Dates & Venues

Essays

Film Descriptions

Schedule

New Korean Cinema | Love is a Crazy Thing | Moving Forward, Looking Back | Lee Man Hee

New Korean Cinema
From big-budget blockbusters to documentaries and independent films, this section of the festival provides a panorama of Korean movies produced over the past two years.

Tazza: The High Rollers Friday, April 4. 7 PM. FGA Choi Dong-hoon’s film—a hit with critics and audiences alike in Korea—takes its title from the Korean term for a gambler on a roll. It’s a perfect metaphor for this high-energy plunge into the world of underground gambling dens and fast-talking con artists. With stylish visuals and great performances from its ensemble cast, it depicts the rise of a young cardsharp who meets his match in a sizzling femme fatale played by the amazing Kim Hye-soo. “Bet on Tazza to entertain; you can’t lose” (Matt Zoller Seitz, New York Times). Intended for mature audiences. 2006 / 139 min.
	Dasepo Naughty Girls Friday, April 4. 9:45 PM. AFI Friday, May 16. 7 PM. FGA Welcome to No Use High, where the students and teachers seem to have only one thing on their minds. Featuring an uproarious opening musical number and a yodeling song-and-dance routine by “Anthony, the exchange student from Switzerland,” E. J-young’s gleefully twisted musical comedy—based on a popular internet comic about teenage sexual hijinks—pokes fun at everything from cybersex to cross-dressing. Beneath the bawdy jokes, however, it’s a touching story about a poor, shy girl just trying to fit in at the weirdest high school imaginable. Intended for mature audiences. 2006 / 103 min.
	I’m a Cyborg, but That’s Okay Sunday, April 6. 2 PM. FGA Friday, April 11. 9 PM. AFI Variety’s Derek Elley calls Park Chan-wook’s latest film “witty, playful, romantic, tragic … a whole chocolate box of emotions.” Best known for the stylized violence of his films Oldboy and Lady Vengeance, Park takes a lighter turn with a whimsical tale of love in a mental institution between a boy who thinks he’s disappearing (played by Korean pop star Rain) and a girl who thinks she’s a robot. Park’s genius for color and visual design is evident throughout this poignant, playful, pastel-hued romance. 2006 / 107 min.
	Grain in Ear Friday, April 18. 7 PM. FGA Zhang Lu’s film is both a subtle, poetic drama and a window onto the rarely depicted Korean diaspora in China. Set in an industrial no-man’s-land, it has at its center a young mother whose husband is in jail. A tough, willful woman with secrets in her past, she makes a living by selling snacks to factory workers, but she soon finds herself entering into an affair that could have dire consequences for her and her young son. This skillfully made film mixes a melancholic sensibility with touches of humor. Intended for mature audiences. 2006 / 109 min. / Mandarin and Korean with English subtitles
	Our School Sunday, April 20. 2 PM. FGA The pro-North Korea community of Koreans living in Japan is virtually unknown in the West. Kim Myeong-joon’s documentary is an engrossing education in this little-known subculture. He spent a year living with Korean students at a school on the island of Hokkaido, following their daily routines and delving into their complex feelings about their heritage as they try to find their identity—somewhere between Korea and Japan. 2007 / 134 min. / video
A.K.A. Nikki S. Lee Wednesday, May 7. 6:30 PM. NMWA Korean American artist Nikki S. Lee is best known for her photographs, in which she inserts herself, chameleonlike, into a variety of cultures. In this video work, she plays another game with her identity by constructing two versions of herself: the serious and bookish Nikki One, and the flamboyant social butterfly Nikki Two. Shot at locations throughout the world, her film humorously blurs the line between documentary and fiction, deliberately eliminating any chance of discovering the “real” Nikki S. Lee. 2006 / 60 min. / video
	If You Were Me 2 Sunday, May 18. 2 PM. FGA Part of a popular series of omnibus movies produced by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, this second installment is made up of short films by five well-known directors. Subjects range from the plight of refugees and immigrants, to prejudice against the physically challenged and the problems of temporary workers. They are treated in a variety of styles, from straightforward documentary to sly comedy to pure stylistic bravado. Directors: Park Kyung-hee (A Smile), Ryoo Seung-wan (Arahan), Jung Ji-woo (Happy End), Jang Jin (Murder, Take One), and Kim Dong-won (Repatriation). 2005 / 112 min.
Forbidden Quest Tuesday, May 27. 9 PM. AFI Wednesday, May 28. 9 PM. AFI Recent period films from Korea often take a refreshingly irreverent attitude towards the past, and this is no exception. Inspired by the lurid erotic novels that circulated in eighteenth-century Korea, Kim Dae-woo’s film tells the story of a humble scholar who stumbles upon one such book and decides to write his own under a pen name. When it becomes a hit, he hires a friend to add another dimension: illustrations. This racy, playful film shows the unexpected difficulties their success brings. Intended for mature audiences. 2006 / 140 min.
Empress Chung: Korean Folktale through Animated Film Tuesday, June 3. 7 pm. FGA Join Dr. Heinz Insu Fenkl, Associate Professor of English at SUNY New Paltz, for a stimulating discussion of Nelson Shin's rarely screened animated film Empress Chung. Explore the way this film, based on the folktale Shimchong, the Blindman's Daughter, reflects central Korean values. 2005 / 94 min.
	The King and the Clown Wednesday, June 11. 9:10 PM. AFI Thursday, June 12. 9:10 PM. AFI Bawdiness takes center stage in this blend of drama and comedy from director Lee Jun-ik. Set in the sixteenth century, it follows the adventures of two traveling male acrobats who run afoul of the palace for lampooning the king in their performances. They get into even more trouble when the king falls in love with one of them (much to the consternation of the queen). A box office smash in Korea, this is a provocative blend of history, humor, and romance, both gay and straight. Intended for mature audiences. 2006 / 120 min.

