[Movie 2008] The Good, The Bad, The Weird 좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈

[ccbabe]

Hmm, hehe, I honestly like the old order with JWS as the bad. But anyways, whatever the case, this will definitely be a must watch.

I second. IMO, even though both seem to be "bad" guys (bad as in wild), but I think JWS would be more "bad" than LBH.

[rubie]

Hmm, hehe, I honestly like the old order with JWS as the bad. But anyways, whatever the case, this will definitely be a must watch.

I second. IMO, even though both seem to be "bad" guys (bad as in wild), but I think JWS would be more "bad" than LBH.

Hi deeta, ccbabe... so good to see you here hi to Suzy_Yim & thislove, too.

Yeah... I guess JWS would be more appropriate as the BADder guy but the tagline actually stated

NEVER BE SURE WHO'S GOOD, BAD OR WEIRD IN 1930's MANCHURIA

so, it's probably something we can't really say but have to watch to find out the BADDEST among them.. maybe it'll turn out to be SKH instead. I'm just so excited seeing the poster... obviously I'm BH-biased :blush: ... he looked awesomely wild. But being Dir. Kim's movie, I'm sure GBW will be full of cool surprises... and not really what it seems.

[Guest curuma11]

Hi curuma11, good to see you here! The movie has been getting a lot of positive buzz, still garnering & building up anticipation now that filming has started. SKH is indeed a super-talented actor. No doubt about it. When he's on the roll, he's simply the bomb! I first saw him in JSA which I initially watched for LBH and SKH totally blew me away. You know just how good he is & will always be.

Who knows, not only SKH & Dir. KJW's positions in the CINE21 Power 50 list will be in higher ranking, most-likely LBH & JWS will be reinstate & included as well.

Right! Maybe JWS and LBH will be included as well..

NEVER BE SURE WHO'S GOOD, BAD OR WEIRD IN 1930's MANCHURIA

so, it's probably something we can't really say but have to watch to find out the BADDEST among them.. maybe it'll turn out to be SKH instead. I'm just so excited seeing the poster... obviously I'm BH-biased :blush: ... he looked awesomely wild. But being Dir. Kim's movie, I'm sure GBW will be full of cool surprises... and not really what it seems. http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/9551/co...30845270tp1.jpg

Wow! I love the poster!

LBH and JWS look hot as usual, and SKH hahaha I love his outfit, he also looks cool strangely!!

Imagining what if SKH is the good, JWS is the bad, LBH is the weird.. It would be really interesting!!

Come to think of it... the outfits doesn't really look like they're from the 30s... or do they?

From the 30s??!! Look at LBH's suit!! Seems like he's wearing a brand new Armani suit!!

[rubie]

LBH and JWS look hot as usual, and SKH hahaha I love his outfit, he also looks cool strangely!!

Come to think of it... the outfits doesn't really look like they're from the 30s... or do they?

Imagining what if SKH is the good, JWS is the bad, LBH is the weird.. It would be really interesting!!

Hahaa... not impossible at all... Dir. Kim did mention in one of the related articles... the roles could well be reversed among the trio.

[Guest suejinners]

0___0poster<3<3<3

freakin-A i can't wait for more goodies to pop up

i don't mind JWS being the good after all hes still a

.

The Good (좋은 놈) who is a bounty hunter and a sharpshooter although he sometimes has warm heart

sounds pretty good to me! XP

[Guest jicks]

adfklhsfkdhalads :w00t:

The poster has just sent me into excitement overdrive!!!

So now LBH is the bad guy & JWS is the good one... heh!! Either way they make it look hawt

These 3 guys are such great actors anyway they'd probably be able to pull of any of the roles successfully ^___^

I wish this would screen right now!!

[Guest suejinners]

Another poster! =D

[rubie]

Thanks suejinners for the bigger poster update, it looks better & hotter (badder ) each time! Oh my... please excuse my bad English. :blush:

Can't wait for more movie tidbits & BTS clips from the filming... they'll be something to look forward to. Dir. Kim is keeping the guys well hidden and out of sight.

