Sung Yoo-ri Debuts on Big Screen

Actress Sung Yoo-ri, who has debuted on big screen in the movie "Maybe," recently made the statement, "It was great pressure for me because my face filled the entire screen and my acting was shown to everyone in the world. But we were able to finish the shoot smoothly thanks to the support of the production team. Now it's up to viewers to judge if it was good or not." At the production announcement for the movie on October 5 at Lotte Avenue, Sung introduced herself as a "new actress."

"Maybe" is a story about May, a woman who was adopted in the U.S. when she was young and visited her home country 23 years later in search of her identity. To portray her character, Sung had to perfectly depict the feelings of despair, loss and hope without saying many lines.

Sung said, "Unlike my previous characters, May doesn't talk much. I had to portray her feelings through facial expressions, so I thought a lot of what I would think if I were her. I also watched documentaries about adopted children and learned English."

"The production team hardly ever talked to me because I didn't have to say many lines. At first, I liked it but then it became boring. I chose this movie because of its exotic and unusual scenario," added the actress.

Jang Hyuk, who plays a taxi driver with a rare heart disease, said Sung worked hard and lauded her acting skills as natural. He also added that he liked his character for his refusal to give up and his efforts to do his best. He said, "Despite his heart disease, my character continues to live to the fullest and even meets new women. That's why I told the director that I wanted to take this tole."

"Maybe" was directed by Joo Ji-hong, who debuted in France in 2004. It is his first domestic production, and it was invited to the 14th Pusan International Film Festival in the category "Korean Film Today - Panorama."

"Maybe" is slated for release on October 22.

source: KBS Global

Tags: Sung Yoo-ri/Jang Hyuk/korean movie

Kim Ok-vin Named Best Actress at Sitges Film Fest

Actress Kim Ok-vin shared the award for Best Actress with Spain's Elena Anaya at the 42nd Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, Spain.

The 23-year-old won the award, the festival announced Sunday, for her role in Park Chan-wook's "Thirst.'' Kim shared the award with Anaya for her role in "Hierro,'' a psychological thriller.

"Thirst,'' a thriller that won the jury prize at Cannes this year, is about a priest-turned-vampire (Song Kang-ho) struggling with his desire for blood and sex. Kim received critical acclaim for her portraying a femme fatale who seduces the bloodsucking priest.

In 2005, South Korea's Lee Young-ae won the award for "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance,'' also directed by Park.

Kim debuted through an online beauty contest hosted by Internet portal site Naver in 2004. Her filmography includes the comic period film "The Accidental Gangster and Mistaken Courtesan'' and teen sex comedy "Dasepo Naughty Girls'' (2006).

Founded in 1967, Sitges is the largest genre film festival in the world and takes place every October in the Catalonian coastal town, some 40 kilometers south of Barcelona.

British director Duncan Jones, who is known as the son of rock legend David Bowie, stole the limelight at this year's event with his feature debut. He takes home the award for Best Motion Picture for his sci-fi thriller "Moon,'' whose hero Sam Rockwell also won the Best Actor prize. The Best Director prize went to Filipino director Brillante Mendoza ("Kinatay'').

credit: hyowlee@koreatimes.co.kr
source: koreatimes.co.kr

Tags: Kim Ok vin/korean actress/Park Chan wook/korean movie/Thirst

My Girlfriend is an Agent [ Korean Movie 2009 ]

Genre : Action, Comedy
Starring : Kang Ji-hwan, Kim Ha-neul
Release date : April 23, 2009
Runtime :112 min.
Directed by : Sin Tae-ra

Synopsis:

A Russian organized crime group is set out to steal an advanced chemical weapon from Korea and two secret agents are out to stop them. One is a veteran secret agent named AHN Soo-ji who is a master of all forms of martial arts and envied by her comrades. Another is a rookie named LEE Jae-joon who’s never been out on the field and always goofs up on the job. The two agents don’t know each other’s secret identity. All that they know is that they hate each other. As a couple that is... Soo-ji and Jae-joon were once a passionate couple until Jae-joon couldn’t take her lies anymore. But all Soo-ji was trying to do was hide her secret identity. Nonetheless, the two went on their separate ways and by coincidence bump into each other years later while out on the job. As the two work out their screwy relationship, they go behind each other’s backs to fulfill their mission to save the world.

