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Romantic drama “Waiting For Rain” became the fourth local film in as many weeks to head the Korean box office. It held off new release U.S. movie “The Courier.”

“Rain” scored $1.05 million from 122,000 admissions over the weekend, giving a five-day total of $1.41 million. Chasing, “The Courier” delivered $756,000 from 88,000 admissions, for a five-day collection of $1.05 million.

“Rain” accounted for 26% of the national weekend box office, while “The Courier” took 19%. Together they helped the weekend total to $4.07 million, near to the top end of the recent range, and a 28% week-on-week improvement.

In an attempt to help audiences overcome their hesitation distributors are trying out a range of local titles from different genres. Korean films to have topped the chart in the last month have included historical drama “The Book of Fish”, sci-fi actioner “Seobok” and mystery thriller “Recalled.” But none managed to hold on to that position for more than one...

Films like “Parasite” or “Train to Busan” may send ripples all over the international movie world, but Korean cinema is not just filled with expensive studio productions and blockbusters. On the contrary, the independent film industry is equally rich and also features a number of great movies, which unfortunately, do not reach so many people outside of the festival circuit. This list has exactly this purpose, of highlighting a number of titles that may not feature big budgets, but boast original stories, unique cinematic approaches, and muchartistry. Furthermore, in an initiative that started from Busan and Jeonju festival, a number of films of female directors were nurtured and promoted, in an effort to create titles that stray away from the male-dominated standards and stories that permeate the Korean film industry. Films like the “House of Hummingbird” and “A Bedsore” were the outcome of this effort and are also included in this list.

Thessaloniki Cinematheque invites you to discover the exciting world of modern Asian cinema this week, through the tribute “A complicated origami: The concept of family in modern Asian cinema”, which will take place Sunday 23 to Wednesday 26 February 2020, at the favorite cinefil location, Stavros Tornes screening room.

The tribute includes four movies that revolve around the concept of family, with three of them being presented in Greece for the first time.

Norwegian Wood (2010) by Ahn Hung Tranh

The film could be described as abstract to the point of ambiguity, the same does not apply to the visual, where Mark Lee presents another excellent work, creating a dramatically beautiful setting where the lives of the protagonists unfold. From the Tokyo of the 60s with the student movements (and a subtle but very derogatory comment), to the bucolic beauty of Kyoto and the tragic symbolism of the sea, all of Lee’s frames...

Actress Chun Woo-hee has created quite a niche for herself in the South Korean film industry. Known for her power-packed performances in blockbusters as well as indie films, her roles in her last three films “Idol“, “One Day” and “The Wailing” have all been critically and commercially applauded, as have her previous performances in films like “Han Gong-ju” and “Thread of Lies”. After the aforementioned “One Day” in 2016, director Jeon Gye-soo’s “Vertigo” will see her back in a melodrama.

Synopsis

A melo film about a woman who feels like she’s falling from her office in a tall building, and a rope climber who walks on a rope amidst the forest of buildings like Spiderman. They face each other on either sides of a glass window until they finally meet on the rooftop of Machunru.

This will be Jeon Gye-soo’s comeback film 11 years after “Love Fiction”, which featured Ha Jung-woo and Gong Hyo-jin.

The Great Actor

The ace supporting star in Korean cinema, Oh Dal-Su graces screens as the leading man for the very first time. Directed by Seok Min-Woo, it follows a small-time actor who performs in children’s plays, and concocts a lie about being involved in a big film with a famed director and a major star, his friend 20 years earlier.

Oh Dal-Su, whose name has become synonymous with hits in Korea, has appeared in numerous films, including Old Boy, Sympathy For Lady Vengeance, Thirst, The Thieves, Miracle in Cell No.7, The Attorney, Ode to My Father. He recently featured in Veteran and Assassination that netted almost 40 million admissions, according to Kofic.

Director Seok, who was an assistant director on major films, including Park Chan-Wook’s Sympathy For Lady Vengeance, I’m a Cyborg, but That’s Ok and Thirst, as well as Kim Ji-Woon’s I Saw The Devil,...

The Chaser and The Yellow Sea director Na Hong-jin is back, and his latest looks like a hell of a ride. Featuring Kwak Do-won of The Attorney alongside megastar Hwang Jung-min (Veteran) and Chun Woo-hee (Han Gong-ju), Goksung is a dark mystery-thriller about a series of deaths that plague a remote village. For anyone even remotely interested in Korean thrillers, Goksung's trailer delivers the goods, and in spades. Film drops May 12th in Korea and many hope to see it in the Cannes lineup when it's announced next month....

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The 15th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival will include "master classes" with world cinema titans Fatih Akin ("The Edge of Heaven"), Abbas Kiarostami ("Certified Copy," above), and Park Chan-Wook ("Oldboy"), continuing its tradition of attracting major figures such as Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola. This year's festival runs from Dec. 4 to Dec. 12. Read More: "Scorsese's Marrakech International Film Festival Jury Winners Led by 'Han Gong-Ju' (Trailer)" In addition, Marrakech will pay tribute to performers Willem Dafoe, Bill Murray, and India's Madhuri Dixit; Moroccan filmmaker Kamal Derakaoui, and The Candian Cinema, with Atom Egoyan ("The Sweet Hereafter") presiding over the delegation. Marrakech may be long distance, but this line-up is enough to tempt anyone to book a last-minute ticket. ...

Seoul-based sales company Finecut has picked up international rights to Gokseong.

The latest film from The Chaser director Na Hong-jin is currently in post-production

The film stars Kwak Do-won (The Attorney, The Man From Nowhere) as a police officer who is desperate to save his daughter when mysterious murders occur in their village.

