a variety of roles, even unflattering ones so it's up to you to show versatility and adaptation and maintain good relationships in the industry. 

What were your impressions of your Korean costars?
Veteran actor Song Young-chang was jovial on the set and effortlessly transitioned between his character and himself. I was nervous but he made my part easier, which was interesting considering that my character outranked everyone else's in the movie. 

In my scene with Jung Woo-sung in which I gave distressing orders, he remained in character the entire time we worked together and stayed laser focused. 

And Lee Jung-jae is everything an actor hopes a director can be: passionate, collaborative, supportive, communicative and professional. Even off the set, he is still genuine and friendly. When I auditioned for the movie, he told me to stare him in the eyes without moving my head or modifying my facial expression during a scene. This was unnerving but it got me the part.

Paul Battle said he had a great experience with other cast members from "Hunt."

kalhong617@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.

 

[Helena]

https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/men-of-the-year/article/gq-men-of-the-year-2022-honourees
The GQ Men of the Year Honourees: introducing GQ’s Class of 2022

Breakout stars, career-defining performances and sporting greatness are all to be found in our list of this year's MOTY honourees

 

By Mike Christensen | 4 November 2022 

This month we're celebrating the 25th GQ Men of the Year event, which recognises the best and brightest talent from across culture, sport and entertainment. In association with Boss, MOTY includes a special issue of the magazine, a range of exclusive online social and video content, and of course – the big night itself on 16 November. Next week we will begin to reveal our GQ Men of the Year cover stars, but for now, we can reveal our MOTY 2022 honourees. 

GQ MOTY honourees Ben Whishaw and Lee Jung-jae

It's been another blessed year for TV. Lee Jung-jae, star of the wild ride that was Squid Game  – one of Netflix’s most-watched shows ever – beat Jeremy Strong and Jason Bateman to win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series. Coupled with a Cannes directorial debut for Hunt, it’s been a huge year for the 49-year-old.

….

Here is the full list of MOTY Honourees, with GQ’s eight cover stars set to be announced from 7 November:
Marisa Abela


Sheila Atim


Emma D'Arcy


Es Devlin


Leon Edwards


Mo Farah


Stephen Graham


Myha'la Herrold


Sharon Horgan


Michael Imperioli


David Jonsson


Lee Jung-jae


Harry Lawtey


Louis Theroux


Joseph Quinn


Ashley Walters


Ben Whishaw

 

[[[The Honourees by British GQ magazine will be presented with their awards at the prestigious GQ Men of the Year ceremony in London on November 16.]]]

[Helena]

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/nov/04/lee-jung-jae-squid-game-hunt-south-korea
[INTERVIEW] Lee Jung-jae: ‘Squid Game made me rethink how I look at the world’

By Michael Segalov | Fri 4 Nov 2022 10.00 EDT

Spy’s the limit … Lee Jung-jae. Photograph: Sebastien Vincent/Contour by Getty

The dystopian TV drama made the South Korean actor go global and won him an Emmy. Now he’s written and directed his own espionage action thriller

The night before we meet in a central London hotel suite, Lee Jung-jae sat on a stage at a West End cinema, apologising profusely to the assembled audience. At a star-studded opening gala of the London East Asian film festival, Lee’s latest project, Hunt – an action-packed, OTT political conspiracy thriller set in 1980s Korea – had just been screened. But while the crowd whooped and cheered this hero of both the Korean small and silver screen, Lee had something else on his mind. “There is one important subtitle that is slightly wrong in the film,” he lamented, via an interpreter. “It read ‘keep my eyes on you’, when it should have been ‘watch over you’. The meaning was the same, but the nuance wasn’t quite right. And I’m truly sorry.”

Needless to say, amid the stream of explosions, shootouts and mysterious murders – a full-throttle two hours of twist and turns – few would have noticed this small subtitling snafu. So it’s testament to the weight of responsibility Lee feels in releasing Hunt, a film he has written, directed and starred in, that he opted to raise it immediately. Despite 30 years of industry experience in South Korea, where he is one of the country’s most recognised actors, Lee is making his directorial debut with Hunt. And with his lead role in Netflix’s smash-hit series Squid Game having catapulted the 49-year-old to global stardom, the world’s eyes are on him.

 

Spoiler

Lucky number … Lee Jung-jae (centre) in Squid Game. Photograph: Noh Juhan/Netflix

“I’m decades into the business as an actor,” Lee says, perched on an armchair in a dark grey suit. “I thought I understood the industry and film-making before I started on this project. But it turns out writing a script, directing it, producing it and taking care of the crew and cast opened up a whole new dimension.”

Set in the 1980s with a backdrop of the tense cold war between the two Koreas, the film is as complex as it is fast paced. Lee plays one of two competing intelligence chiefs in the South. Once a high-profile defector from the North confirms there’s a mole within their ranks, the two men – and their teams – are tasked with rooting out the rat by investigating each other. The high-octane opening sees an attempt made on the South Korean president’s life on American soil, with another assassination attempt planned. Some sequences are based on historical events while others are entirely fictionalised in this trust-no-one action drama.

It took Lee four years to get the film made. There were endless rewrites to the storyline and then the script, with which he hopes to make viewers question how and why their beliefs are formed. Initially, Lee had no intention of directing it. “I approached various directors to take it on,” he explains, “but when I set out my vision for the film many said I was asking too much.” Each, he says, had their own reasons for declining the opportunity. “It deals with some actual events from Korean history, which is complicated,” Lee says, starting to count off a list on his fingers. “Another thought that maintaining the balance of two lead characters would be difficult.” The action sequences were vast; depicting 1980s Washington DC, Korea (North and South), Thailand and Japan was too great a task. “You name it … ,” Lee smiles. “So, in the end, I had to direct it.”

“We’ve realised that in art and culture, language needn’t be the first priority

“I spent a lot of time preparing,” he is quick to add. “The crew were far more experienced than me. From the outset I told myself I would be honest with them: ‘I’m new, and don’t know lots, please teach me.’” He would hold endless meetings with every department, and spend evenings and weekends deep in self-set homework. “I completed seven acting projects in the time it took to make this film,” Lee says.