Love is a Crazy Thing: Love, Sex, and Marriage in Recent Korean Cinema
Korea’s transformation over the last decade into a high-tech economy has brought vast social changes. This section of the festival presents films that illustrate these developments by looking at evolving notions of family and romantic relationships.

	Driving with My Wife’s Lover Sunday, April 13. 2 PM. FGA A superb ensemble cast anchors this engrossing drama from director Kim Tae-sik. When a mild-mannered man discovers that his wife is cheating on him with a taxi driver, he hires his adversary for a long trip so he can confront him. The plot has as many twists and turns as the road they travel through the countryside, and even more surprises are in store when they reach their destination. Intended for mature audiences. 2006 / 92 min.
	Before the Summer Passes Away Wednesday, May 7. 8:30 PM. NMWA This achingly poignant, emotionally note-perfect film focuses on a woman at a crossroads in her life. Spending the summer in Seoul before returning to Paris for her studies, the heroine is torn between having an affair with an emotionally distant divorced man, her own desire for independence, and the demands of her family. A closely observed tale of loneliness and longing, Sung Ji-hae’s “helming debut of quiet delicacy” (Eddie Cockrell, Variety) heralds a new voice in Korea’s growing list of talented women directors. 2006 / 82 min.
Panel Discussion: Love, Marriage, and Family in the New Korea Cancelled Due to circumstances beyond our control, Sunday's 1 PM panel discussion, Love, Marriage, and Family in the New Korea, has been cancelled. In addition, director Lee Yoon-ki, originally scheduled to participate in the panel and discuss his film Ad Lib Night, will not be able to appear. The screening of Ad Lib Night will proceed at 2:30 PM as planned.
	Ad Lib Night Sunday, May 11. 2:30 PM. FGA In person: Lee Yoon-ki Three men approach a young woman with a strange request: impersonate the prodigal daughter of a man on his death bed. His only wish is to see her once more so he can die in peace. She agrees to spend a night in a house filled with the dying man’s squabbling relatives. Not only does she become a target for their unresolved resentments, but she also realizes something about her relationship with her own parents. Lee Yoon-ki’s clever, moving feature probes the nature of family relationships and asks whether deception is sometimes more effective than the truth. 2006 / 100 min.
Barking Dogs Never Bite Tuesday, May 13. 9:15 PM. AFI Wednesday, May 14. 9:15 PM. AFI Bong Joon-ho (director of The Host and Memories of Murder) made his feature debut with this black comedy about an unemployed professor who is driven over the edge by the incessant yapping of his neighbor’s dog. Little does he know that the extreme measures he employs will have dire consequences down the road. As in his other films, Bong conveys the mood of the time (in this case, the aftermath of Korea’s economic crisis in the late 1990s) with dark wit and compelling characters. Intended for mature audiences. 2000 / 106 min.
Happy End Tuesday, May 20. 9:45 PM. AFI Wednesday, May 21. 9:15 PM. AFI Powered by an unforgettable performance by Choi Min-sik (best known as the star of Oldboy), this ironically titled film by Jung Ji-woo was one of the first—and best—to tackle the effect of Korea’s changing workplace on marital relationships. Choi plays an unemployed banker whose wife has a high-powered career and, he suspects, a new lover. As he patiently gathers evidence against her, his anguish leads to shocking results. Intended for mature audiences. 1999 / 99 min.
Love is a Crazy Thing Wednesday, June 4. 9 PM. AFI Thursday, June 5. 9:15 PM. AFI This might sound like a romantic comedy, but don’t be fooled by the title. Oh Seok-geun’s film is an intense, involving drama. Its heroine, a single mother who makes ends meet by doing embroidery, also works as a phone sex operator. At the encouragement of a friend, she graduates to a better paying job as a bargirl, where she eventually falls for a charming customer who may not be what he seems. Intended for mature audiences. 2005 / 101 min.