The cast also includes Hwang Jung-min (Ode To My Father), Chun Woo-hee (Han Gong-ju) and Japanese actor Kunimura Jun (Like Father, Like Son). The film is produced by Fox International Productions and co-produced by Side Mirror Co.

Na’s debut feature The Chaser, a taut thriller about a cop-turned-pimp chasing a serial killer, screened in the Cannes Film Festival’s Out of Competition section in 2008. He followed that with The Yellow Sea, which screened in Cannes Un Certain Regard in 2011.

Lee Su-jin's Han Gong-ju was a surprise critical hit when it premiered at the Busan International Film Festival back in 2013. In the intervening time, the film has managed to make the festival circuit and gather an impressive load of awards both at home and abroad.It's taken one of our favorite boutique home video labels, Third Window Films in the UK, however, to make it available to audiences outside of Asia when no one else has shown much interest. The film is definitely deserving of more attention, and let's hope that this disc helps that dream come true.Hang Gong-ju is a teenage girl who has been displaced due to the pressure on her following a mysterious scandal in her hometown. She leaves to live with...

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Stars: Chun Woo-hee, In-seon Jeong, So-Young Kim, Yeong-ran Lee | Written and Directed by Lee Su-jin

When watching movies we tend to expect them to explain things to us, almost in the assumption that we should be comfortable in knowing exactly where the film is going and what it wants from us as the audience. Some films have the confidence to not work this way though, they ease us in to a situation where the unknown creates an element of suspense, until the inevitable sledge-hammer of emotions finally hits. This is the case with Korean movie Han Gong-Ju.

The best way to watch the film is to go in cold, knowing as little as possible as to what is to come. This is how we are introduced to Han Gong-Ju (Chun Woo-hee). We don’t know anything about her or her past, all we know is that her teacher is taking...

Following its launch last year, the Wildflower Film Awards Korea revealed the nominees of its upcoming 2nd edition last week. Leading the pack with seven nominees is July Jung's A Girl at My Door, while Han Gong-ju and The King of Jokgu following at five a piece and 10 Minutes, Gyeongju and Hill of Freedom each picking up four. Set up by Korean film critic and festival consultant Darcy Paquet, the Wildflower Film Awards have been praised by industry professionals as a means to recognize the achievements of Korea's thriving independent scene. Despite critical acclaim and success on the international festival circuit, low-budget films have had a tough time at local theaters, due in part to the vertically integrated nature of Korea's studio system. The...

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Winners for the 18th annual Online Film Critics Society have been revealed and Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel" took home the Best Picture award. The film also won Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography but Anderson lost to "Boyhood's" Richard Linklater for the Best Director trophy.

Here's the complete list of the winners of the 18th Online Film Critics Society awards:

Best Picture

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Animated Feature

The Lego Movie

Best Film Not in the English Language

Two Days, One Night

Best Documentary

Life Itself

Best Director

Richard Linklater - Boyhood

Best Actor

Michael Keaton - Birdman

Best Actress

Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl

Best Supporting Actor

Edward Norton - Birdman

Best Supporting Actress

Patricia Arquette - Boyhood

Best Original Screenplay

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Adapted Screenplay

Gone Girl

Best Editing

Birdman

Best Cinematography

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Non-u.S. Release (non-competitive...

The Online Film Critics Society has crowned Wes Anderson's "Grand Budapest Hotel" the year's best film. Richard Linklater took best director honors for "Boyhood," while Michael Keaton, Rosamund Pike, Edward Norton and Patricia Arquette filled out the acting categories. Check out the nominees here, the full list of winners below and the rest of the madness at The Circuit. Best Picture "The Grand Budapest Hotel" Best Director Richard Linklater, "Boyhood" Best Actor Michael Keaton, "Birdman" Best Actress Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl" Best Supporting Actor Edward Norton, "Birdman" Best Supporting Actress Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood" Best Adapted Screenplay "Gone Girl" Best Original Screenplay "The Grand Budapest Hotel" Best Cinematography "The Grand Budapest Hotel" Best Editing "Birdman" Best Animated Feature "The Lego Movie"   Best Film Not in the English Language "Two Days, One Night"   Best Documentary "Life Itself" Best Non-u.S. Release (non-competitive category) "'71" "10,000 km" "Entre Nós" "Han Gong-ju" "Hard to Be a God...

In an on-going trend, "Boyhood" has stood out the most for another critics group. The film led the way with the Online Film Critics Society's batch of nominations, announced this morning, with six total mentions alongside Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel." The films were the #1 and #2 choices respectively among the La critics awards yesterday. Foreign contenders "Two Days, One Night," "Ida" and "Mommy" also had a strong showing with five, four and four nominations each. And of immediate note is the fact that the group left "Birdman" off its Best Picture list. Check out the full list of nominees below. Winners will be announced Monday, Dec. 15. And keep track of it all via The Circuit. Best Picture "Boyhood" "The Grand Budapest Hotel" "Ida" "The Lego Movie" "Mommy" "Nightcrawler" "Selma" "Two Days, One Night" "Whiplash" "Under the Skin" Best Animated Feature "Big Hero 6" "The Boxtrolls" "How to Train Your Dragon 2...

Tiffcom: South Korean sales company Finecut has announced a raft of deals led by romantic comedy Fashion King.

Finecut has sold Fashion King to China (Bona Film), Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan (Golden Harvest) and Thailand (Hoyaspotainment).

Due for local release Nov 6, the romantic comedy based on a popular web comic made its market premiere in Busan’s Asian Film Market. Next Entertainment World (New) is distributing in Korea.

The film is about a high school kid who revamps himself with a makeover upon transferring schools in order to win the girl of his dreams and become the ‘Fashion King’.

Directed by Oh Ki-hwan (A Wedding Invitation), the film stars Joo Won from TV’s Good Doctor, Ahn Jae-hyeon from TV’s My Love From The Star, K-pop group f(x) member Sulli, and Park Se-young from TV’s School 2013.