Lee has form when it comes to being thrown in the deep end, and being unafraid to admit when he is struggling. Born and raised in Seoul, he was working at a cafe in the city’s Gangnam district during his late teens when the designer Ha Yong-soo saw his modelling potential. “I was hoping to get a job at an interior design company,” says Lee. “But the modelling went well, and I kept getting called back.” He started to get cast in TV ads.

“And then I got this chocolate commercial which was a huge hit in Korea,” he explains, “which led to me being cast in a TV show called Feelings.” Almost overnight, Lee became a household name. In 1994, he starred in big-screen drama The Young Man, playing a manipulative male model. “But I was totally unprepared to be an actor,” he says, “thrown on set head first with no idea how to do it. It wasn’t fun. It was a horrific experience for me, and I was terrified. I realised I needed to study the craft. So I went to university, got my undergraduate degree then a master’s. Whenever I had time, I worked with an acting coach. I needed to learn properly.”

Action man … Lee Jung-jae in Hunt.

Over the following three decades, Lee’s career developed across genres. There were comedies and dramas, heists and romance; plenty reached international audiences. Then in September 2021, Squid Game was released on Netflix and immediately went supernova. Following a series of contestants competing in a series of deadly riffs on children’s games for a huge cash prize, the horror-thriller proved as dystopian as it was alarmingly believable. Once again, almost overnight, Lee’s career changed, this time from national treasure to international sensation.

“I’m happy about it, of course,” he says of the show’s success, “but it’s bittersweet. Yes, it’s great that audiences are consuming Korean content around the world. And they appreciate it. But if you think about the themes of Squid Game – how far are we willing to go to accumulate personal wealth; the lengths people are forced to go to – the fact it resonated with so many around the world is worrying. You get a sense this is the reality for so many people globally. And that makes me feel hugely sad.”

Squid Game makes for addictive viewing. There are high production values and impeccable acting, yes, but it’s the exploration of the limits that humankind can be pushed to that is most affecting. “And we had to express the experiences of these characters being pushed to those extremes,” explains Lee. “Doing that? It was terrible. The more beautiful the game set was, and the more childish and fun it seemed, the more horrific it was for the characters, and therefore us as actors.”

The show changed his life in a professional sense, but it’s left a more personal mark on its star also. “I do think about what happened in that show,” he says. “It’s impossible not to. And it made me think about what I’m not doing. Many of us live obliviously. It made me rethink how I look at the world. It couldn’t not.”

In September this year, Lee made history. At the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, he won the Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a drama series. It was the first time the award had gone to an actor in a non-English-language show; Lee was also the first Asian man to win it. “The world is moving closely together,” he says of his win. “We’re seeing an increase in the exchanges between countries, and increased understanding. And we’ve realised that in art and culture, language needn’t be the first priority.” Historically, actors who don’t speak English as their first language have switched tongues to be recognised in Hollywood. Lee is proving that is no longer necessary. His casting in the forthcoming Star Wars series The Acolyte is further proof that, across the world, he’s now a figurehead of Korean culture.

“Of course I feel pressure,” he says, “a sense of responsibility. But if I were younger when this had happened I would have thought: ‘Wow, I need to work harder and impress people.’ But now it’s more of a realisation of what Korean culture can achieve. Some great Korean dramas could now make it on to the world stage. That’s exciting.”

It is a bold time, therefore, to be making a directorial debut. Especially with a film that’s so ambitious – in concept and delivery. Would he do it again? Lee takes a minute to think. “Let me just say,” he says, laughing now, “it wouldn’t ever be easy to make an action-packed film where I act and direct at the same time again. Another genre quite possibly.” Even for a grafter like Lee, it turns out that being simultaneously in front of and behind the camera for explosive set pieces is probably a one-off experience.

Hunt is in cinemas now.

 

[ leafilmfest ]

[Helena]

https://www.gamesradar.com/lee-jung-jae-interview-hunt-squid-game/
Squid Game's Lee Jung-jae talks directorial debut, Hunt, and his dream Spielberg movie

By Narjas Theodora |

Lee Jung-jae sits down with Total Film to discuss his action-packed new project – and why his next movie's about trash

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Lee Jung-jae loves complexity. It’s evident in the stories he chooses to tell, whether playing a man out for revenge on the hitman who killed his brother in Deliver Us from Evil, the erratic Hoon in Palme D'or entry The Housemaid, or, most famously, his leading role in Netflix’s breakout South Korean series Squid Game. 

Now, Lee is stepping behind the camera for his directorial debut Hunt, a character-driven espionage thriller that opened the London East Asian Film Festival with an explosion of action and blood. Set in the '80s, the movie sees two Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) officers, both fiercely wedded to their ideologies, race against time to find a North Korean mole in the government. 

Beyond the guns and the violence lies a human story about the cost of politics, and the things we do for what we believe in. "Violence erupts because of the beliefs that people have," he tells Total Film, sitting animated in his chair. "I felt that having KCIA agents deal with information [and misinformation] would be a really good way to express the theme I’m trying to convey in this film. Because they are in fact the ones that mastermind and control all the information."

The movie was a labor of love five years in the making. While a story about the turbulence of ‘80s South Korea – a time of military rule, political polarity, and terror attacks – sounds familiar to the world we live in today, Lee initially struggled to convince anyone to join the project. He met with directors and writers, some of whom thought the script was too hard. In the end, it was "fate" that he would bring the movie to life. "I started working on the script with hope, and once I finished, I realized, ‘I have to direct this’," he explains. 

Hunt acts as a bloody, merciless snapshot of an unstable period in South Korea’s history, taking place thirty years after the civil war that fractured the country into north and south. Lee plays one of the KCIA officers, while Beasts Clawing At Straws actor Jung Woo-sung portrays the other. "Fifty per cent of the film is actual events that took place," he says, "and the other fifty per cent hinged on one sentence [in the movie]: ‘We need to stop the violence in order to make a better future’.

(Image credit: Altitude.Film)

"I did a lot of research, and we were able to secure someone who used to work for the KCIA at the time, so we interviewed him numerous times. The former KCIA agent didn’t want to disclose too much, they mentioned little things here and there, so we were able to come up with things that we hadn’t imagined or thought of."

