France, Mexico Host Korean Film Shows

2006-03-20

France and Mexico have been hosting Korean film shows one after another.

The "29th Poitiers International Film Schools Festival," which opened in Poitiers, France on Mar. 20, local time, is hosting a special film show entitled "A Gaze of Korean Films."

To be screened at the show will be seven full-length films, including "Christmas in August" (1998, directed by Huh Jin-ho), "A Bittersweet Life" (2005, directed by Kim Ji-woon), "Memento Mori" (1999, directed jointly by Kim Tae-yong and Min Kyu-dong), and "Oasis" (2002, directed by Lee Chang-dong); and ten short films, including "Paper Airplanes" and "Garivegas," which were produced by the Korean Academy of Film Arts, Chung-Ang University, and the Korean National University of Arts.

This film show has been organized by Jeremy Segay, the programmer of the Directors Week Committee of the Cannes International Film Festival who is known as a pro-Korean official. The ten short films also include "How Does the Blind Dream?" directed by actor Yu Ji-tae. During the film show, a roundtable discussion on Korean films will be held. One of the directors of "Memento Mori," Min Kyu-dong, will also join the roundtable.

Earlier, the "Third Mexico International Contemporary Film Festival" (Feb. 21-Mar. 6) held a similar show on Korean movies under the title "The Current of Korean Films."

Shown at the film show were eight Korean films, including "Raging Years" (2004, directed by film giant Lim Kwon-taek), "A Bittersweet Life," "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" (2005, directed by Park Chan-wook), and "April Snow" (2005, directed by Huh Jin-ho).

"It is extremely unprecedented for a Korean film show to be held in South America. We can say that this reflects the heightened status of Korean films," said Kim Ji-suk, the programmer of the Pusan International Film Festival.

Source: http://english.kbs.co.kr/society/news/1387812_11773.html