On the eve of Tokyo Film Festival market Tiffcom (Oct 21-23), Finecut says they expect to close more deals...

The programme for Scotland’s newest event, Aberdeen International Film Festival, which will run for nine days from the 2nd of October to the 12th, was launched on Saturday, introducing a diverse selection of films not just from Scotland but from as far afield as Canada and Japan too.

Opening with A Curious Life, Dunstan Bruce’s documentary about the rise of the Levellers, and a pair of short films, Date and Please Check, the festival — overseen by creative director Peter Watt — will continue apace with up to six screenings a day across the city’s two Cineworld cinemas — Union Square and Queen’s Links. It will close the following Sunday with Tanner Beard and Russell Cummings’ 6 Bullets to Hell.

The other films on offer include The 25,000 Mile Love Story, a documentary following fundraisers Serge and Nicole Roetheli’s attempts to travel a distance equivalent in length to the world’s circumference; Han Gong-Ju,...

This past Wednesday, August 6th, saw the close of the 18th edition of Montreal's Fantasia Film Festival; and now that the dust has settled, we have the full list of this year's award winners plus the Fest's dates for 2015.

From the Press Release:

Returning to its home at Concordia University after the location’s massive 2013 renovations, the acclaimed Fantasia International Film Festival, North America’s longest-running genre film fest, benefited from having three theaters in which to screen its record 160+ films.

Among the numerous highlights that took place during the three-week festival were the crowd-pleasing, revelatory world premieres of Leo Gabriadze’s Cybernatural (review here), Sarah Adina Smith’s The Midnight Swim, and Bennett Jones’ I Am A Knife With Legs. Also of note were massively successful screenings of Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, James Gunn’s Guardians Of The Galaxy, Lee Su-jin’s Han Gong-ju, Keishi Otomo’s Rurouni Kenshin – Kyoto Inferno,...

Looking over the Fantasia Film Festival guide, one quote in the “Han Gong-ju” section is conspicuous. Martin Scorsese calls the film “outstanding,” noting its "mise-en-scene, image, sound, and performance.” Last December, in his capacity as Jury President of the Marrakech Film Festival, presiding over a group including Marion Cotillard, Fatih Akin, and Park Chan-wook among others, Scorsese awarded Su-jin Lee’s debut feature film the top prize, and has been championing it ever since. When arguably the biggest cinema geek of all time (no offense to Quentin Tarantino) backs a movie with such praise, one tends to pay attention. But we find ourselves in the peculiar position where we disagree with one of the greatest living filmmakers regarding just how outstanding this film really is. “Han Gong-ju” opens with a girl’s voiceover stating how she hears music in every sound. The voice belongs to Han Gong-ju (Woo-hee Chun), a student transferring to a new.

Han Gong-ju

Written and directed by Lee Su-jin

South Korea, 2013

Both the victim and perpetrator of a crime must live with the consequences of the events they were intricately involved in. For the guilty party, provided they possess an inkling of remorse in their body, the stigma carries over an extended period of time, with reminders coming in all shapes and sizes to reiterate that they did bad in the past and that society does not look kindly to them. For the victim, the situation is completely different. They committed no malicious act yet the psychological and emotional after-effects of their ordeal are sufficient enough to haunt them for weeks, months and years to come. Enter Han Gong-ju (Chun Woo-hee), the central figure in Lee Su-jin’s new drama baring the protagonist’s name.

The viewer meets high school teenager Gong-ju in the opening scene as she meets with a...

One of the most haunting films at this year's New York Asian Film Festival had to be Han Gong-ju. Loosely based around horrific real life incidents in Korea, director Lee Su-jin captures in his first feature the waking nightmare a teenager must face after a brutal rape. Warning: There be spoilers!The Lady Miz Diva:  Why did you decide to make a film about this subject? Lee Su-jin:  There a series of things that continue to make me think deep thoughts and those things tended to be rape, bullying, and suicide, and those are the starting point of the subject of this film.It's a fictionalised account, but did you do a lot of research into the actual Miryang case? Ls-j:  Not necessarily.  The Miryang incident did work as...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

South Korean writer-director Lee Su-jin's debut feature, Han Gong-ju, comes to the U.S. bearing a seal of approval from no less than Martin Scorsese, whose jury handed the film grand-prize honors at the 2013 Marrakech International Film Festival.

Chun Woo-hee stars as the title character, a high school student who, after a traumatic incident the film is slow to reveal, must transfer to another school mid-year. With no reliable sources of support to fall back on — her mother is absent, her painter father is a drunk — Gong-ju moves into the thin-walled home of a former teacher (Jo Dae-hee) and his grocer mother (Lee Young-ran). She gives herself a series of regular commitments — swimming lessons, convenience-store jobs, get-togethers with her new school's...

The 18th annual Fantasia International Film Festival will be taking place once again in Montreal and the first wave of programming has been announced, revealing an eclectic mix of genre films from around the world:

“Montreal, June 19, 2014 – The 18th annual Fantasia International Film Festival is gearing up to take Montreal by storm with three weeks of inspiration and excitement starting July 17 until August 5, 2014. Our full 2014 lineup of programming and special events will be revealed shortly, but in the meantime, here’s an early First Wave Announcement of several selected highlights and info to whet your appetite.

Unveiling Our 2014 Poster Art: Fantasia Pays Tribute To Three Legendary Figures Of The Fantastic

On May 7 of last year, Ray Harryhausen, filmmaker and stop-motion special effects pioneer, passed away at the age of 92. Mr. Harryhausen created some of the most beloved and innovative fantastic film imagery of all time in such classics as The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad...

The grandaddy of all film fests, Fantasia 2014, is set to kick off on July 17th, and we have this year's artwork to share along with the first wave of event and film announcements.