Source http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr

Gallery:

Tags: My Girlfriend is an Agent/korean movie/Kang Ji-hwan/Kim Ha-neul

Jang Nara Apprehensive of Big Screen Roles

Singer/actress Jang Nara, who made a comeback after a six-year break, says she is scared of taking a new movie role because her appearance in the 2003 movie "Oh Happy Day" was a fiasco.

Attending the production meeting for the movie "Heaven And Sea" on October 7 at 63 City, Jang said her worries had been chased away by her new role, which she liked very much. In "Heaven And Sea" Jang plays a 24-year-old woman with Savant Syndrome who, despite her mental retardation, has a special talent.

"I did my best to act and talk like a six-year-old. It was easy for me to focus on my character thanks to the help of my coworkers," said Jang.

The actress lost much weight in order to portray a feeble woman. "I gained weight before the shoot but after I read the script, which said that my character collapsed and had nose bleeds, I realized I was too big for the role. So I shed some weight but the promotional materials exaggerated my weight loss a bit. Some people posted messages saying that it was nothing compared to actor Kim Myung-min," said Jang.

"Heaven And Sea" was produced by a company that is headed by Jang's father. Jang said she never again wanted to appear in a movie produced by her father. "My father was going to invest only in the inisital stage of the movie production but he ended up taking charge of the entire production process. I couldn't sleep when I learned that there was not enough money. My father began sending me to China so that I could earn money by appearing in TV commercials and holding concerts. I invested all my earnings in the movie. I came back from China this morning after holding yet another event there. If I have to go through this again, I'll probably die," complained Jang.

"Heaven And Sea" is about the friendship among Ha-neul (played by Jang), who has lost her parents, Bada (played by Juny), who is at odds with her stepmother, and Jin-gu (played by Yoo A-in), who works as a pizza delivery guy. It was directed by Oh Dal-kyun, whose previous work "Maeumi" was about young brothers and sisters and their dog.

"When I was studying film in the U.S., I saw grandfathers bring their grandchildren to the theater. I wanted to make a movie that would draw grandfathers and their grandchildren. I hope people will like this movie," said Oh.

source: KBS Global

Tags: korean actress/Jang Nara/korean movie/Heaven And Sea

Sung Yu-ri Makes Big-Screen Debut

Sung Yu-ri has talked about the difficulties she had making her career transition from a member of girl group FINKL to acting. "I was hurt a lot because I had to endure harsh criticism of my acting," she said at a press conference for her film debut "Rabbit and Lizard" on Monday.

"I have wanted to be in a film for such a long time, but there was so much pressure. I was overwhelmed and scared by the idea of my face filling up a huge screen and my acting being revealed everywhere."

Sung started out as a member of then-hot girl group FINKL in 1998; her acting debut came in 2002 in TV soap "Bad Girls." "For an actor or actress who used to be a singer, not being afraid of the camera can be a strength," she says. "But the more popular you were as a singer, the more pressure you get, and the harsher the criticism will be. So you become very vulnerable and can get hurt easily. That was the case for me. You have to overcome adversity well, taking criticism as expression of attention from fans."

"Rabbit and Lizard" is the story of a Korean-American adoptee who comes back to Seoul to find her biological mother and memories of the past. It was officially invited to the "Korean Cinema Today -- Panorama" section of the 14th Pusan International Film Festival kicking off on Thursday. It goes on general release on Oct. 22.

Credit: englishnews@chosun.com
source: Chosun

Tags: Sung Yuri/Rabbit and Lizard/korean movie