Scriptwriting, like directing, was a new endeavor for Lee. "Writing the script was the most enjoyable part of the process, and also the worst thing when I hit a wall," he laughs. Some of the strategies he used to combat his writing block, such as sitting in a café with the Oscar-winning director of Parasite, Bong Joon-ho, were more fruitful than others. 

"Other times, I would drink and try and write through it," he says. "When I looked at it the next morning, I was so ashamed!"

Acting is what he firmly wants to do in the future, and with Squid Game – in which he plays a man who engages in a life-threatening game in order to win money – renewed for another season, he’ll once again be getting stuck into the messy world created by Hwang Dong-hyuk. 

Of the show’s international success, he says: "There are many games in Korea, and out of those games, we took very simple games – the simplest games that we used to play as kids. I think maybe because the games were so simple – the rules are very easy to understand – that the series was able to appeal to all audiences regardless of age."

(Image credit: Netflix)

Squid Game is about much more than just the central games. The series explores the relationship between privilege and poverty, and the future of humanity. Lee’s next film, which he’s tentatively working on, will similarly look at these themes. He offers a clue as to what the project may analyze: the crawling underbelly of waste export.

"We’re exporting our trash," he says, his smiling face turning grim. "It’s a very serious issue. There are people who live in countries where they’re getting rid of their trash by exporting it to other countries. There are people living in the countries that are receiving that trash and living with that trash. But if you look at the bottom line, they’re both humans. They’re the same. But the gap is so huge."

South Korea exported over 46 thousand tons of waste to Vietnam in 2021. In the UK, the statistics are just as dire, with more than half of the plastic rubbish the British government says is being recycled sent overseas, according to a Guardian report. Human Rights Watch has even identified the exporting of recycled waste as a potential human rights issue. "It’s going to get worse," Lee adds.

The actor becomes pensive as he contemplates the future; Squid Game and Hunt have proven that his deep thinking has been a great source of creativity. Even when we discuss what his dream project would be, he chooses a story of great importance. "Korean history between the 1930s to the 1960s was very, very tragic," he says, referring to the period leading up to and including the brutal and tragic civil war of 1950-1953 that led to the splintering of Korea.

Such a huge topic would, of course, require somebody who could do it justice. He gives a small smile, but his eyes are serious. "If Mr. Steven Spielberg will make a film about that era, that would be great."

Hunt is in cinemas and available on Altitude.Film in the UK now. For more, check out the most exciting upcoming movies heading your way soon.

[Helena]

HUNT - Interview with Director Lee Jung-jae at TIFF 2022

In this episode of Carolyn Talks..., I speak with Actor Lee Jung-Jae about the political action-thriller #헌트 #HUNT, which is his directorial debut feature film co-written with Jo Seung-hee, and produced by Artist Studio, which he co-founded with fellow actor Jung Woo-sung. 

I spoke with Lee Jung-jae at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival (#TIFF22) during which HUNT had successful screenings for enthusiastic audiences. 

The abridged version of this interview, and other pieces I've written - can be read on JoySauce.com:

 

https://joysauce.com/lee-jung-jae-hunt/

BEHIND THE ACTION, LEE JUNG-JAE’S NEW FILM IS ABOUT KOREAN RECONCILIATION

 

Critic Carolyn Hinds talks with the veteran Korean actor about ‘Hunt’

WORDS BY CAROLYN HINDS | Published on October 18, 2022

With a career spanning more than two decades, South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae has a repertoire that’s extremely impressive not only for the number of feature films and dramas he’s starred in, but also for how varied they are in genre and narrative.

Most of that, however, is lost on Western audiences, who know him predominantly for his role as the beleaguered Seong Gi-hun in Squid Game. But beginning with his first drama Dinosaur Teacher in 1993, to his latest production Hunt (2022), Lee Jung-jae has played all sorts of interesting and entertaining characters. From the romantic lead Sung-hyun in Il Mare—of which the very well-known American film The Lake House, starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, is an adaptation of—to the ambitious political genius Jung Tae-jun in the hit JTBC drama Chief of Staff, Lee Jung-jae has proven that he can do anything he puts his mind to professionally, and his new film Hunt is no exception.

Having already proven himself as an actor, Lee Jung-jae took the next logical step in his career by becoming a producer. Co-founded with friend and fellow actor Jung Woo-sung, Artist Studio is quickly becoming one of the prime production studios in South Korea, producing multiple successful projects such as the Netflix Korean drama The Silent Sea, A Man of Reason—Jung Woo-sung’s directorial debut feature film, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival—as well as Hunt.

Now taking on the mantle of director and writer, Lee Jung-jae has created a film full of political intrigue and mystery with Hunt, which he co-wrote with screenwriter Jo Seung-hee. Co-starring another famous South Korean leading man, Jung Woo-sung, Hunt is set in the late ‘80s and follows two KCIA agents, Park Pyung-ho (Lee) Kim Jung-do (Jung), engaging in an intense battle of wits, brawn, and subterfuge during the search for a North Korean spy known only as Donglim, who must be caught before an assassination plot is carried out. 

Filled with knock-down, drag-out fight sequences, exciting car chases and explosions, which all serve to tie this tense game of cat and mouse together, Hunt is a film that will work for fans of multiple genres.

During a brief interview at the 2022 TIFF, film critic and journalist Carolyn Hinds spoke to Lee Jung-jae about making his directorial debut, and the future of his production company Artist Studio which he co-founded with Jung Woo-sung, and the Korean film industry. 

Note: interpretation services were provided during the interview, therefore all answers from Lee Jung-jae were communicated through this method.

Carolyn Hinds: For most directors, their directorial debut is usually a very personal story, but in your case, yours is a narrative that’s very action oriented and deals with politics. So, what was it that inspired you to work with your co-writer Jo Seung-hee to create this story for Hunt and make it your feature debut?

 

Lee Jung-Jae: I couldn’t find a suitable director at the start, so I sort of worked on revising the script, and that's why I ended up directing myself.