From the Press Release:

The 18th annual Fantasia International Film Festival is gearing up to take Montreal by storm with three weeks of inspiration and excitement starting July 17 until August 5, 2014. Our full 2014 lineup of programming and special events will be revealed shortly, but in the meantime here’s an early First Wave Announcement of several selected highlights and info to whet your appetite.

For this year’s edition and onwards, Fantasia will be returning to the freshly renovated Concordia Hall Cinema as its main base, which now features an even larger screen, new seating, and upgraded projection and sound.

Unveiling Our 2014 Poster Art: Fantasia Pays Tribute To Three Legendary Figures Of The Fantastic

On May 7 of last year,...

Genre festival to open with Jacky in the Kingdom of Women [pictured]; other titles include Guardians of the Galaxy, Boyhood, The Harvest and Suburban Gothic.

Riad Sattouf’s Jacky in the Kingdom of Women will receive its Canadian premiere as the opening film of this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival.

The Montreal-based genre festival runs July 17-Aug 5 and has also announced it will hold a special screening of Guardians of the Galaxy.

Other first wave announcements include six world premieres: Leo Gabriadze’s Cybernatural; Jean Luc Herbulot’s Dealer; Aik Karapetian’s The Man in the Orange Jacket; Sarah Adina Smith’s The Midnight Swim; Dan Bush’s The Reconstruction of William Zero; and Richard Bates Jr’s Suburban Gothic.

Fantasia has also announced six international premieres, including John McNaughton’s The Harvest and Park Jae-hyun’s The Huntresses, and ten Canadian premieres such as The Mo Brothers’ Killers and Mike Cahill’s I Origins.

Richard Linklater’s critically...

It is that time of the year again in which we start preparing for our favourite film festival in the world. For the unfamiliar, Sound On Sight has delivered some of the best coverage of the Fantasia Film Festival since we first launched back in 2008. In the past we’ve published up to 55 reviews, dozens of features and recorded six podcasts dedicated entirely to the three and a half week long event. So be sure to come visit us again and again throughout the months of July and August, as we will surely be all over the 2014 edition. The 18th annual Fantasia International Film Festival is taking Montreal by storm, starting July 17 until August 5, 2014. They’ve just released their new poster and along with the first wave of films, and as expected, Fantasia’s programmers aren’t disappointing. Here’s the press release. Enjoy!

****

Montreal, June 19, 2014 – The 18th annual Fantasia...

Highlights include Anton Corbijn’s A Most Wanted Man, starring the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Abel Ferrara’s controversial Dsk feature Welcome To New York.

The full line-up of the 68th Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) has been revealed this morning by artistic director Chris Fujiwara at Edinburgh’s Filmhouse.

This year’s festival, which runs from June 18-29, will comprise 156 features from 47 countries, including 11 world premieres, eight international premieres, seven European premieres and 95 UK premieres.

New titles announced today include Anton Corbijn’s A Most Wanted Man, starring the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in one of his final performances that was first shown at Sundance in January.

Straight from its lively premiere in Cannes is Abel Ferrara’s controversial title Welcome To New York, inspired by the case of former Imf managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, starring Gérard Depardieu, which will receive its UK premiere at Eiff.

Other new titles added to the line-up include [link=nm...

Closing instalment of zombie horror series to open 47th edition of genre film festival.

Jaume Balagueró’s [Rec]4 Apocalypse will open this year’s Sitges Film Festival which runs Oct 3-12.

The final instalment of the zombie horror franchise, which sees Manuela Velasco reprise her role as reporter Ángela Vidal, is currently in post-production and screens at the festival ahead of its Spanish release on Oct 31.

It was filmed in Barcelona, Terrassa, Gijón and the Canary Islands over seven weeks and was produced by Julio Fernández for Filmax, with the participation of Tve, Canal+ and in collaboration with TV3.

The 47th edition of Sitges will also screen another anticipated Catalan production in its Official Selection in the form Sergio Caballero’s second feature La Distancia.

Centring on an introverted peasant from Crimea who goes to work in the Siberian coal mines where he becomes the owner of a power station, the film was produced by Advanced Music, Sònar...

Director Jaume Balagueró was on hand today at the Sitges Film Festival press conference, to present the first trailer for the last film in the [Rec] franchise. [Rec]4: Apocalypse is set to open the festival, which will run October 3rd - 12th. Other film announcements are The Distance, the second feature from Catalan director Sergio Caballero, which will be in the official selection; and Lee Sujin's Han Gong-ju will open the New Visions category.An exciting addition to the festival this year is Blood Window, created in alliance with the Ventura Sur market. It's a new category dedicated to emerging Latin American fantastic cinema, and it will include a new award for Best Latin American Fantastic Genre Production. Excerpts from the press release about the announced films, the new...

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A selection of films from the Busan International Film Festival (Biff) are to be showcased at a Korean festival in Berlin.

The 3rd Korean Cinema Today festival (April 24 - May 4) will showcase 10 features from the 18th Biff at Berlin’s Haus der Kulterun der Welt.

It will open with Rotterdam Tiger Award winner Han Gong-ju. Other titles include Yeon Sang-ho’s gritty animation The Fake, Kim Jae-han’s Thuy, and Jung Yoonsuk’s Non-fiction Diary as well as a remastered version of Lee Man-hee’s classic Black Hair.

The festival will welcome directors including Kim, Jung and Lee Su-jin (Han Gong-ju) as well as Biff programmers Hong Hyo-sook and Cho Young-jung for a panel on New Currents in Korean Cinema – Politics, Gender and Filmmaking.

Korean sales agent Finecut has announced a raft of deals at Filmart led by Lee Su-jin’s award-winning Han Gong-ju and Berlinale queer film Night Flight.