[Guest suejinners]

[rubie]

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE WEIRD 좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈

Blazing Non-stop Adventure Kimchi Western

 

Perhaps due to his gentle voice and wet, glistering eye, Lee’s filmography consists largely of love stories. However, since the film noir, A Bittersweet Life, Lee has shown his wider range. Even in portraying villains he stands out due to his exquisite expressions and acting abilities.

Chang-yi, a stubborn, atrocious, and cruel character who sometimes shows a hint of madness, comes alive through Lee as not just a simple villain but a strong, appealing and charismatic character. Cannes 2008

He's the first Dolce & Gabbana-clad cowboy assassin (.X. at Twitchfilm)

Director: Kim Jee Woon
Starring: Song Kang Ho, Lee Byung Hun, Jung Woo Sung
Screenplay: Kim Jee Woon, Kim Min Suk
Production Company: CJ Entertainment
Genre: Oriental Western
Nationwide Release: July 17, 2008

 

 

Synopsis: In the 1930s, the world is in chaos. In Northeast Asia, the Korean Peninsula has fallen into the hands of the Japanese Imperialists. Many Koreans have flocked to Manchuria, the vast terrain of horses and wilderness bordering their homeland and China. Some of them, inevitably, have turned into mounted bandits to earn their living in this barren wasteland. UTae-gu (The Weird) is a thief. He robs a train of Japanese military officers, but the incident is not as simple as it first seems. In the middle of this fierce gun battle against the Japanese, he obtains a mysterious map that leads to a treasure from the Qing Dynasty, buried somewhere in Manchuria.

 

Yet, the map is also sought by Chang-yi, the cold blooded hitman (The Bad). Tae-gu must fight not only the Japanese but also Chang-yi and his fellow thugs, who happen to attack the train at the same time. At the end of this intense gunfight, a mysterious man jumps into the center of the battle from nowhere and rescues Tae-gu with astonishing gunplay. Having survived the battle, Tae-gu thanks the man for saving his life. Yet, he does not know that this stranger is Do-won, the bounty hunter (The Good), who has been chasing Tae-gu to turn him in for a reward. These three men - Do-won (The Good), Chang-yi (The Bad) and Tae-gu (The Weird) - will soon discover that the map they are battling for is also a magnet that attracts others as diverse as the Korean resistance, Chinese/Russian/Korean mountain bandits and the Japanese army. The blazing gun battle in the train proves to be merely the beginning of the rollercoaster ride to the final showdown to come. (Asianmediawiki.com, Lunapark6)

 

Film Festivals & Awards

May 24, 2008: Invited to 61st Cannes International Film Festival Out-of-Competiton Gala Presentation
August 29 - September 1: 35th Telluride Film Festival
September 4 - 13: 'The Good, The Bad, The Weird' Gala Screening at the 33rd Toronto Film Festival
25 September - 9 October 2008: 10th edition of the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival at the Copacabana Beach
September 25 - October 10: 'The Good, The Bad, The Weird' screening at 27th Vancouver International Film Festival
October 2 - 10: 'The Good, The Bad, The Weird' Open talk & screening at the 13th Pusan International Film Festival
October 2 - 12: 'The Good, The Bad, The Weird' in Competition at 41st SITGES Film Festival
[WINNERS] Best Director, Best Visual Effect
October 9 - 19: 'The Good, The Bad, The Weird' closing the 28th LV-Hawaii International Film Festival
Maverick Award - Director Kim Ji Woon, Lifetime Achievement Award - Jung Woo Sung
October 15 - 30: 'The Good, The Bad, The Weird' screening at The Times BFI 52nd London Film Festival
October 30 - November 9: 'The Good, The Bad, The Weird' at AFI Fest 2008 in Los Angeles
November 1 - 8: GBW as Opening Film at the Singapore Korean Film Festival
November 11: GBW in competition at the 2nd Asia Pacific Screen Award in Gold Coast, Australia
[WINNER] Best Cinematography Achievement Award - Lee Mo Gae
November 6 - 14: GBW at 3rd London-Korean Film Festival 2008 
November 18 - 29: 20th Stockholm International Film Festival 
November 20 - 29th Blue Dragon Film Awards
[WINNERS] Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction & Maximum Audience Award
December 4 - 7th Korean Film Awards
[WINNERS] Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction 
December 16 - 11th Director's CUT Awards
[WINNER] Best Director of the Year - Dir. Kim Ji Woon 
2009 March 23 - 3rd Asian Film Awards
Hong Kong International Film Festival
[WINNER] Best Supporting Actor - Jung Woo Sung



