Korean Film Festival 2007 @ UP Diliman

Korean Film Festival 2007

A mixed fare of sagas, action and romance banners The Korean Film Festival 2007 to be presented by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the University of the Philippines Film Institute, from September 25 to 27 (Tuesday to Thursday).

Five full-length mainstream features comprise the selection, namely, Park Chan-wook's Joint Security Area (JSA) , Kang Je-gyu's Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War , Bae Chang-ho's My Heart, Kim Jeong-kwon's Ditto and Yang Yun-ho's Libera Me.

From the world-renowned director of the "Vengeance Trilogy" (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance , Oldboy, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance), JSA—a dramatic thriller about a tragic shootout at the border of two Koreas—serves as the festival opening film. It is to be followed by the period drama, Taegukgi, about the fate of two devoted brothers forced to fight in the Korean War.

Also in the lineup is My Heart, a period drama of epic proportions, spanning half a century in the life of a heroine compelled to marry a ten-year-old boy at the time when Korea was taking its first steps into the modern age. Offering contrast is Libera Me—the fast-paced action saga that centers on an arsonist terrorizing Seoul and the fire investigators hot on his trail.

Rounding up the festival is Ditto—a time-travel romance in the tradition of the international sensation, Il Mare, which was remade into the Hollywood blockbuster, The Lakehouse. The sci-fi romance is about two university students separated by 20 years, and the love affair that blossomed between them with the help of an old radiophone.

The complete schedule of featured films is as follows:

Sept 25 (Tuesday)
2 p.m. Ditto
5 p.m. JSA
7:30 p.m. Taeguk-Gi

Sept 26 (Wednesday)
2 p.m. Libera Me
5 p.m. Ditto
7 p.m. My Heart

Sept 27 (Thursday)
2 p.m. My Heart
5 p.m. Libera Me
7 p.m. JSA

All films are in 35mm print, with English subtitles. Screenings will be held at the UP Film Institute Cine Adarna , Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City.


ADMISSION IS FREE.


The Korean Film Festival 2007 is a joint undertaking by the Korean Embassy and the UP Film Institute to enhance cultural exchange between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea. For more queries, interested parties may call the UP Film Institute Cine Adarna at 9263640 or 9262722, or the Embassy of the Republic of Korea at 8116139 to 44 local 575. #


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Synopses of Films


JSA: Joint Security Area
(Park Chan-wook, 2000, 110 minutes)
A tragic shootout at the border of the two Koreas prompts an international investigation team, composed of members from neutral countries, to look into the incident. The events unravel to reveal a story that goes beyond what everyone imagined.

Official Selection for Golden Berlin Bear—2000 Berlin International Film Festival; Best Film—Deauville Asian Film Festival; Best Picture—Grand Bell Awards of South Korea, among other awards and distinctions.

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Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War
(Kang Je-gyu, 2004, 140 minutes)
One of the greatest successes in Korean film history, the film is about two brothers, who are unwillingly drafted into the South Korean army following the outbreak of the Korean War, and the story of their love and tragedy.

Best Picture, Best Director—2005 Asian Film Awards, among other awards and distinctions.

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Ditto
(Kim Jeong-kwon, 2000, 110 minutes)
In the tradition of the sensational hit Il Mare, the film is about a female university student, who talks through a radiophone to a male schoolmate, who lives 20 years away.

Official Selection—2002 Ciclo Nuevo Cine Coreano, Argentina.

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My Heart
(Bae Chang-ho, 2000, 114 minutes)
An epic story of a girl, at sweet sixteen, who is compelled to marry a ten-year-old boy as Korea takes its first steps into the modern age.

Audience Award—2000 Far East Film Festival-Udine, Italy.

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Libera Me
(Yang Yun-ho, 2000, 119 minutes)
Fire investigators are hot on the trail of an arsonist whose psychotic fascination with flames leads him to terrorize Seoul.

Official Selection—2001 Tokyo International Fantastic Film Festival; Best Cinematography, Best Editing—2001 Grand Bell Awards of South Korea, among other awards and distinctions.