Rotterdam Tiger Award winner Han Gong-ju sold to France (Dissidenz), UK and Ireland (Third Window Films) and Spain (Mediatres).

LeeSong Hee-il’s Night Flight sold to Hong Kong and Macau (Sun Entertainment) and Taiwan (Joint Entertainment).

Box office hit The Attorney sold to Hong Kong and Southeast Asia (Edko Films) and Taiwan (Joint Entertainment).

Hit thriller Hide And Seek sold to Germany and Austria (Edel Germany).

Yeon Sang-ho’s animated feature The Fake, recent winner of the Oporto Best Screenplay award, sold to Spain (Mediatres).

Upcoming thriller Haemoo (aka Sea Fog), executive produced by Bong Joon-ho, pre-sold to Taiwan (Filmware International).

Lee Ju-hyung Tokyo Audience Award winner Red Family, produced by Kim Ki-duk, sold to Southeast Asia (Astro). Kim’s Moebius also sold to Sweden and Finland (Njutra Films).

Noh Young-seok...

Since its premiere at Busan International Film Festival last year, Han Gong-ju has been attracting a lot of critical attention. It's been awarded with many prizes both in its native South Korea (Busan) and abroad (Marrakech, Rotterdam). After an enormously successful run in the international film circuit, Lee Su-jin's directorial debut unexpectedly became one of the most anticipated pictures of 2014, despite the fact that it's official release date hasn't been announced yet.17-year-old Han Gong-Ju is banished from her community after an incident in the small Korean village where she grew up and sent to school elsewhere. She slowly tries to build a new life and makes new friends, but never seems to manage to shake off the mysterious event that colours her past.Without revealing too...

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Plot71% Acting67% Directing70% 70%Overall Score Reader Rating: (1 Vote)69%

In the Tiger Award Competition of this year’s International Film Festival Rotterdam, one of the 3 winners, which also includes Lee Seo-Jin’s debut film Han Gong-Ju, was director Akira Ikeda’s Anatomy of a Paper clip. In a film that the jury described as an observation of absurd human behavior in a poetic fashion, Ikeda introduces his audience to Kogure, a man who slaves his days away as a paper clip bender in a local factory. His boss is mean, his co-workers are feeling just as lifeless as he does, and his daily life consists of repetitions of the day before.

Like the jury mentioned about the film, director Ikeda took the decision to tell his story in a poetic fashion. It turns the film into true “art house cinema”, where a lot is left to one’s interpretation. The strange...

South Korean sales agent also sells Red Family to Japan and Rough Play to Japan and Malaysia.

South Korean sales agent Finecut has announced a raft of deals led by thriller Haemoo (a.k.a. Sea Fog) [pictured], executive produced by Bong Joon Ho, which has pre-sold to Wild Side Films for French-speaking Europe and Twin for Japan.

Bong’s Memories Of Murder co-writer Shim Sung-bo is making a feature directorial debut with Haemoo, starring K-pop boy group Jyj member Park Yu-chun and top actor Kim Yoon-seok from The Chaser. Currently in production, the film is scheduled for a late summer release in Korea.

Russian Novel director Shin Yeon-shick’s action thriller Rough Play, written and produced by Kim Ki-duk, sold to Klockworx for Japan and Hwa Yea Multimedia for Malaysia. The film stars Lee Jun from Ninja Assassin.

Another film written and produced by Kim, Red Family - Lee Ju-hyung’s feature directorial debut which won the...

This weekend saw the end of the 2014 edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, and we can make a tally of all the awards. First and foremost among these are the Hivos Tiger Awards, given to directors only for either their first or second feature, but there were plenty of others to be had as well. Here is the list: Hivos Tiger Awards: This year the Tigers (and the accompanying 15,000 Eur each) go to the three gentlemen above. From left to right: Ikeda Akira - The Anatomy of a Paperclip Ester Martin Bergsmark - Something Must Break Lee Su-jin - Han Gong-ju The Fipresci Award: This is an international film critic award, and it goes to Uruphong Raksasad for The Songs of Rice....

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The awards have all been handed out at this year's International Film Festival Rotterdam. Here is a list of the winners:

Canon Tiger Awards for Short Films:

La isla by Dominga Sotomayor and Katarzyna Klimkiewicz, Chile/Poland/Denmark

Giant by Salla Tykkä, Finland/Romania 

The Chimera of M. by Sebastian Buerkner, United Kingdom

 

Lions Film Award:

Love Steaks by Jakob Lass

 

Hubert Bals Fund Lions Film Award:

Los Hongos by Oscar Ruiz Navia

 

Hivos Tiger Awards:

Anatomy of a Paperclip by Ikeda Akira

Han Gong-Ju by Lee Su-Jin

Something Must Break by Ester Martin Bergsmark

 

MovieZone Award:

Jacky au royaume des filles by Riad Sattouf (France)

 

Netpac Award:

28 by Jayakody Prasanna (Sri Lanka)

 

Fipresci Award:

The Songs of Rice by Uruphong Raksasad (Thailand)

 

Knf Award:

To Kill a Man by Alejandro Fernández Almendras (Chile/France)

 

Big Screen Award:

Another Year by Oxana Bychkova (Russia)

 

Eurimages Co-Production Development Award:

Tabija by...

Update: Upc Audience Award goes to Alexander Payne’s Nebraska. Festival’s second Big Screen Award to support Dutch distribution goes to Russia’s Another Year.

At the Iffr awards ceremony last night, the winners of three equal Hivos Tiger Awards were:

Anatomy of a Paper Clip (Yamamori clip koujo no atari) by Ikeda Akira (Japan)

Interview: Ikeda Akira

The jury said: “Challenging narrative form with precision and economy, this film elevates observations of the absurd in human behavior, and brings it into the poetic domain.”