CH: You said you couldn't find a suitable director, but what was it about the directors you met with that didn't quite work for Hunt?

 

LJ: It deals with the Korean modern history, as well as some of the stories about the dark side of the political situation with the North and the South as well, so, it's because it sort of talks about the historical events; dramatizing that story into a movie could be difficult. I think that was the main reason.

CH: Yes, I was very intrigued with how in the film you addressed both the conflict between North Korea and South Korea, and how the country of Korea was split up into north and south, and then actually in a very subtle way addressed the politics between South Korea and Japan.

How did you go about making sure that you address both those aspects of Korean politics and history, but still keep it in the more modern aspect and fictionalized for an action film?

LJ: Well, it was not necessarily [that] I wasn't trying to tell the story of this political situation, or Korea's sort of sad history. That's not the point that I was trying to make. The most important thing was, first of all, it was about stopping the violence. And that's a theme that I want everybody to sort of consider and think about together.

And second of all, individually, I wanted people to ask themselves, if that's coming from [a] healthy place. When you look at these, for example, presidential elections all around the world, you always see this political opposition. They're always fighting. There's fabricated information and fake news, and that makes other people believe this news, then they are in opposition [and] in conflict with each other, and I feel like it's getting worse every year, and [so] I just wanted to have the theme of harmonizing together. I think that was the main thing.

CH: Yes, that theme really comes through, especially in between your character and Jung Woo-sung's.

LJ: Yes.

CH: I loved how the whole idea of cultural reconciliation and reunification of Korea is inserted into the plot and dialogue. In developing the script, and then in talking with Jung Woo-sung when you were developing the characters, what kind of conversations did you have about that?

LJ: In terms of developing the screenplay and the parts that you mentioned, we didn't really have a discussion. However, he did agree with the script in terms of the direction, and he gave me a lot of support. And there are two scenes that you could sort of perceive as it's not through an objective perspective, and people could actually misunderstand, so he pointed that out. So, I was able to get some help from him.

CH: Do you mind saying which two scenes, because there's very specific scenes in my head that I'm thinking of.

LJ: So there are two scenes involving those young university students. One was revised, and one was actually [removed]. laughs

CH: Yes, the scene with the students is interesting because it kind of reminded me of…not that I'm making it about Korean dramas, but it reminded me of films like 1989: When the Day Comes by Joon Hwang-jang, and other films about the times of turmoil like the Gwangju massacre, and other points of political intrigue.

And even shows that address this, like...there's a very famous Korean drama, which talks about that moment where just after everything has ended, and the country is preparing for the 1988 Olympics (Reply 1988). They talk about how students were very instrumental in South Korea obtaining its democracy. I love that you interjected that to give recognition to the students, but also it turned into moments of levity because they were kind of funny. Those students were funny.

LJ: Thank you.

CH: I mentioned there are moments of levity, you created and directed a script like this where everything is so serious, and it's an action, a thriller with political intrigue and lies, but the action was kind of funny to me. It was funny in a very positive, entertaining way.

My audience that watched the screening [at TIFF] was laughing because the action is just so ridiculous. So, I want to ask you about coordinating with your stunt choreographers and finding harmony in the seriousness of the action and making sure it gelled with the script, because you have to make sure the action occurs at the correct point, so it doesn't interrupt the flow of the story.

LJ: I think when I first started writing the script, I was looking back at the pure and classic espionage films, and at the time, I thought it was cool, but now that I look at it, it was in a way a bit slow in tempo and [unintelligible] developed. So, I was wondering if the young audience today...if they would actually enjoy this type of action? So, I have the action sequences every 15 to 20 minutes to sort of hold that interest.

Working with the action coordinator and having meetings, the things that I focused on was making it realistic, plausible, and believable for the audience. It can be short, but it has to have a strong impact on the audience as well.

CH: It did! Everyone was gasping. I’m a fan of your films. I've seen Deliver Us From Evil (2019), and I loved that film.

LJ: Oh! Thank you.

CH: I read that you're going to be doing a sequel, Ray, which is the prequel of that story, so I need to know what was your reason for doing the sequel to build a villain universe, and when will you take rest, because all of these action films take a heavy toll on your body mentally and physically.

LJ: Iaughs

CH: When I saw that announcement for Ray, I was like "But wait..." laughs

You're doing Squid Game 2, and will be doing Star Wars playing a Sith Lord possibly, I know it's not necessarily a spoiler, but then you're also going to do Ray, so rest? When?

LJ: sighs and laughs I have some issues with my schedule.

CH: You have your own production company, Artist Studio, which you used to produce Hunt, and Deliver Us from Evil. Are there any plans to not only make more of your own projects like Ray, but also develop independent projects for up-and-coming filmmakers? Or even working with student filmmakers to make short films, or doing internships?

I think having your own studio is such a big deal for an actor, but it's also a great way to give opportunities to new creatives in the industry.

LJ: That's such an important question. I'm actually continuously working with this new director and new screenwriter for them to be able to connect to the commercial film industry, because my production company is always looking for a new challenge.

CH: I think it would be amazing if you can continue working on developing new talent, but also especially for younger filmmakers.

I've interviewed people like Bora Kim and Namkoong Sun, and there are a lot of these young filmmakers, especially female filmmakers...who are making such important stories like how you use Hunt—I think while a lot of people might be really focused on the action, it's still a story about reconciliation—and for a lot of new independent filmmakers, they're using their art to tell stories about Korean culture and where they want it to go with female identity and politics.

LJ: I think the filmmakers need to work towards and focus on this. Focus on developing the female characters, as well as pay attention to the screenwriters and female directors as well. In Korea 70% of the screenwriters are actually female, and there are lots of great [female] directors as well. So, I need you guys to anticipate that.

CH: Yes, I can't wait to see how things go. I'm a huge fan of Korean films, genuinely, so I'm very excited to see where the industry is going.