Genre: Oriental Western
Format: 35mm
Estimated Running Time: 120 min.
Budget: US$10,000,000 (HK$78,000,000)
Funds Secured: US$8,000,000 (HK$62,400,000)
Producer: CHOI Jae-won
Writing Credits: KIM Jee-woon (screenplay), KIM Min-suk (screenplay)
Production Company: Barunson Co. Ltd. / Grimm Pictures
Partner Attached: Showbox, South Korea

Introduction

Korean filmmaker Kim Jee-woon has created box office hits in Asia with The Foul King (2000), A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) and A Bittersweet Life (2005). This time he would take on the challenge of a new genre: an “Oriental Western". Set in Manchuria in 1930s, the story deals with three Korean men and their entanglement with the Japanese army, Chinese and Russian bandits, accompanied with many exciting action scenes.

Synopsis

In the 1930s, the world is in chaos. In Northeast Asia, the Korean Peninsula has fallen into the hands of the Japanese Imperialists. Many Koreans have flocked to Manchuria, the vast terrain of horses and wilderness bordering their homeland and China. Some of them, inevitably, have turned into mounted bandits to earn their living in this barren wasteland. 

Tae-gu (The Weird) is a thief. He robs a train of Japanese military officers, but the incident is not as simple as it first seems. In the middle of this fierce gun battle against the Japanese, he obtains a mysterious map that leads to a treasure from the Qing Dynasty, buried somewhere in Manchuria. Yet, the map is also sought by Chang-yi, the cold blooded hitman (The Bad). Tae-gu must fight not only the Japanese but also Chang-yi and his fellow thugs, who happen to attack the train at the same time. At the end of this intense gunfight, a mysterious man jumps into the center of the battle from nowhere and rescues Tae-gu with astonishing gunplay. Having survived the battle, Tae-gu thanks the man for saving his life. Yet, he does not know that this stranger is Do-won, the bounty hunter (The Good), who has been chasing Tae-gu to turn him in for a reward. 

These three men - Do-won (The Good), Chang-yi (The Bad) and Tae-gu (The Weird) - will soon discover that the map they are battling for is also a magnet that attracts others as diverse as the Korean resistance, Chinese/Russian/Korean mountain bandits and the Japanese army. The blazing gun battle in the train proves to be merely the beginning of the rollercoaster ride to the final showdown to come.

Director's Statement

The broad plains of Manchuria offer a seemingly boundless landscape of earth and sky, long ruled by wild men and their horses. It became a battle field for great powers in 1930s. And it also became a land of exile for Koreans wandering there. 

Do-won, the bounty hunter, Chang-yi, the cold-blooded hitman and Tae gu, the train bandit, are players in an epic story staged against Manchuria’s striking, exotic landscape. I would like to express the overflowing emotion filling the endless landscape with a matter of life and death, but I also want to do it in a rather humorous way. On yet another level, I want to show the audience the faces of Koreans of that era who had been abandoned by their homeland and by the insurmountable tide of history. 

Personally, this film also represents a genre that I have envisioned during my previous filmmaking endeavors. With this never-before-seen genre of the “Oriental Western”, I want to create cinematic excitement and the sensation of wild action staged on a vast and exotic landscape.