Something Must Break (Nånting måste gå sönder) by Ester Martin Bergsmark (Sweden)

Interview: Ester Martin Bergsmark

The jury said: “A free-floating personal voyage traces the pains and pleasures of intimacy, recounted in a tender depiction of characters, with a sincere and playful use of cinematographic language.”

Han Gong-Ju by Lee Su-Jin (South Korea)

Interview: Lee Su-Jin

The jury said: “A skilfully crafted and highly accomplished debut – deviating from classicist structure, this film...

Update: Upc Audience Award goes to Alexander Payne’s Nebraska. Festival’s second Big Screen Award to support Dutch distribution goes to Russia’s Another Year.

At the Iffr awards ceremony last night, the winners of three equal Hivos Tiger Awards were:

Anatomy of a Paper Clip (Yamamori clip koujo no atari) by Ikeda Akira (Japan)

Interview: Ikeda Akira

The jury said: “Challenging narrative form with precision and economy, this film elevates observations of the absurd in human behavior, and brings it into the poetic domain.”

Something Must Break (Nånting måste gå sönder) by Ester Martin Bergsmark (Sweden)

Interview: Ester Martin Bergsmark

The jury said: “A free-floating personal voyage traces the pains and pleasures of intimacy, recounted in a tender depiction of characters, with a sincere and playful use of cinematographic language.”

Han Gong-Ju by Lee Su-Jin (South Korea)

Interview: Lee Su-Jin

The jury said: “A skilfully crafted and highly accomplished debut – deviating from classicist structure, this film...

Update: Upc Audience Award goes to Alexander Payne’s Nebraska. Festival’s second Big Screen Award to support Dutch distribution goes to Russia’s Another Year.

At the Iffr awards ceremony last night, the winners of three equal Hivos Tiger Awards were:

Anatomy of a Paper Clip (Yamamori clip koujo no atari) by Ikeda Akira (Japan)

Interview: Ikeda Akira

The jury said: “Challenging narrative form with precision and economy, this film elevates observations of the absurd in human behavior, and brings it into the poetic domain.”

Something Must Break (Nånting måste gå sönder) by Ester Martin Bergsmark (Sweden)

Interview: Ester Martin Bergsmark

The jury said: “A free-floating personal voyage traces the pains and pleasures of intimacy, recounted in a tender depiction of characters, with a sincere and playful use of cinematographic language.”

Han Gong-Ju by Lee Su-Jin (South Korea)

Interview: Lee Su-Jin

The jury said: “A skilfully crafted and highly accomplished debut – deviating from classicist structure, this film...

During today's Awards Ceremony in de Doelen (Rotterdam), the winners of Iffr’s nineteenth Hivos Tiger Awards Competition, as well as of the second Big Screen Award Competition and of the Netpac, Fipresci, Knf, and MovieZone awards were announced. Tomorrow Saturday, 1 February the festival audience favorites will be awarded the Upc Audience Award for best festival film and the Dioraphte Award for best Hubert Bals Fund-supported film.

Hivos Tiger Awards

Fifteen first or second films by talented filmmakers from around the globe competed in the 2014 Hivos Tiger Awards Competition. The Jury consisted of distinguished filmmaker Elia Suleiman; celebrated Dutch filmmaker Nanouk Leopold, Indonesian filmmaker and former Tiger Award nominee Edwin; Violeta Bava, Bafici programmer and film producer from Argentina and Japanese actress and producer Kiki Sugino. Each Hivos Tiger Award comes with a prize of €15,000 for the filmmaker.

The winners of the three equal Hivos Tiger Awards 2014 are:

Anatomy of a Paper Clip (Yamamori clip koujo no atari)

by Ikeda Akira (Japan, 2013)

“Challenging narrative form with precision and economy, this film elevates observations of the absurd in human behavior, and brings it into the poetic domain.”

Ikeda Akira (1976, Japan) began to make his own short films while studying English literature at Bunkyo University. After being involved in various fields such as theatre, music and dance, he directed his first feature-length film The Blue Monkey in 2006. Anatomy of a Paper Clip is his second feature.

Something Must Break (Nånting måste gå sönder)

by Ester Martin Bergsmark (Sweden, 2014)

“A free-floating personal voyage traces the pains and pleasures of intimacy, recounted in a tender depiction of characters, with a sincere and playful use of cinematographic language.”

Ester Martin Bergsmark (1982, Sweden) trained at the Swedish University College of Arts, Crafts and Design. Together with Mark Hammarberg he made the award-winning documentary Maggie in Wonderland

(2008). In 2010, he made Fruitcake as part of the experimental feminist porn suite Dirty Diaries. She Male Snails (2012) won several awards at the Gothenburg International Film Festival.

Han Gong-Ju

by Lee Su-Jin (South Korea, 2013)

“A skilfully crafted and highly accomplished debut – deviating from classicist structure, this film lures the spectator to participate in the pleasures of storytelling through an extraordinary and intricate narrative puzzle.”

Lee Su-Jin (South-Korea) is a screenwriter and director. He made several award-winning short films in his homeland. His roll of honour continues with his debut feature Han Gong-Ju, which won two awards at Busan, plus the top prize at the film festival of Marrakech.

Hivos director Edwin Huizing:

“Hivos aims to give young filmmakers a voice. To inspire us; to push boundaries. Their work has the potential to break open societies, so thoughts and creativity can flow more freely. The Hivos Tiger Awards give them the recognition they deserve.”

The Big Screen Award

Iffr introduced a new competition in 2013: The Big Screen Award Competition, aimed at supporting the distribution of films in Dutch cinemas. Ten very recent films with no Benelux distributor confirmed were nominated for this prize. An audience jury, chaired in 2014 by Christine de Baan, chose the winner. Iffr will connect a prize of €10.000 to the award in 2014. The money is for the distributor to support the costs of publicity for the releases of the winning film in cinemas in the Netherlands.

