Korean new wave

1
Korean new wave

• Society change
• Film industry change
• New filmmakers/new style/new audience?
• Global media scene

2
South Korea history

• 1910-45 Japanese occupation
• 1950-53 Korean war
• 1961-79 Park Chung Hee
• 1979 Park assassinated
• 1980, 1987 Brief democratic periods
• 1980 Kwangju massacre
• 1980- military government, Chun Doo Hwan
• 1988 Seoul Olympics
• 1993 First civil president Kim Young-sam
• 1996 Chun Doo Hwan Roh Tae Woo to court
• 1997 Economic downfall

3
Film historical events

• Motion Picture Law, 1962, from artisanal to
  studio system, reduce studios to 16
• 1966 Screen quota all theaters have to show 146
  days Korean films (now 73) quota quickies
• Ban on Japanese films
• 1960s-70s dir. Kim Ki-young Housemaid, Iodo

4
Im Kwon-taek

• 99 films since 1962
• Mandala, 1980
• Gilsodom, 1985
• Sopyonje, 1993
• Taebak Mountains, 1994
• Chunhyang, 2000
• Chihwaseon, 2002

5
Film industry

• 1980s, early 90s domestic film box office income
  20 1999 it was 50
• 1990s investments by Samsung, Daewoo etc.
• JS Entertainment, Cinema Service and Kang Je-kyu
  Film enter around 2000 big budget films
• UNO Film, East Film, Free Cinema, Myung Film
  smaller budget films
• 1980s new generation filmmakers Jang Sun-woo and
  Park Kang-su...
• Birth of blockbuster hit Shiri, 1999, dir. Kang
  Je-kyu
• 1990s 386 Generation
• Film festivals Korean film at intl festivals,
  festivals in Korea Pusan, PIFAN
• U.S. remake rights bought
• Regional stars Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung,
  Jang Dong-gun, Lee Jung-jae, Won Bin, Jung
  Woo-sung

6
CJ Group

• CJ Entertainment
• Cable TV Channel
• Movie theaters

7
Genres

• Comedy (The Foul King)
• Gansgster, gansgter comedy
• Modern romance (My Sassy Girl, Il Mare)
• Horror (Memento Mori, Whispering Corridors,
  Spider Forest)
• Blockbuster action (Shiri, Silmido, Taegukgi)
• Swordplay (Gingko Bed) adopted from Hong Kong,
  export (Jinhee Choi)
• Art film genre mix

8
Themes

• Korean history society, North vs. South
• Peppermint Candy, dir. Lee Chang-dong, 2000
• Silmido, dir. Kan Woo-suk, 2003
• Taegukgi, dir, Kang Je-gyu, 2004
• JSA, dir. Park Chanwook
• Memories of Murder, dir. Bong Joon-ho, 2003

• Masculinity (Kyung Hyun Kim)
• The Foul King, dir. Kim Jee-woon, 2000
• Public Enemy, dir. Kang Woo-suk, 2002
• Oasis, dir. Lee Chang-dong, 2002

9
Some films and directors

• Kim Ki-duk
• The Isle, 2000
• Address Unknown, 2001
• Bad Guy, 2001
• The Coast Guard, 2002
• Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring, 2003
• Samaritan Girl, 2004
• 3-Iron, 2004

• Park Chanwook
• Joint Security Area, 2000
• The Vengeance trilogy
• Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
• Old Boy
• Sympathy for Lady Vengeance

10
Other contemporary directors

• Woman directors
• Yi Chong-hyang Way home, 2002
• Im Sun-rye Waikiki Brothers, 2001 Three
  Friends, 1996
• Jeong Jae-eun Take Care of My Cat, 2001
• Lee Min-yong A Hot Roof, 1996
• About tradition
• Why has Boddhidharma Left for the East? dir. Bae
  Yong-Kyun, 1989

• Kwak Kyung-taek Friend (ganster genre)
• Hur Jin-ho Christmas in August, 1998
  (awkwardness of love)
• Jung Ji-woo Happy End (triller)
• Hong Sang-soo The Day the Pig Fell into the
  Well, 1996 Power in Kangwon province, 1998
  Virgin Stripped Bare by her Bachelors, 2000
  Turning Gate, 2002 - stylistic and narrative
  experimentation

11
Web sites

• Korean Film Council
• http//www.koreanfilm.or.kr/
• Korean Movie and Drma Databse
• http//www.hancinema.net/
• Movie reviews
• http//www.koreanfilm.org/
• Generally on Asian film
• http//www.loveasianfilm.com/