Moving Forward, Looking Back: The Films of Lee Chang-dong
One of the major figures in the Korean cinema renaissance of the 1990s, novelist-turned-filmmaker Lee Chang-dong makes films that blend emotional depth with creative narrative structures. His main subjects are the perils associated with Korea’s changing society, but his films’ appeal is universal. We are honored to welcome him to the festival for audience discussions at four screenings of his films.

	Green Fish Thursday, April 24. 9 PM. AFI A young man falls in with a vicious gang after he returns home from the military and finds his small town transformed into a maze of skyscrapers and his family struggling to make ends meet. A story of innocence lost in the new Korean economy, Lee’s directorial debut tells its story with great emotional force made all the more powerful by the restrained performances of the exceptional cast. An immediate success with Korean critics and international film festivals alike, it established Lee as a prominent new voice in Korean cinema. 1997 / 111 min.
	Secret Sunshine Friday, April 25. 7 PM. FGA Sunday, April 27. 7 PM. AFI In person: Lee Chang-dong Lee’s latest feature is one of the most acclaimed films of the past year. An emotional rollercoaster of a movie, it raises thought-provoking questions about faith, love, and loss. His experience as a novelist is evident in the richness of the characters and the plot’s sometimes surprising shifts in tone. Actress Jeon Do-yeon’s emotionally wrenching performance as a young widow who turns to religion for solace earned her the Best Actress award at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. This is “a secular hymn to the small triumphs and cavernous tragedies of the everyday, and to our awesome ability to cope” (Scott Foundas, LA Weekly). 2007 / 142 min.
Oasis Saturday, April 26. 2:45 PM. AFI In person: Lee Chang-dong Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called Lee’s third film “an unforgettable experience from yet another filmmaker who is making South Korean cinema one of the most vibrant of any emerging on the international scene.” Powered by phenomenal performances from its two lead actors, the film depicts the relationship between a mentally disturbed man recently released from prison (Sol Kyung-gu) and a woman afflicted with cerebral palsy (Moon So-ri)—the daughter of the man he killed in a car accident. Equal parts disturbing and moving, it once again expresses Lee’s uncompromising humanist vision. 2002 / 132 min.
	Peppermint Candy Sunday, April 27. 2 PM. FGA In person: Lee Chang-dong The political becomes achingly personal in Lee’s remarkable drama chronicling twenty years of a life gone wrong. Ingeniously constructed in reverse chronological order, it covers the years 1979 to 1999, during which South Korea went from military rule to democracy. The film’s protagonist, a former soldier and policeman, gradually realizes that the mistakes he’s made are, in fact, irreversible. 2000 / 130 min.

Lee Man-hee at War
One of the most talented—and certainly the most prolific—of the directors of the golden age of Korean cinema in the 1950s and 1960s, Lee Man-hee was an expert stylist at home in any genre, but war films were a particular specialty. This year’s festival presents two of his most famous war films.

The Marines Who Never Returned Friday, May 2. 7 PM. FGA A true Korean cinema classic, Lee Man-hee’s ambitious production is about a band of soldiers fighting in the Korean War. While its battle scenes are both detailed and harrowing (he had the full assistance of the Korean army while making it), it’s the film’s more intimate moments of camaraderie and friendship that place it a cut above the average war movie. 1962 / 110 min.

Wildflower in the Battlefield Sunday, May 4. 2 PM. FGA More than a decade after making The Marines Who Never Returned, Lee Man-hee returned to the Korean War for inspiration. Set in the early days of the conflict, Wildflower in the Battlefield follows the brutal fighting through the eyes of a young boy adopted as a “mascot” by a group of soldiers. 1974 / 102 min.