The winner of The Big Screen Award 2014 is:

Another Year

(Yeshche odin god) by Oxana Bychkova (Russia, 2014)

“At a time when Dutch media abound with negative news about Russia, Another Year

takes us straight into the daily lives of the young people who will shape its future and makes us open up our hearts to them. More than just a simple love story, it shows us how globalization meets tradition in present-day Russia, how they clash, and how they might be reconciled. Pitch perfect, beautifully acted and choreographed, modest, subtle and utterly convincing.”

Oxana Bychkova (1972, Ukraine) is a screenwriter and director. She studied journalism in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, graduating in 1995. After a career as a radio journalist, Bychkova began studying directing in 2000, focusing on filmmaking. Another Year is her first feature film.

Netpac Award

The Netpac Jury (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) awards the best Asian film in the Iffr 2014 Official Selection. The Jury consisted of Paul Agusta, filmmaker, filmcritic and poet from Indonesia; Defne Gursoy, film critic and writer from Turkey; and Anu Rangachar, programme director of the Mumbai Film Festival, India.

The winner of the Netpac Award 2014 is:

28

by Prasanna Jayakody (Sri Lanka, 2014)

“A well-measured and crafted film that emotionally engages the audience through poetic storytelling of a critical subject.”

Prasanna Jayakody (1968, Sri Lanka) was born into an artistic family strongly rooted in traditional Sinhala values, and grew up in a Buddhist environment. This became a major inspiration for his productions. He made his debut at the age of 21 with the stage drama Shadows and Men, which was a critical success. He then started directing television dramas that were loved by the masses and won him numerous television awards. His earlier films Sankara (2006) and Karma (2010) have also screened at Iffr.

Fipresci Award

The Jury of the International Association of Film Critics Fipresci (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique) awards the best film among the twenty-two world premieres in Bright Future 2014. The Jury consisted of president Blagoja Kunovski, Macedonia (Mrtv, Kinopis, Sintheses); Maria Fosheim Lund, Norway (Aftenposten, Wuxia); Guilhem Caillard, Canada (Séquences, Panorama-Cinéma, Cineuropa); Alberto Castellano, Italy (Il Manifesto, Segnocinema) and Sasja Koetsier, the Netherlands (De Filmkrant, Tijdschrift Lover).

The winner of the Rotterdam Fipresci Award 2014 is:

The Songs of Rice (Pleng khong kao)

by Uruphong Raksasad (Thailand, 2014)

“Fully relying on its strong cinematography, it creates an immersive sensory experience that makes us part of a vivid community revolving around the cultivation of a tiny grain.”

Uruphong Raksasad (1977, Thailand) studied film and photography at Thammasat University. After graduating in 2004, he worked as an editor and post-production supervisor on several Thai feature films. Since 2004, he has focused on his own career, returning to the region where he was born and shooting his feature debut Stories from the North (2006). The Songs of Rice is his third feature.

Knf Award

For the Knf Award, The Dutch Circle of Film Critics (Knf) Jury chose the winner out of the ten films in The Big Screen Award Competition 2014. The Knf Award consists of a subtitled Dcp. The Knf Jury consisted of Kees Driessen (Vrij Nederland); Paul van Es (Troskompas/TVKrant); Jelle Schot (Vpro/Cinema.nl); Nienke Huitenga (Lola/Filmtab) and Quirijn Foeken (Biosagenda).

The winner of the Knf Award 2014 is:

To Kill a Man (Matar a un hombre)

by Alejandro Fernández Almendras (Chile/France, 2013)

Read the review by Carlos Aguilar Here

“A compelling film with great visual style, impressive acting, and exactly the right length. The story is both simple and challenging. We follow the humiliation of the protagonist step by step and are confronted with our own fears in the process. This unremitting psychological thriller deserves to be seen on the big screen.”

Alejandro Fernández Almendras (1971, Chile) has a degree in journalism and worked as a film critic, photographer and journalist. Since 2002, he makes short films and video installations. His award-winning feature film debut Huacho (Alone)

premiered in Cannes in 2009.

MovieZone Award

MovieZone Jury gives young people the opportunity to fully experience a film festival and present their opinions on film. The MovieZone Iffr Jury consisted of five members between the ages of 15 and 18: Hanneke Bijker; Dzifa Kusenuh; Mauro Casarini; Moeddie Sherif and Floris Detering. In Rotterdam, they selected the winner out of eighteen eligible festival films. The winner of the MovieZone Iffr Award 2014 receives € 1,500 for promotion of the film among young people. The film also has a chance to become part of an Eye educational film programm.

The winner of the MovieZone Award 2014 is:

Jacky in the Kingdom of Women (Jacky au royaume des filles)

by Riad Sattouf (France, 2014)

“It was like a classical fairytale but with a completely different point of view. The makers of the film created a whole new world with the art direction and costume design and the film had a theme that everyone can relate to. The film was really funny but also had a great message.”

Riad Sattouf (1978, France) is a French writer, comic book artist and director with Syrian roots. He has successfully published various graphic novels and has a weekly comic in the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. In 2009, he made his directing debut with the award-winning film Les beaux gosses. Jacky au royaume des filles is his second film.

Iffr previously announced winners of the Canon Tiger Awards for Short Films

and Arte International and Eurimages for best CineMart 2014 projects...

