All articles by Jean Noh – Page 75
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Korean admissions drop by 10% in first quarter
The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) has announced first quarter figures that show an estimated 10% drop in admissions year-on-year. South Korea saw 35.58 million admissions to the tune of $233.13m (KW231.2bn) from Jan 1- March 31, 2008. KOFIC's report notes that, considering the fact that the number of releases for ...
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Mediaplex to shut down Motion 101 production arm
Major Korean entertainment company Mediaplex is set to close down its upstart production arm Motion 101, giving rise to speculation regarding its parent company Orion Group's future intentions for the film business. Mediaplex houses major investor/distributor Showbox and operates the Megabox theatre chain.It sold off the latter, which it built ...
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Hanhwa launches second fund as Korean IPTV market hots up
Hanhwa's second Daisy Cultural Content Investment Fund, specialising in content such as films, animation and performances, will invest $10.2m (KW10bn) over five years. Hanaro Telecom is investing $2m in the fund, alongside Hanhwa Venture Capital Corp and film importer Daisy Entertainment, to buy up content for its IPTV service HanaTV.HanaTV ...
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Korea Telecom, Softbank launch $41m content fund
Korea Telecom (KT) and Japanese IT investment company Softbank have announced a $41m (KW40bn) content fund called the KT Global New Media Investment Fund. The two companies are to invest 50:50 in the fund focusing on content for KT's internet protocol TV (IPTV) service MegaTV, which will also be shared ...
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Jeonju to kick off ninth edition with Kunitoshi's The Kiss
Korea's Jeonju International Film Festival announced the line-up for its ninth edition, to open with the international premiere of The Kiss, by Manda Kunitoshi (The Tunnel, Unloved) from Japan.The fest will close with the world premiere of the omnibus If You Were Me 4, produced by the National Human Rights ...
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Ten Korean cultural orgs launch federation
Led by the Korean Film Producers' Association (KFPA), ten cultural content-related organisations gathered to launch the Korea Federation of Culture Industries in Seoul today, for the strategic development of their industries. Aside from the KFPA, the inaugural members are the Seoul Theater Association, Korea Association of Film Art & Industry ...
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Studio 2.0 seals deals on Epitaph, Highway Star
Korean sales agent Studio 2.0 has announced a slew of deals from Filmart led by Hong Kong 's Celestial Movies Channel picking up four titles including recent horror hit Epitaph and romantic comedy Highway Star. Epitaph also sold to TLA Releasing for North American rights and CCRE for Japan.Highway Star ...
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Jeonju fest launches work in progress section
Korea's Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) is launching a one-day showcase called 'Work In Progress' for independent films currently in production. Best known for its commissioning and screening of annual digital short film troikas, JIFF has for nine years endeavored to discover and promote newcomers' innovative filmmaking.With the Work In ...
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De Niro, Garcia and Choi on Hyun Jin's street
Korean production company Hyun Jin Cinema has announced a $40m Japan-Korea-US co-production, Street of Dreams, about legendary Asian-American gangster Montana Joe to star Robert DeNiro, Andy Garcia, and Choi Min-soo.Raymond De Felitta, whose Two Family House won the Audience Award at Sundance, is directing the film.The film's producer Fred Roos, ...
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Japan off blocks with Run! Run! Run!
J-Pitch and UniJapan have represented five Japanese projectssupported by HAF, led by Run! Run! Run!, a Gaga Communications film to be directed by Hanawa Yukinari and produced by Hiromi Honoki.Based on Nozomi Katsura's novel of the same name, the $2m film deals with a top athlete and the question of ...
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Korea 's Activers sells Dream and Diary
South Korean sales agent Activers has sold two Japanese films - You Are My Dream and 26 Years Diary to Ram Indo for Singapore and Malaysia.Directed by Hanado Junji, You Are My Dream stars Matsuyama Kenichi (Death Note, L: Change The World) as a delinquent boy whose life is changed ...
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NTV seeks pre-sales on manga story
Nippon Television Network (NTV) is pre-selling Twentieth Century Boys, a three-part film based on Naoki Urasawa's popular manga, at Hong Kong's Filmart.The story concerns Kenji and his friends who have to combat the mysterious realisation of a 'world destruction plan' they had playfully made up as children.Buyers flew in to ...
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Theron plots return of Lady Vengeance
Academy Award-winning actress Charlize Theron is to produce and star in a remake of Korean director Park Chan-wook's hit thriller Sympathy For Lady Vengeance. 'We are still in the very preliminary stages. We're working with Ms. Theron and her production company to make the remake happen,' said Chong Choe, director ...
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Activers brings Korean classics to market
South Korean sales agent Activers Entertainment is debuting a classics library of Korean films at Filmart.'It's a package of classic films that previously - for whatever reason - have not been sold internationally,' said Monica Han, Activers Global Business manager.'We have already had a lot of interest from buyers, even ...
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UniKorea picks up Majidi's Sparrows from Fortissimo
Fortissimo Film Sales has sold Majid Majidi's Iranian film The Song Of Sparrows (Avaze Gonjeshk-ha) to UniKorea.Fortissimo's senior vice president of sales & acquisitions Winnie Lau brokered the deal with Unikorea acquisitions exec Yura Kwon.Fortissimo picked up worldwide rights to the film directly after this year's Berlinale where it won ...
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Oldboy star Yoo says Hello to rom-com
Oldboy villain Yoo Ji-tae is to star in M&FC's tentatively titled Hello, Schoolgirl, a romantic comedy based on a hugely popular South Korean manga by Kang Full.The film, which starts shooting on Wednesday, is directed byRyu Jang-ha - whose previous film When Spring Comes starred another Oldboy star Choi Min-shik.Boyun ...
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Terminator finds Korean future with Mars
South Korea's Mars Entertainment has made a number of acquisitions including a deal for The Halcyon Company's Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins. Christian Bale will star in the fourth in the Terminator series to be directed by McG for a 2009 release. Warner Brothers hold US rights while Sony recently ...
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Guard posts pre-sales to UK and Thailand
South Korea's Showbox Mediaplex has pre-sold mystery thriller The Guard Post to the UK's Showbox and J-Bics for Thailand.The film tells the story of an officer sent to solve the mystery of a massacre at a guard post overlooking the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.Directed by Gong Soo-chang, ...
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Lotte's Show goes on to Germany
South Korea's Lotte Entertainment has sold gangster drama The Show Must Go On to Splendid Film for Germany.Han Jae-rim's gritty film stars Song Kang-ho (The Host) as a middle-aged gangster struggling with work and family'Splendid and Lotte have done business together before and they had ex press ed interest in ...
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Han Yan film first on Fantasy slate
Beijing-based Fantasy Pictures Entertainment has moved into production business with a mission to develop young generation film-makers.The first film in their 2008 slate is romantic drama Qiyue And Ansheng, directed by upcoming Han Yan.The project is now approved by the Film Bureau and it plans to start shooting before summer.Established ...