Director

Kim Jee-woon began his career as a stage actor, then stage director, and finally has become one of the most popular and acclaimed figures among modern Korean directors/screenwriters. His second screenplay, The Quiet Family (1998), won him the Best Screenplay prize in a local contest, and Kim went on to make his directorial debut with this screenplay. The film was invited to many film festivals. Kim’s films, from The Quiet Family (1998) to last year’s A Bittersweet Life, have been hailed by critics and audiences alike for his unique style and storytelling. His second feature, The Foul King (2000), drew more than 2 million spectators, while his astounding horror film of true visual elegance, A Tale of Two Sisters (2003), reached 3.5 million viewers nation-wide. It went on to be remade by Dreamworks in the US. 

Producer

Choi Jae-won founded I Pictures Inc. in 2000 and has executive produced globally-acclaimed films such as Memories of Murder (2003) by Bong Joon-ho; Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring (2003) by Kim Ki-duk; A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) by Kim Jee-woon; Chihwaseon (2002); Volcano High (2001); My Beautiful Girl, Mari (2002) and Take Care of My Cat (2001), to name a few.

Since changing the company name to Barunson Co. Ltd. in 2005, Choi has taken the initiative to produce a number of projects by world-renowned directors such as Kim Jee-woon (A Bittersweet Life, A Tale of Two Sisters), Bong Joon-ho (The Host, Memories of Murder), Yim Phil-sung (Antarctic Journal) and others. In addition to these projects, Choi is seeking to expand project development with other producers abroad with efforts focused mainly on family-oriented animation and feature films.

Production Company

Though Barunson film division is a newcomer in the film industry, its founders have been involved in producing for the last decade, with various kinds of films, including The Host (2006) and Memories of Murder (2003), by Bong Joon-ho; A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) by Kim Jee-woon; The President’s Barber (2004) and Volcano High (2001).

Employing a system of "Synergetic Producer Groups" that unites producers of different backgrounds and specialties to maximise productivity, Barunson Film Division’s primary objective is to make films that convey Asian originality while meeting world-class production standards. This ambitious vision has resonated deeply among the directors currently preparing their next projects with Barunson – Bong Joon-ho, Kim Jee-woon, Yim Phil-sung and others – and they represent the rare filmmakers who can make this vision come true. The ability to attract these talents to the banner is testimony to Barunson’s goals and visions. Source: hkiff.org.hk

 

[Guest monoceros]

Hmm, hehe, I honestly like the old order with JWS as the bad. But anyways, whatever the case, this will definitely be a must watch.

actually.. if you've seen the original movie , you would NOT want JWS (if you're his fan) to be the bad. The bad... did not end up in a good place in that movie..

[quteacho]

after seein all de posterz and 3 BIG stars now i really want to watch de movie!!!!!

[rubie]

May 20. 2007

iW NEWS | ARP Takes French-speaking Rights to "The Good, the Bad, the Weird"

Korean director Kim Jee-woon's Asian-Western, "The Good, the Bad, the Weird" has been acquired by French distributor ARP from Seoul-based Cineclick for French-speaking territory rights. The deal was made after thirteen minutes of footage was screened on the $11 million USD budget project. The deal is described as a "high six digits figure," considered "quite high" for Asian film in the French market. "Kim Jee-woon has a unique flare for style and for humor," commented Michele Halberstadt," head of production and acquisitions at ARP. "We are very proud to bring his iconoclast Western to French audiences." Cineclick says it expects further sales of the film, and cited the film's three Korean stars Song Kang-ho ("The Host"), Lee Byung-hun ("A Bittersweet Life") and Jung Woo-sung ("A Moment to Remember") as prime draws. The company's chief Youngjoo Suh cited other Western countries were showing interest, including Italy, the home of the 'Spaghetti Western.' Japan has also shown interest. "The Good, the Bad, the Weird" began shooting in early April and delivery is slated for next spring. In other Cineclick news, Kim Ki-duk's Cannes competition film "Breath" (Soom) received a "flurry of offers" following its gala screening at the Lumiere on Saturday. ARP picked up French rights for the film prior to the start of Cannes, while other European countries inked deals for their territories in addition to agreements in Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Argentina) and Turkey. Cineclick also just concluded deals for the title in Poland (SPI), Singapore (Festive Films) and the Baltic states (Lietuvos Kinas). Fellow Cineclick title "Opium War" by Siddiq Barmak, which is currently being shot in Afghanistan, has added Aztec International for Australia and New Zealand to its list of pre-buy distributors. Others include Alta (Spain), Shani (Greece), Maywin (ex-CIS) and Film House (Mexico). Japan's Happinet Pictures holds a stake in the project and holds Japanese rights. [brian Brooks]