Plot76% Acting82% Directing80% Music78%Strong performancesImpressive debut by director Lee Seo-Jin Music works well Heavy topic, so don't expect sunshine and rainbows 80%Overall Score Reader Rating: (0 Votes)0%

At the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Tiger Award is awarded to the 3 best debut films. There are 15 nominees, from which 3 are Asian films. In this year’s competition, director Lee Seo-Jin’s debut film, Han Gong-Ju was among the 3 winners; and what a debute film it is. Powerful, moving and disturbing at points, Lee introduces the audience to Gong-Ju, a high school student who gets transfered to a new school and starts living in the house of her teacher’s mother. We follow her trying to get used to her new life, but her past is not easy to escape from.

Atmospherically filmed, the film has beautiful camerawork and follows its characters at close range, pulling the audience deeper in the world surrounding Gong-Ju.

Every year, at the end of Januari, avid cinema lovers in The Netherlands get excited. Why? Cause it means the International Film Festival Rotterdam, aka the Iffr, is about to start again! Coming Wednesday, 22nd of January until the 2nd of February, it is that time of the year again.

With its first edition dating back to 1972, the Iffr has been around for about 4 decades, being not only the biggest film festival in The Netherlands, but also one of the biggest in the world. With films from all over the globe the festival is a pure treat for film lovers and every edition has many visitors from different countries coming to see as many films as possible in the period of 12 days. Filmmakers themselves visit the festival to screen their films, with many of them having their world premiere at the festival.

With over 100 films being screened, the Asian cinema...

Above: Something Must Break

International Film Festival Rotterdam 2014

Tiger Awards Competition

Afscheid van de Maan/Farewell to the Moon by Dick Tuinder (Netherlands, 2014, world premiere)

Visual artist Dick Tuinder’s second feature revolves around 12-year-old Dutch and his family in the hot summer of 1972, when the Americans launch their last mission to the moon. Tuinder contrasts the tragicomic adventures of his protagonists with the lost illusions of that transitional year, in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and approaching oil crisis. Iffr showed many of Tuinder’s short films, as well as his first feature Winterland (2009).

Anatomy of a Paper Clip by Akira Ikeda (Japan, 2013, European premiere)

Akira Ikeda's crazy and funny second feature is a dark fairytale revolving around Kogure, a paperclip bender in a paperclip factory, a man without characteristics and a stoical loser. One day he finds a butterfly in his flat. She becomes his wife,...

The International Film Festival Rotterdam has completed the lineup for its Hivos Tiger Awards Competition.

These 10 titles join the five previously announced. All 15 first or second features will compete for three equal Tiger awards worth €15,000 each.

Elia Suleiman will lead the jury, also comprised of of Nanouk Leopold, Edwin, Violeta Bava and Kiki Sugino.

The selections (listed in full below) including Dutch artist Dick Tuinder’s second feature after Winterland, a 1972-set Dutch family story entitled Farewell To The Moon; Syria-set debut feature Arwad by Samer Najari and Dominique Chila; Busan audience award winner Han Gong-ju by Lee Su-jin; producer Luis Minarro’s first fiction feature Falling Star, about the lonely king of Spain in 1870; and Mark Jackson’s Us production War Story starring Catherine Keener.

The titles confirmed today are:

Farewell To The Moon (Afscheid van de Maan)

Dick Tuinder (Netherlands, world premiere)

Arwad

Samer Najari and Dominique Chila (Canada)

Casa grande

Fellipe Barbosa (Brazil, world...

Company also picks up award-winning independent film Han Gong-ju.

South Korean sales agent Finecut has announced they’ve picked up current local hit The Attorney [pictured] and award-winning independent film Han Gong-ju to launch sales at the European Film Market (Efm).

As reported yesterday, political drama The Attorney, starring Song Kang-ho, has clocked up over 8m admissions since its release at a rate faster than Avatar, the all-time hit at the Korean box office.

Director Lee Sujin’s feature debut Han Gong-ju premiered at the Busan International Film Festival last October where it won the Cgv Movie Collage Award (which gives theatrical release support) and the Citizen Reviewers’ Award. The film also snapped up the Golden Star for best film at the Marrakech International Film Festival.

Han Gong-ju is screening at the Palm Springs fest this week in the New Voices/New Vision section.

The film is about a neglected 17-year-old girl called Gong-ju (which means “princess” in Korean...

Prize winners of the 2013 Marrakech International Film Festival have been unveiled by jury president Martin Scorsese and jurists Fatih Akin, Patricia Clarkson, Marion Cotillard, Amat Escalante, Golshifteh Farahani, Anurag Kashyap, Narjiss Nejjar, Park Chan-wook and Paolo Sorrentino (who had to miss his big night at the European Film Awards). South Korean director Lee Su-jin took the top festival prize, The Golden Star, for his drama "Han Gong-Ju" (gorgeous Korean trailer below). The jury prize went to 2013 Cannes Fipresci winner Jeremy Saulnier's arthouse revenge film "Blue Ruin," tying with Carlos Machado Quintela's "The Swimming Pool." Full list of winner's below: The Golden Star - The Festival Grand Prize Han Gong-ju de/by Lee Su-jin (South Korea) The Jury Prize Blue Ruin by Jeremy Saulnier (USA) The Swimming Pool (La piscina) de/by Carlos MacHado Quintela (Cuba & Venezuela) The Best Directing Prize Medeas by Andrea Pallaoro (USA, Italy...

Marrakech, Morocco – The curtain closed on the Marrakech Film Festival with the awards being handed out Saturday evening by jury president Martin Scorsese and jurors Fatih Akin, Patricia Clarkson, Marion Cotillard, Amat Escalante, Gloshifteh Farahani, Anurag Kashyap, Narjiss Najjar, Park Chan-Wook, and Paolo Sorrentino. The top prize, the festival’s Golden Star, went to Korean Lee Su-Jin for Han Gong-Ju. In his speech, the first-time director thanked the jury offering up his “deep respect” for the panel. “I will never forget when they were all watching my movie just in front of me,” he said.

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