This interview was edited for clarity and length

[Helena]

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/asian-world-film-festival-unveils-initial-feature-line-up-301668911.html
Asian World Film Festival Unveils Initial Feature Line-up

 

NEWS PROVIDED BY Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) | Nov 04, 2022, 08:09 ET

Announces Panavision, HFPA, and StarsCollective Grants and Scholarships

The eighth annual Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) today unveiled its initial Competition, Centerpiece, and Special Screenings as well as the first of three Theme Day Screenings, all to take place November 9 - 18, 2022, in multiple Los Angeles locations

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Nov. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The eighth annual Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) today unveiled its initial Competition, Centerpiece, and Special Screenings as well as the first of three Theme Day Screenings, all to take place November 9 - 18, 2022, in multiple Los Angeles locations. The Festival also announced that first-time sponsors Panavision and StarsCollective will join the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) in honoring AWFF award-winning filmmakers with scholarships and grants. 

"We're thrilled to showcase a lineup of at least 18 Academy Award® submissions along with the work of tomorrow's breakout filmmakers of Asian descent," said Georges N. Chamchoum, AWFF executive director. "We're also excited to arm select award-winners with the means to continue expressing their creative ideas."

INITIAL LINE-UP

To date, the Competition Screenings will include the U.S. premiere of WORLD WAR III (Iran) and the L.A. premiere of JOYLAND (Pakistan), along with AJOOMMA (Singapore), AURORA'S SUNRISE (Armenia), BUTTERFLY ON THE WINDOWPANE (Nepal), CINEMA SABAYA (Israel), LIFE (Kazakhstan), GODDAMNED ASURA (Taiwan), KERR (Turkey), HOME FOR SALE (Kyrgyzstan), A LONG BREAK (Georgia), MEDITERRANEAN FEVER (Palestine), and ON THE JOB: THE MISSING 8 (Philippines). All are official Oscar submissions from their respective countries. GOLIATH (Kazakhstan) and LAST FILM SHOW (India) will also compete.

There will be two Centerpiece Screenings—the U.S. premiere of jihadist terror drama REBEL (Belgium), which showed at Cannes 2022 to strong critical reception, and the espionage thriller HUNT (South Korea), the directorial debut of multi award-winning actor Lee Jung-Jae.

Special Screenings will include Oliver Stone's anti-war drama HEAVEN AND EARTH, the culmination of the Oscar-winning filmmaker's Vietnam Trilogy. A celebration will follow with Stone, cast and crew members, and Vietnamese-American writer and humanitarian Le Ly Hayslip, whose autobiography inspired the film.

Central Asia Film Day is the first announced Theme Day and will be capped by a screening of HOME FOR SALE, directed by Taalaibek Kulmendeev.

 

Spoiler

FILMMAKER SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS

Premiere camera and optics company Panavision will honor two AWFF awardees with a camera package to shoot a future project. A $60,000 Panavision Camera Grant containing the company's cutting-edge filmmaking equipment will be presented to the recipient of the first-ever Snow Leopard Award for Best Cinematography. A second $15,000 Grant will be given to the HFPA Scholarship Award winner.

For the fourth year, HFPA will host a competition of short films created by Asian and Asian-American filmmakers and gift a $5,000 HFPA Scholarship Award to the winner. Global filmmaker and artist incubator and community StarsCollective will present the StarsCollective Emerging Filmmaker Award of $2000 to the runner-up of the HPFA short film competition.

Detailed screening information can be found on the AWFF website. As previously announced, AWFF will open with the world premiere of DECIBEL and close with DECISION TO LEAVE. Additional films to be announced shortly.

AWFF sponsors and partners include: Aitysh USA, Peer, Dr. Dao Medical Center, Winn Slavin Fine Art, Dutcher Crossing, Panavision, The One Heart Movement, The Bruce Lee Foundation, Ha Phuong Foundation, Barco, Korean Cultural Center (KCC, LA), Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), Asia Society, Southern California, Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE), Taiwan Academy, Los Angeles, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), American Red Cross/Ladies Tiffany Circle,  AKIpress News Agency,  Nova Entertainment, Jackson Market and Deli, and  Emporium Thai.

 

ABOUT THE ASIAN WORLD FILM FESTIVAL (AWFF)

 

The Asian World Film Festival (AWFF), founded by Kyrgyz public figure Sadyk Sher-Niyaz, brings the best of a broad selection of Asian world cinema to Los Angeles to draw greater recognition to the region's wealth of filmmakers and to strengthen ties between the Asian and Hollywood film industries. Uniting through cross-cultural collaboration, the Festival champions films from more than 50 countries across Asia, from Turkey to Japan and from Russia to India and the Middle East. All participating films are provided with the unique opportunity to be guided through the challenging awards season. They're also showcased to Motion Picture Academy members, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the entertainment Guilds for enhanced exposure, media attention, and awards consideration. AWFF is a non-profit organization under Aitysh, USA.

Connect with AWFF: Instagram  Twitter  Facebook

 

Press Credentials Contact:
Opening Night Red Carpet Credential Application 
Closing Night Red Carpet Credential Application
Festival Credential Application
 

Media Contact at Weissman/Markovitz Communications:


Rick Markovitz  818.760.8995
347615@email4pr.com

 

SOURCE Asian World Film Festival (AWFF)

[Helena]

https://www.starwars.com/news/the-acolyte-original-series-cast-revealed
THE ACOLYTE ORIGINAL SERIES CAST REVEALED

THE LESLYE HEADLAND-HELMED DISNEY+ ORIGINAL SERIES WILL TAKE FANS TO THE HIGH REPUBLIC ERA.

DISNEY+ // NOVEMBER 7, 2022

This is a Monday to celebrate for Star Wars fans.

Today, Disney+ announced the cast for The Acolyte, an upcoming Star Wars Original series from Lucasfilm.  Joining the previously announced Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give) are Emmy Award-winner Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game), Manny Jacinto (Nine Perfect Strangers), Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim), Rebecca Henderson (Inventing Anna), Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll), Dean-Charles Chapman (1917), and Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix).

Lucasfilm also released the first behind-the-scenes image from the series, which you can check out below.

Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, and Leslye Headland behind the scenes of The Acolyte.

The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.

The High Republic saw the Jedi Order at its prime, centuries prior to the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. You can learn more about this era at StarWars.com’s official hub for all things High Republic.