Source: http://www.indiewire.com/buzz/070520.html#008379 | image from empas.com

[rubie]

The BEST is yet to come

Got this tidbit from Twitchfilm.net, seems that so far, only the taglines are the movie's own but the images are not really... though the "personas" are all there.

The put-together-touched-up images for the Cannes-poster... that's LBH in BSL, SKH in Antarctic Journal (I think) and JWS in ?.. any idea... I'm only familiar with JWS in AMTR.

» Posted by Todd at May 26, 2007 05:03 PM

I talked to them about this poster at the Marche, it's purely something slapped together quickly to have something to represent the film to buyers. They only did it because they don't have any footage or actual images from the film to work with yet. The final stuff won't look like this at all. And it looks like LBH in A Bittersweet Life because it IS LBH in A Bittersweet Life. All of those actor shots are just cropped from stills from other films they've done recently.

and more comments at

Source: http://www.twitchfilm.net/archives/010162.html

[Guest lilyella]

i'm really excited to see this one because i remember the movie which my dad loved since he is a huge clint eastwood and western fan. and i really miss seeing Jung Woo Sung and Lee Byung Hun on the silver screen.

[Guest Hyc]

Brief translation by Hyc

http://contents.innolife.net/news/list.php...amp;ai_id=72805

2007/05/28

'The Good, The Bad, The weird' has been sold to Western markets for maximum price.

Overseas sales company Cine Click Asia expressed that Director Kim Jiwoon’s western style movie “The Good, the Bad, the Weird” (briefly known as Good, Bad, Weird) is sold to the biggest markets in Europe, i.e. France and Britain. The sale fetched the highest price to date for a Korean film in the Cannes Film Festival market.

The powerful combination of “Good, Bad, Weird”'s steady scenario, Dir. Kim’s capability, the concept of western style movie with the unique idea of using 1930 Manchuria as background, plus the strong cast SONG KANG HO, LEE BYUNG HUN, JUNG WOO SUNG, has received much interest from the Cannes market in the early stage, especially the 13 minutes promotion trailer that is about 10% of the movie edited. It is assumed that the perfection of the movie is very high. The two countries might offer a total minimum guarantee of one billion won (130 million JPY).

The characters of the 3 actors were opened to the public for the first time through an English poster for the Cannes Film Festival and attention was attracted. Do-won “The Good”, played by Jung Woo Sung, is a cool bounty hunter that is an expert with rifles. Chang-yi, the cold blooded chief of horse riding gang and killer, “The Bad” is played by Lee Byung Hun who aims at the targeted enemy with his sinister gaze. Tae-gu “The Weird”, Song Gang Ho is a train robber who rides a bike instead of a horse, with his trademark of gun in each hand and always searching for something.

The film has finished about 20% of shooting and is scheduled to be released early next year.

© Innolife & Digital YTN & Joynews24 & inews24

Related article in Chosun

http://www.chosunonline.com/article/20070528000046

[rubie]

Sharing a fanmade GBW (GoodBadWeird) MV, thanks to Fiona at LBH thread ^^

Although it's an MV made by a LBH Japanese fan... it features everyone, JWS and SKH & Dir. Kim. Cool! Enjoy!

