The Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines (KCC) and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea will be opening its annual Korean Film Festival this September to October with the theme, “Strings of Affinity.”
The festival had its first run in SM Lanang Premiere in Davao last September 17 to 21 and is currently in SM Iloilo until September 27. From October 1 to 4, the film festival will move to SM City Cebu and will have its final run in SM Megamall in Manila from October 8 to 11.
The Films
One of the top grossing films in Korea, “The Thieves”(도둑들) is about a group of South Korean thieves led by Popie (Lee Jung-jae) and Hong Kong thieves commissioned by the master thief Macao Park (Kim Yoon-seok) to steal the diamond “Tear of the Sun”. Having their own special skills in stealing, the two teams work together in the biggest heist of their lives, but little do they know that the 10 thieves all have their own agendas.
In “Miss Granny” (수상한그녀 ), the 74-year-old widow Oh Mal-Soon is transformed back to her 20-year-old self after having her photo taken at a mysterious photo studio. With no one recognizing her, Mal-soon decides to make the most out of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She renames herself Oh Doo-ri and decides to pursue her dream of becoming a singer together with her grandson Ji-ha who doesn’t realize that she is his grandmother.
Han Hyo-Joo plays the role of Yoon-Joo in “Cold Eyes”( 감시자들). She is a newly accepted member of the surveillance team in the police department. Together with the team’s leader Detective Hwang (Sol Kyung-Gu), they are tasked to take down James’ (Jung Woo-Sung) bank robbing criminal group. However, the surveillance team is having a hard time to track down the robbers due to their masks and efficiency during the heist.
Set in the 1950s, “Front Line” (고지전) tells the story of KANG Eun-pyo (SHIN Ha-kyun) who is sent to join the Alligator Company at Aerok Hill. Upon arriving at Aerok Hill he is surprised to see his old friend Kim Soo-hyuk (Go Soo), who was missing and presumed dead, alive and an officer of the Alligator Company. Soo-Hyuk is now a ruthless officer and does not always follow commands from the South Korean army. The situation within the Alligator Company raises many questions in the eyes of Eun-Pyo: South Korean soldiers wear North Korean uniforms inside due to the cold weather; a young officer leads the troops as a captain; the sudden reappearance of Soo-hyuk; and a secret communication box wherein North and South Korean soldiers can exchange letters and presents to each other.
Based on a true story, “Hope” (소원) tells the story of a family coping up with the tragic incident that happened to their daughter. A young girl named So-won (Lee Re) was on her way to school when she was sexually assaulted and nearly beaten to death by a drunken old stranger. As a result of the incident, she suffered from both physical injuries and severe emotional trauma. As they continue to recover on the incident while pursuing justice, the family also begins to strengthen their relationship.
A Romantic comedy film, “Marriage Blue” (결혼전야) tells the misadventures of four engaged couples who are having second thoughts about marriage. The first couple, Tae-Kyu (Kim Kang-Woo) and Joo-Young (Kim Hyo-Jin), is in the middle of planning their wedding when Tae-Kyu discovers that Joo-Young is a divorcee. Tae-Kyu feels betrayed making him think twice about their marriage. 2PM’s Ok Taecyeon plays the role of Won-Cheol, who is about to marry his longtime girlfriend So-Mi. A few days before their wedding date, So-Mi travels to Jeju Island where she meets the tour guide and web comic writer Kyung-soo (Joo Ji-Hoon) and she falls in love with him. The third couple is about an old bachelor, Gun-Ho, and his young foreigner fiancée Vika. Gun-Ho is afflicted with impotency caused by his insecurities and stress thinking that Vika is only marrying him to obtain Korean citizenship. The last couple, Dae-Bok and Yi-ra, is about to have a shotgun wedding due to Yi-Ra’s pregnancy. In the middle of their wedding preparations, Dae-Bok is starting to think twice about the marriage because of Yi-Ra’s attitude so he tries to convince her to postpone the wedding.
Shot in documentary style, “Duresori: Voice of the East” (두레소리) is based on a true story of Seul-Gi and Ah-Reum who are third year students at the National High School of the Traditional Arts. During their final summer they are forced to join the school choir in order to fill the remaining requirement. A conflict also arises between Ms. Ham, their instructor who majored in western music, and the students, who majors in traditional Korean music. However, as Ms. Ham and the students begin to grow interest in each musical forms, the school decide to cancel the class’s annual summer concert.
The Korean Film Festival was organized with the help from Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), the Film Cultural Exchange Program, Korean Film Council, Korea Copyright Commission, Korea Tourism Organization, SM Cinema and SM Supermalls.
All films are with English subtitles. Admission is free to all. For more details, contact the Korean Cultural Center at 555-1711, or email [email protected]. You may also log on to koreanculture.ph.