From creator, showrunner, and executive producer Leslye Headland (Russian Doll), The Acolyte has begun production in the U.K. The executive producers are Kathleen Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King, and Jason Micallef. Rayne Roberts and Damian Anderson are producing. Headland will also direct the series pilot.

The Acolyte will stream exclusively on Disney+.

Related: indiewire | ew

[Helena]

https://www.joynews24.com/view/1533164
‘2022 POWER PEOPLE’

 

[Joy News 24 Reporter Lee Mi-young] In celebration of the 18th anniversary of Joy News 24, a survey was conducted from September 19 to October 4 on dramas, movies, actors, singers, entertainment programs.  Two hundred industry insiders (including entertainment and broadcasting companies employees, film and broadcast content producers, and entertainment reporters) participated in the survey. 

From singers, entertainers, actors, and producers, we looked at '2022 Power People' who did their part in their fields.

1. Actor/director Lee Jung-jae (56 votes)
2. Boy band BTS (41 votes)
3. Actress Park Eun-bin (19 votes)
4. Trot singer Lim Young-woong (11 votes)
5. Girl group Black Pink, IVE member Jang Won-young (8 votes)
6. Actor Son Suk-gu (7 votes)
7. Girl group New Jeans, Black Pink member Jennie, Na Young-seok PD (5 votes)

Others mentioned: SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man, 'Squid Game' director Hwang Dong-hyuk, Yoo Jae-seok, Oh Eun-young, IU, Hybe chairman Bang Si-hyuk, Jung Ho-yeon, Kim Tae-ri, ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, actor Koo Kyo-hwan, Park Chan-wook, Lee Young-ji, Kwang-hee, Kim Yuna, Kang Tae-oh, Ive, Jung Woo-sung, Lee Seung-gi, Lee Hyo-ri, Tak Jae-hoon, and Netflix.

 

Lee Jung-jae, Power People 1st place... In full bloom on the 30th anniversary of his debut

 Lee Jung-jae told JoyNews 24, "The memories of meeting with the audience at the theater through 'Hunt' in 2022 were the most precious.

 Lee Jung-jae said "I always consider it important to take responsibility for what I do," and "I think it's a matter of repaying everyone who has chosen me, supported me, and been with me."

 

——

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/11/06/culture/koreanHeritage/lee-jungjae-hunt-jung-woosung/20221106201637317.html
[FICTION VS. HISTORY] Lee Jung-jae’s 'Hunt' enhances Korea's history with elements of fiction

 

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr] | November 6, 2022

 

In film and television, historical dramas have never gone out of style. Fans of period dramas, both in Korea and abroad, like to be transported to a different time and learn about the stories that swept up — or were put in motion by — our ancestors. Some watch to see how the present compares with the past. Others watch to see progress. Foreign Korea-philes can get a crash course in Korean history while watching historical films. But all historical dramas create characters, add romantic plots and conflate or invent events to make sure viewers don’t lose interest. With Fiction vs. History, the Korea JoongAng Daily attempts to distinguish fact from fiction in popular period dramas and films for clarification and to dispel misunderstandings.

 

Actors Lee Jung-jae, left, and Jung Woo-sung feature in Lee's directorial debut film "Hunt." Lee is the chief of the foreign intelligence unit and Jung the domestic cheif at the Agency for National Security Planning (NSP), which was formerly called the Korea Central Intelligence Agency. [MEGABOX PLUS M]

Convoluted espionage thriller “Hunt” is “Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae’s directorial debut. The film offers a glimpse of what Korea was like in the early 1980s when the country was under yet another repressive regime with former army general Chun Doo-hwan taking control through a coup in 1979 in the aftermath of the assassination of president Park Chung Hee, another military dictator who had been ruling since 1962.

The plot revolves around two top agents working for the Korea Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA), whose name changed to the Agency for National Security Planning (NSP) after Chun took office. The pair try to figure out who the North Korean mole is.

During that time, North Korean provocations played a major role in domestic politics. Lee weaves several historical events that made headlines during that time into the plot, while adding elements of fiction for dramatization.

Korean viewers, including younger ones, are well aware of some of the historical events that took place during this dark period of Korean history like the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju, during which hundreds, if not thousands of Korean university students were killed while demonstrating against Chun's regime. But including so many events may leave some foreign viewers scratching their heads at the end of the film, wondering what’s real and what’s fiction.

The director himself said at various screenings, most recently in London at the “London East Asia Film Festival” on Oct. 19, that “Hunt” is “50 percent fantasy and 50 percent reality.”  

“Hunt” premiered in the United Kingdom and was released on streaming services on Nov. 4. It will hit theaters in the United States in December.   

 

Jang in an investigation room to find out who the North Korean spy known as Dong-lim is. [MEGABOX PLUS M]

Spoiler

 

The film starts off with a scene showing Korean-Americans protesting against then-President Chun as he visits the United States for a summit in 1983. Both chiefs of the domestic and foreign intelligence units of the NSP are present at the scene to protect the president, and together with the CIA, stop a terror attack against Chun. The chief of the domestic unit is played by Lee’s long-time best friend actor Jung Woo-sung. His counterpart, the chief of the foreign unit is played by Lee himself. They work under the same office but are portrayed somewhat like competitors, trying to figure out who the North Korean spy is, both having suspicions about each other. Jung's character, named Jung-do, was also once an interrogator of Lee's character Pyung-ho, and tortured him before the regime change as it was Lee’s character's boss who assassinated the president in the middle of a dinner party. 

It’s a known fact that President Park was assassinated during a dinner hosted by Kim Jae-gyu, who was then the director of the KCIA on the evening of Oct. 26, 1979. This may cause some to think that the main characters are based on real people, but they are in fact, fictional. There were numerous attempts to kill former president Chun by North Korea, but never in the United States and Chun’s first visit to the U.S. was in 1985.   