奴×３予告編MV＠coo師匠

http://www16.plala.or.jp/miuchinyu/mv/coo-guuzou.wmv

source: http://miuchinyu.exblog.jp/

Poster capture copied from empas.com

[rubie]

May 28, 2007

Record Sales for The Good, the Bad, and the Weird at Cannes Market

Director KIM Jee-woon’s upcoming The Good, the Bad, and the Weird has been pre-sold at the film market of the Cannes International Film Festival for an unprecedented one million dollars to France and England, the two main film markets in Europe.

The film has several elements that contributed to the highest sale in the history of Korean cinema in the European market. A representative of the major French distribution company ARP commented about the expensive acquisition that director KIM commands attention with his unique style and sense of humor, and that they are convinced that the French audience will like the innovative style of the film. He also expressed pride to be involved in KIM’s film.

Besides the director, The Good, the Bad, and the Weird also boosts a cast with some of Korea’s most renowned and famous actors, including: LEE Byung-hun, JUNG Woo-sung and SONG Kang-ho, respectively in the titular roles.

These names may have played an important role in the interest of potential buyers. Several other international buyers expressed great interest in the film and it’s expected that the international sales figure for The Good, the Bad, and the Weird will only become higher. Japanese buyers are in particular interested. LEE’s popularity in Japan has lead to a role in the high profile Japanese film Hero.

In addition, a strong 13 minutes promotion film has contributed much to the high expectations of international buyers. The short promotion film convinced buyers that the end product will be an interesting and unconventional western.

The highly anticipated collaboration between director KIM and the actors LEE, JUNG and SONG is scheduled for release in the first half of next year.

Yi Ch’ang-ho (KOFIC)

Source: http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/KOFIC/Channel?...Gesimul_SNO=670

[ccbabe]

Hi rubie, thanks for all your informative posts

Wow, there're already a lot news about this movie...can't wait til next year to watch the trio in action, esp JWS after "Daisy" and "A Moment to Remember"...

[Guest shred]

[celebrating my 2000th post haha!)

this is definitely one of the highly anticipated movies of the year

sorry if this has been posted before

The Good, The Bad and The Weird

Genre: Oriental Western

Format: 35mm

Estimated Running Time: 120 min.

Budget: US$10,000,000 (HK$78,000,000)

Funds Secured: US$8,000,000 (HK$62,400,000)

Producer: CHOI Jae-won

Writing Credits: KIM Jee-woon (screenplay), KIM Min-suk (screenplay)

Production Company: Barunson Co. Ltd. / Grimm Pictures

Partner Attached: Showbox, South Korea

Introduction

Korean filmmaker Kim Jee-woon has created box office hits in Asia with The Foul King (2000), A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) and A Bittersweet Life (2005). This time he would take on the challenge of a new genre: an “Oriental Western". Set in Manchuria in 1930s, the story deals with three Korean men and their entanglement with the Japanese army, Chinese and Russian bandits, accompanied with many exciting action scenes.

Synopsis

In the 1930s, the world is in chaos. In Northeast Asia, the Korean Peninsula has fallen into the hands of the Japanese Imperialists. Many Koreans have flocked to Manchuria, the vast terrain of horses and wilderness bordering their homeland and China. Some of them, inevitably, have turned into mounted bandits to earn their living in this barren

wasteland.

Tae-gu (The Weird) is a thief. He robs a train of Japanese military officers, but the incident is not as simple as it first seems. In the middle of this fierce gun battle against the Japanese, he obtains a mysterious map that leads to a treasure from the Qing Dynasty, buried somewhere in Manchuria.

Yet, the map is also sought by Chang-yi, the cold blooded hitman (The Bad). Tae-gu must fight not only the Japanese but also Chang-yi and his fellow thugs, who happen to attack the train at the same time. At the end of this intense gunfight, a mysterious man jumps into the center of the battle from nowhere and rescues Tae-gu with astonishing gunplay.

