[KS] Korean Cinema Night at AA Int'l Film Festival

Alina Oh alina.ny at koreasociety.org
Thu Jul 20 12:55:29 EDT 2000


Film Festival
"Korean Cinema Night"
23rd Asian American International Film Festival

July 28; 6:30-11:30pm
Florence Gould Hall/French Institute, 55 East 59th Street
(bt. Park and Madison Avenues), NYC

In its on-going collaboration with Asian CineVision, The Korea Society is 
sponsoring a night devoted entirely to Korean and Korean American cinema 
which has become an annual feature of this oldest and longest running 
festival in the U.S. devoted to featuring the works of Asian and Asian 
American filmmakers. Screenings will be held over two consecutive weekends, 
July 21-23 and July 28-29. This year's Korean Cinema Night is scheduled for 
Friday, July 28th.
Korean Cinema Night gets underway with screening of the controversial 
feature film Lies, which created shock waves with Korean audiences when it 
was first released, and ends with two shorts, Bitter & Sweet and True, in a 
program billed as Seoul to Soul. There will be a reception, between the 
screening of the feature film and the shorts, which is open to feature film 
ticket holders. The festival features a strong contingent of films by 
Korean Americans, including the critically acclaimed documentary First 
Person Plural by Deann Borshay. There also will be shorts by Korean 
Americans including: Surplus by Joy Dietrich; Bubblehead by Julie Cho; Not 
Black or White by Anna Kang; One Last Run by Rich Kim; and The Uncertainty 
Principle by Ted Kim.
Korean Cinema Night
Schedule for July 28
6:30 LIES
8:15 Reception
9:30 Seoul to Soul
"LIES"
Produced by Shin Chul, Shin Cine Communications 1999
Written and Directed by Jang Sun-Woo, based on the novel "Tell Me a Lie" by 
Jang Ung-il
Starring: Lee Sang, Hyun and Kim Tea Yeon
112Min, 35mm, Narrative, South Korea
Director Jang Sun-Woo shocked the Korean public with the openly shown 
sexuality in Lies, which almost could not make it through censorship there. 
The film recounts an obsessive and sadistic love affair between an 
18-year-old high-school student (still regarded as a minor in Korea) and a 
38-year-old married sculptor. "This story is about life and love. But love 
isn't always so terrific. It is usually glorified in films. May I express a 
different point of view?" said Jang when the film was screened as part of 
the competition at last year's Venice Film Festival. The intensity of their 
obsession for sex and for each other will turn against them. The boundless 
nature of their relationship gives way to insecurity, doubt and inevitable 
lies. Lies makes it clear that love can also be a destructive power. Only a 
minor change in perspective is needed to see the ugly side of it, to see 
how absurd and hopeless love can be. Jang (A Petal/Kyotip, To You, From 
Me/Neoege narul boneda), one of the most acclaimed directors in Korea, does 
that in a ruthless and revealing way. The scenario is simple, the film 
takes its power from the energy and guts with which it is visualized. At 
the same time, Jang creates a strange dream in Lies: a life made up only of 
sex and other carnal pleasures, that gives short shrift to the work ethic 
and decency that are so important in South Korea.
"BITTER & SWEET "
Johanna Lee, 1999
10Min, 16mm, Documentary, USA
Backpain? Arthritis? Three packs a day? Nothing a few well-placed needles 
can't cure. Come share a stress free 10 minutes with Dr. and Mrs. Lee of 
Nanjing Acupuncture. If laughter is a remedy, you'll never be in pain 
again.
"TRUE"
Jay Koh, 2000
93Min, Betacam SP, USA
True is a story about the lives of three unique Americans and their search 
for the truth about their identity. Woven into a simple, fulfilling 
romantic comedy, this film re-affirms our true nature, shatters myths about 
race and portrays a revitalized vision of what it means to be American.
Other Korean American films to be screened during the festival include...
July 22; 7:30pm
Family Lost & Found
A series of short films.
"FIRST PERSON PLURAL"
Deann Borshay, 1999
60Min, Video Documentary, USA
Deann Borshay was among the thousands of South Korean orphans sent to the 
U.S. in the 1960s to be adopted and raised by American families. First 
Person Plural is a personal documentary that chronicles her struggle to set 
right a case of mistaken identity and unravel the mysteries surrounding her 
adoption. Combining archival footage of Korea, 8mm home movies and powerful 
footage of Borshay and her two families as they meet for the first time, 
the film documents the story of one woman's struggle to integrate into her 
life two different families, cultures, languages and loyalties. Through 
Borshay's journey, we see that, in America, it is possible to re-invent 
oneself. But, transformation has its price.
"SURPLUS"
Joy Dietrich, 2000
22.5Min, 16mm Narrative, English
Sumptuously shot in black and white, Surplus is a haunting tale of a young 
Korean girl witnessing her father's suffering under the pressures of 
poverty. Nine-year-old Mea wiles away the drought-filled days playing 
hide-and-seek in the empty farmlands with her father and her three younger 
sisters. When her mother gives birth to a son, she hopes that the family's 
fortunes will change for the better. But as the days go by slowly and food 
becomes increasingly scarce, she notices her father's worried stare at his 
daughters, especially Jun, Mea's favorite sister. This sparse, folk 
tale-like film is uncompromising in its depiction of how far people will go 
to survive.
"BUBBLEHEAD "
Julie Cho, 1999
16.5Min, 16mm, Narrative/Children's, USA
Cyrus Wang discovers the key to surviving kindergarten is finding the right 
delusion. Just once, six-year-old Cyrus Wang wants to be on time. Each 
morning he wakes in dread of another torturous day at kindergarten. Why? 
Because his parents keep on forgetting to pick him up from school. 
Beautiful waves of bubbles arrive to save him, but when the magic pops, 
Cyrus believes the key to survival is finding the right delusion.
July 22; 1:00pm
"NOT BLACK OR WHITE "
Anna Kang, 1999
19.5Min, Video Documentary, USA
This documentary is an irreverent look at the traditional ways Asian women 
are portrayed in the media, and how three women are working to make a 
change. A young cartoonist, Lela Lee (creator of the Angry Little Asian 
Girl); a writer/actress/comedian, Amy Hill (All American Girl); and a 
TV/film actress, Ming Na Wen (Joy Luck Club, Mulan, ER) share their 
experiences growing up Asian American and how these experiences influence 
their art today.
TICKETS: $7.50
French Institute Box Office: 212-355-6160
Hours: Tues.-Fri. 11-7 Sat.-Sun. 11-3
For times and dates of screenings for other films, refer to the website 
www.asiancinevision.org <http://www.asiancinevision.org> or contact Asian 
Cinevision at 212-989-1422 or acvinfo at yahoo.com <mailto:acvinfo at yahoo.com>. 


Alina Oh
Program Associate
The Korea Society
212-759-7525 ext. 15
alina.ny at koreasociety.org
www.koreasociety.org



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