The major terror attack against Chun by North Korea was in Myanmar in 1983, which resulted in the Burmese government cutting diplomatic relations with Pyongyang. It was on Oct. 9, 1983. North Korea bombed the Martyrs’ Mausoleum in Yangon in an attempt to assassinate Chun, who was planning to visit to attend a ceremony to commemorate Burmese nationalist hero Gen. Aung San (1915-1947). News reports back then reported that North Korean terrorists had set off a bomb a bit too early after hearing a band playing the South Korean national anthem, misinterpreting it as a signal that the president has arrived. The band was just rehearsing and the president was running late, stuck in traffic. Though the attack missed the president, it killed 17 South Koreans — including the deputy prime minister and foreign minister — and four Burmese nationals.   

 

The scenes in the film depicting the terror attack in Myanmar. In the film, the location is changed to Bangkok, Thailand. [MEGABOX PLUS M]

The event also appears toward the end of the film and is covered in quite some depth. But in the film, the location is not Myanmar, but Bangkok, Thailand. It looks like Lee took a motif from many of the photographs that survived from the real event as the scenes will remind many Korean viewers of the incident. By this point, viewers realize that it’s both North Koreans and South Koreans that want to assassinate Chun, which is also fiction. But, now, it is the North Korean spy (the mole) who tries to stop the terrorists from carrying out the bombing, while the South Korean agent in the NSP wants it to go ahead.   

The film also features veteran actor Hwang Jung-min. He plays a North Korean pilot who flies across the heavily patrolled demilitarized zone in his MiG-19. He signals for surrender, lands his jet on a South Korean air base, and is investigated by the two chiefs of the NSP. He suddenly asks the agents to cook him a South Korean-style ramyeon and takes a bite and tells them this is why he decided to defect to South Korea. He says he was walking along the beach in Wonsan, which is located in Gangwon Province, near the border, and picked up a scrapped packaging of a South Korean ramyeon that had drifted to the beach. He said he was astonished by what it said at the back of the packaging: Products that have been damaged in the course of sales or distribution will be exchanged at a nearby distributing store or at the headquarters. He tells the agents that he decided to come to the South because it seemed like a land that has freedom, a land that can exchange a packet of ramyeon for its people. 

Due to the comical elements of this scene, viewers might assume that Lee deliberately added this fictional event. But in fact, for some Koreans, that day would still be vivid in their minds. It was Feb. 25, 1983. Air-raid sirens were sounded, warning the citizens of Seoul of a possible emergency situation. They immediately stopped their cars, went indoors and tuned into radios and television news to find out what was going on. The government soon announced that a 28-year-old North Korean air force captain was attempting to defect to the South. The scene is entirely based on history, except for the part where he orders ramyeon inside the interrogation room. The atmosphere inside the room would’ve been a lot more serious than depicted in the film. The pilot received 1.56 billion won ($1.1 million) from the South Korean government for bringing the MiG-19 with him, a huge sum considering the fact that the packet of ramyeon he saw was 100 won at that time.  

There are several other historical events that the film touches on. Jung-do brings up a scandal in the film during dinner at his house with Pyung-ho. He tells his colleague that he can’t believe the news of how one of their former co-workers could engage in fraud that amounts to about 640 billion won. He says it’s hard to believe as one needs about 30 million won to own an apartment in Gangnam. This is also a historical fact — referring to probably the biggest underground loan scam in Korea’s history. 

The case happened in 1982 when Chun was still president. A woman named Chang Young-ja became known as the “curb money queen” in Korea. Her husband Lee Cheol-hee, a former KCIA official, used his network and influence to help his wife’s business as one of the country’s leading lenders in the non-bank lending market. The two ultimately engaged in this multimillion-dollar loan scam, which resulted in Korea’s two leading firms to go into bankruptcy. The couple was arrested on May 4, 1982 on suspicion of smuggling $400,000 out of the country into the U.S. and later was also charged with fraud for lying about their political connections. 

 

[Helena]

The 43rd Blue Dragon Film Awards 제43회 청룡영화상 [Nominations]

 

November 25, 2022

 

 

Best Picture Award 최우수작품상:
'Broker | 브로커'
'Kingmaker | 킹메이커'
'Hansan: Rising Dragon | 한산: 용의 출현'
'HUNT | 헌트'
'Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심'


Director Award 감독상:
Kore-eda Hirokazu 고레에다 히로카즈 (‘Broker | 브로커')


Kim Han-min 김한민 ('Hansan: Rising Dragon | 한산: 용의 출현')


Park Chan-wook 박찬욱 ('Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심')


Byun Sung-hyun 변성현 ('Kingmaker | 킹메이커')


Han Jae-rim 한재림 ('Emergency Declaration | 비상선언’)

New Director Award 신인감독상:
Park Ri-woong 박이웅 ('The Girl on a Bulldozer | 불도저에 탄 소녀')
Lee Sang-yong 이상용 ('The Roundup | 범죄도시2')
Lee Jung-jae 이정재 (‘HUNT | 헌트’)
Jung Ji-yeon 정지연 (‘Anchor | 앵커’)

Jo Eun-ji 조은지 ('Perhaps Love | 장르만 로맨스')

Leading Actor Award 남우주연상:
Park Hae-il 박해일 ('Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심')


Seol Kyung-gu 설경구 ('Kingmaker | 킹메이커')


Song Kang-ho 송강호 ('Broker | 브로커')

Lee Byung-hun 이병헌 ('Emergency Declaration | 비상선언')



Jung Woo-sung 정우성 ('HUNT | 헌트')

 
Leading Actress Award 여우주연상:
Park So-dam 박소담 ('Special Cargo | 특송')
Yeom Jung-ah 염정아 ('Life is Beautiful | 인생은 아름다워')
Im Yoon-ah 임윤아 ('Confidential Assignment 2 | 공조2')
Chun Woo-hee 천우희 ('Anchor | 앵커')


Tang Wei 탕웨이 ('Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심')


 

Supporting Actor Award 남우조연상:
Go Kyung-pyo 고경표 ('Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심')
Daniel Henney 다니엘 헤니 ('Confidential Assignment 2 | 공조2')
Park Ji-hwan 박지환 ('The Roundup | 범죄도시2')


Byun Yo-han 변요한 ('Hansan: Rising Dragon | 한산: 용의 출현')


Im Si-wan 임시완 ('Emergency Declaration | 비상선언')