Having survived the battle, Tae-gu thanks the man for saving his life. Yet, he does not know that this stranger is Do-won, the bounty hunter (The Good), who has been chasing Tae-gu to turn him in for a reward.

These three men - Do-won (The Good), Chang-yi (The Bad) and Tae-gu (The Weird) - will soon discover that the map they are battling for is also a magnet that attracts others as diverse as the Korean resistance, Chinese/Russian/Korean mountain bandits and the Japanese army. The blazing gun battle in the train proves to be merely the beginning of the

rollercoaster ride to the final showdown to come.

Director's Statement

The broad plains of Manchuria offer a seemingly boundless landscape of earth and sky, long ruled by wild men and their horses. It became a battle field for great powers in 1930s. And it also became a land of exile for Koreans wandering there.

Do-won, the bounty hunter, Chang-yi, the cold-blooded hitman and Tae gu, the train bandit, are players in an epic story staged against Manchuria’s striking, exotic landscape. I would like to express the overflowing emotion filling the

endless landscape with a matter of life and death, but I also want to do it in a rather humorous way. On yet another level, I want to show the audience the faces of Koreans of that era who had been abandoned by their homeland and by the insurmountable tide of history.

Personally, this film also represents a genre that I have envisioned during my previous filmmaking endeavors. With this never-before-seen genre of the “Oriental Western”, I want to create cinematic excitement and the sensation of wild action staged on a vast and exotic landscape.

Director

Kim Jee-woon began his career as a stage actor, then stage director, and finally has become one of the most popular and acclaimed figures among modern Korean directors/screenwriters. His second screenplay, The Quiet Family (1998), won him the Best Screenplay prize in a local contest, and Kim went on to make his directorial debut with this screenplay. The film was invited to many film festivals. Kim’s films, from The Quiet Family (1998) to last year’s A Bittersweet Life, have been hailed by critics and audiences alike for his unique style and storytelling. His second feature, The Foul King (2000), drew more than 2 million spectators, while his astounding horror film of true visual elegance, A Tale of Two Sisters (2003), reached 3.5 million viewers nation-wide. It went on to be remade by Dreamworks in the US.

Kim is now working on his next project, The Good, The Bad and The Weird, an oriental western that will surprise

the film world once again.

Producer

Choi Jae-won founded I Pictures Inc. in 2000 and has executive produced globally-acclaimed films such as Memories of Murder (2003) by Bong Joon-ho; Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring (2003) by Kim Ki-duk; A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) by Kim Jee-woon; Chihwaseon (2002); Volcano High (2001); My Beautiful Girl, Mari (2002) and Take Care of My Cat (2001), to name a few.

Since changing the company name to Barunson Co. Ltd. in 2005, Choi has taken the initiative to produce a number of projects by world-renowned directors such as Kim Jee-woon (A Bittersweet Life, A Tale of Two Sisters), Bong Joon-ho (The Host, Memories of Murder), Yim Phil-sung (Antarctic Journal) and others.

In addition to these projects, Choi is seeking to expand project development with other producers abroad with efforts focused mainly on family-oriented animation and feature films.

Production Company

Though Barunson film division is a newcomer in the film industry, its founders have been involved in producing for

the last decade, with various kinds of films, including The Host (2006) and Memories of Murder (2003), by Bong

Joon-ho; A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) by Kim Jee-woon; The President’s Barber (2004) and Volcano High (2001).

Employing a system of "Synergetic Producer Groups" that unites producers of different backgrounds and specialties to maximise productivity, Barunson Film Division’s primary objective is to make films that convey Asian originality while meeting world-class production standards. This ambitious vision has resonated deeply among the directors currently preparing their next projects with Barunson – Bong Joon-ho, Kim Jee-woon, Yim Phil-sung and others – and they represent the rare filmmakers who can make this vision come true. The ability to attract these talents to the banner is testimony to Barunson’s goals and visions.

source: http://www.hkiff.org.hk/