BIFF winners, controversial documentaries, successful indie debuts to get second airing


If you haven’t had the chance to check out some of the most controversial, highly regarded or rarely screened movies released this year, check out these exciting special film screenings in the coming days. These may be your last opportunity to watch the films before the year ends.

Starting Thursday, 2011 BIFF with Movie Collage ― a joint project between BIFF and CGV Movie Collage ― will screen a total of 19 award-winning, acclaimed works previously featured at this year’s BIFF in October.

If you are an indie or art house film junkie, Cinecode Sonje in Samcheong-dong is the place to be from Dec. 22 to Jan 11. Local distributor JIN JIN Pictures is throwing a special movie bash featuring 27 indie, art house and non-fiction films from both home and abroad, all released this year.

And if you want to see next year’s films, drop by Ewha Womans University on Dec. 21. The organizing committee of International Women’s Film Festival in Seoul is throwing a one of a kind screening event on Dec. 21, showcasing the films made by migrant women and young North Korean defectors for the very first time. The movies will be featured in next year’s festival. 

2011 BIFF with Movie Collage

All 19 featured films from the event have received prizes at this year’s BIFF. Notable films include Tilda Swinton- starring film “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kuro-Eda’s touching childhood drama “I Wish” and Iranian director Morteza Farshbaf’s “Mourning.” Chinese director Yonfan, whose works were specially featured at this year’s BIFF, will visit Seoul once again for the special event. Four of his films ― “Prince of Tears” (2009), “Bishonen” (1998), “Peony Pavilion” (2001) and “Color Blossoms” (2004) ― will be screened during the week-long event. The screenings run from Dec. 15-21 at CGV Apgujeong in southern Seoul. For tickets and information, call 1544-1122. 

2011 Last Propose at Cinecode Sonje

The year of 2011 has been particularly blessed by the release of highly successful independent films, including celebrated rookie director Park Jumg-bum’s North Korean defector drama “The Journals of Musan,” Min Yong-geun’s “Re-encounter,” award-sweeping young auteur Yoon Sung-hyun’s “Bleak Night,” and anime filmmaker Yeun Sang-ho’s gruesome revenge tale “The King of the Pigs.” The four films, along with 24 others, will be screened during the 2011 Last Propose at Cinecode Sonje, jointly hosted by local distributor JIN JIN Pictures and Sonje Art Center.

Also, for non-fiction film buffs, the event offers screenings of highly controversial works released this year. The line-up includes the famous controversial documentary “The True-taste Show,” Korea’s fist gay documentary “The Miracle of Jongno,” and heartwarming record of street cats, “Dancing Cat.”

Other notable films include Tilda Swinton-starring film “I Am Love,” Hong Sang-soo’s charming black and white flick “The Day He Arrives,” and French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve’s powerful war drama “Incendies.” The event runs from Dec. 22 to Jan 11 of next year at Cinecode Sonje in Samcheong-dong, Seoul. For more information, call (02) 730-3200.

“Slow Slow, Quick Quick”

A one-day film event offers a rare opportunity to get a glimpse of films made by young North Korean defectors and migrant women in Korea. Hosted by the organizing committee of International Women’s Film Festival in Seoul, the special screening event, titled “Slow Slow, Quick Quick,” features 26 films that largely deal with the migrant experience in South Korea.

The films are created by participants of filmmaking workshop programs specially prepared for migrant women and young North Korean defectors. The featured filmmakers attended the workshops throughout the past five years. They will attend the screenings of their works on the day of the event and have a talk with the viewers. The event is titled “Slow Slow, Quick Quick,” to emphasize that the bond between the featured filmmakers and viewers may transpire instantly.

Notable films include Chinese-born directors Yang Ryeo-wa and Eom Mi-ran’s documentary “I, too, have a wife” and junior filmmaker Kang Hee-song’s “My Dream.”

The one-day event will be held at Ewha Womans Univeristy’s ECC building in Seoul on Dec. 21, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call (02) 583-3599.

By Claire Lee  (dyc@heraldcorp.com)