 
Supporting Actress Award 여우조연상:
Kim So-jin 김소진 ('Emergency Declaration | 비상선언')
Seo Eun-soo 서은수 (‘The Witch: Part 2. The Other One | 마녀 파트2’)
Oh Na-ra 오나라 ('Perhaps Love | 장르만 로맨스')
Lee Jung-hyun 이정현 ('Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심')


Jeon Hye-jin 전혜진 ('HUNT | 헌트')

 

New Actor Award 신인남우상:
Kim Dong-hwi 김동휘 ('In Our Prime | 이상한 나라의 수학자')
Mu Jin-sung 무진성 ('Perhaps Love | 장르만 로맨스')
Seo In-guk 서인국 (‘Project Wolf Hunting | 늑대사냥’)


Ong Seong-wu 옹성우 (‘Life is Beautiful | 인생은 아름다워’)
Lee Seo-jun 이서준 ('Hansan: Rising Dragon | 한산: 용의 출현')

 
New Actress Award 신인여우상:
Go Youn-jung 고윤정 (‘HUNT | 헌트’)
Kim Shin-young 김신영 ('Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심')
Kim Hye-yoon 김혜윤 ('The Girl on a Bulldozer | 불도저에 탄 소녀')
Shin Si-ah 신시아 (‘The Witch: Part 2. The Other One | 마녀 파트2’)


Lee Ji-eun 아이유 ('Broker | 브로커')

Cinematography and Lighting Award 촬영조명상:
‘Broker | 브로커’
'Kingmaker | 킹메이커' 
'Hansan: Rising Dragon | 한산: 용의 출현'


'HUNT | 헌트'
'Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심'

Screenplay Award 각본상:
‘Broker | 브로커’
'Kingmaker | 킹메이커' 
'Hansan: Rising Dragon | 한산: 용의 출현'


'HUNT | 헌트'
'Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심'

 

Music Award 음악상:
‘Broker | 브로커’
'Life is Beautiful | 인생은 아름다워'
'Hansan: Rising Dragon | 한산: 용의 출현'
'HUNT | 헌트'
'Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심'


Art Direction Award 미술상:
'Life is Beautiful | 인생은 아름다워'
'Kingmaker | 킹메이커'
'Hansan: Rising Dragon | 한산: 용의 출현'
'HUNT | 헌트'
'Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심'

 


Editing Award 편집상:
'The Roundup | 범죄도시2' 
'Kingmaker | 킹메이커'
'Hansan: Rising Dragon | 한산: 용의 출현'
'HUNT | 헌트'
'Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심'

Technical Award 기술상:
'The Roundup | 범죄도시2' - Martial Arts
'Emergency Declaration | 비상선언' - VFX
'Alienoid | 외계+인 1부' - VFX


'Hansan: Rising Dragon | 한산: 용의 출현' - VFX
'Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심' - Costume Design

 

[Helena]

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20221108000582
Lee Jung-jae confirmed to join new ‘Star Wars’ series

By Lee Si-jin | Nov 8, 2022

 

From left: Actors Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae and director Leslye Headland on the set of "The Acolyte" (Lucasfilm, Walt Disney Co. Korea)

Disney+, the flagship streaming service of US media giant Walt Disney Co., announced that top South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae will be among the star-studded lineup of its new “Star Wars" series “The Acolyte.”

US actor Amandla Stenberg of “The Hate U Give” (2018), British and Spanish actor Dafne Keen of “His Dark Materials” (2019) and the Philippines-born Canadian actor Manny Jacinto of “Nine Perfect Strangers” (2021) have also been confirmed as co-starring with Lee.

Detailed information about Lee’s role and character has yet to be announced.

“The Acolyte,” a mystery-thriller set in the High Republic era, is helmed by Emmy-nominated creator Leslye Headland.

The 49-year-old actor captivated viewers around the world as Seong Gi-hun, a gambling addict making his living day-to-day in the Netflix drama series “Squid Game.” Lee won the Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor in a drama series for this role in September.

Signed with the US-based talent agency Creative Artists Agency in February, "The Acolyte" will be Lee's first major American series.

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https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/11/08/entertainment/television/the-acolyte-star-wars-lucasfilm/20221108145538455.html
Lee Jung-jae cast for role in Disney+ original series 'The Acolyte'

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr] | November 8, 2022

 

“Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae will join Disney+ and Lucasfilm’s upcoming original series “The Acolyte." [DISNEY+]

“Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae will join Disney+ and Lucasfilm’s upcoming original series “The Acolyte,” according to the streaming platform on Tuesday. 

The series is based on the Star Wars universe, and Lee’s casting was part of Disney+’s Twitter announcement on Wednesday, which revealed the cast and an on-set photo featuring Lee. 

The cast also includes top Hollywood actors Amandla Stenberg, best known for “The Hate U Give” (2018), Manny Jacinto from “Nine Perfect Strangers” (2021), Dafne Keen from the BBC and HBO series “His Dark Materials” (2019), Jodie Turner-Smith from “Queen & Slim” (2019), Rebecca Henderson from “Inventing Anna” (2022), Charlie Barnett from “Russian Doll” (2019), Dean-Charles Chapman from “1917” (2019) and The King (2019) and Carrie Anne Moss from the “Matrix” series. 

The Acolyte” is set 100 years before “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” (1999) and centers around the secret of the galaxy and the rise of the Dark Side. 

The series will be directed by Leslye Headland, best known for the 2012 film “Bachelorette” and 2015 film “Sleeping with Other People.” 

Lee debuted in 1993 through the SBS television series “Dinosaur Teacher” and shot to stardom through another SBS drama series “Sandglass” in 1995. 

Although a '90s star, Lee’s most iconic roles are from films released after 2000, including “The Housemaid” (2010), “The Thieves” (2012), “New World” (2013), “The Face Reader” (2013), “Assassination” (2015) and “Deliver Us From Evil” (2020). He found global fame through Netflix Korea series “Squid Game,” for which he won the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor at the 28th Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. In September, he became the first Korean to take home a Primetime Emmy Award, winning the prize for outstanding lead actor in a drama series award. 

He also made his directorial debut with the period espionage film “Hunt,” in which he also starred, in August this year.