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| Korea has been regarded as one
of the most interesting film-producing countries in Asia for some time
now. In particular, the relaxing of censorship has meant that films could
start dealing with the far-reaching changes in the country. Similarly to
the sixties in Europe, many Korean filmmakers have got involved in current
debates. Their work shows that even in the late nineties, lively communication
between cinema and real life can have a beneficial effect on filmmaking.
TIMELESS, BOTTOMLESS, BAD MOVIE by Jang Sun-Woo shows the life of young punks and homeless people in Seoul. Jang makes a montage of documentary scenes with fictional inserts from the adventurous daily life of the young people, who wrote the sketch for the script and act themselves. The film gives us a glimpse into the depths of a society where young people have left their parents rapidly and without illusions to enter the 21st century of the megalopolis. HABITUAL SADNESS is a personal documentary by 31-year-old director Byun Young-Joo, originally inspired by its leading actresses. Byun's previous film about former forced prostitutes, THE MURMURING (Special Screening at the 1998 Forum) had a significant impact on the social rehabilitations of women. HABITUAL SADNESS shows how one-time victims have turned into battling old ladies. Today they live together in an almost utopian women's community and have created a feminist substitute for the family. Additional feature films in the programme include BARRICADE, a debut film by Yoon In-Ho in which migrant workers from Bangladesh in a small laundry have to cope with problems of global significance; and MOTEL CACTUS by Park Ki-Young. Also a first movie, this depicts tragi-comic stories of relationships played out in the rooms of a hotel, with Christopher Doyle's camera creating an expressionist lighting. THE CONTACT by Jan Yoon-Hyun tells a modern love story based on an e-mail exchange. Three films form a mini-retrospective dedicated to the father of Korean independent cinema, Kim Ki-Young. The 78-year-old director's dramas of married life are visually radical and so full of baffling twists that these films, largely unknown in the West, stand a very good chance of becoming cult movies. In the Video Programme the International Forum is showing ON-LINE: AN INSIDE VIEW OF KOREAN INDEPENDENT FILM, and impressive presentation of oppositional film by the filmmakers themselves. In RED HUNT by Cho Sung-Bong, witnesses from the time tell the story of the massacre of Cheju Island more than 50 years ago. The cinematic reconstruction of the historical event with which the division of the country began sparked off a heated national debate in Korea. The Korean film programme is being supported by the Korean Motion Picture Promotion Corporation. To complement the Spotlight on Korean Cinema the Forum presents the Australian film PYONGYANG DIARIES by Solrun Hoaas. January 15, 1998 |
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