[KS] question

[Darcy Paquet]

I don't see nearly as many Korean documentaries as I'd like 
to, but I can give you some information about which 
independent South Korean documentaries are available on DVD.

First of all there are reviews of just a few documentaries 
on this page:

http://www.koreanfilm.org/docs.html

Of these, MUDANG ("Yeongmae") has been released on DVD but 
it is currently out of print.  This is a very interesting 
look at contemporary shamanism in different parts of South 
Korea.  Kim So-young's WOMEN'S HISTORY TRILOGY, however, is 
still available commercially.

Kim Dong-won's REPATRIATION about unconverted prisoners of 
conscience is a masterwork, highly recommended.  It is not 
commercially available on DVD, however, the Korean Film 
Council (KOFIC) included it in a 7-DVD set which is 
distributed for free to universities.  For more details, 
contact Ms. Hwang Dong-mee at dmhwang at kofic.or.kr (I'm 
assuming that there are still copies left, however I'm not 
100% sure)

KOFIC will also include the trilogy of documentaries about 
comfort women (THE MURMURING, HABITUAL SADNESS, MY OWN 
BREATHING) directed by Byun Young-joo in their DVD set for 
2005, which is due out by the end of the year.

In the meantime, a box set of independent films has just 
been released commercially this month (the product of 
another KOFIC support program).  It includes THE GATE OF 
TRUTH, a fascinating documentary about the investigation 
behind a soldier who was killed in 1999 while serving at the 
DMZ.  A perfect companion to the feature film JSA, actually. 
  There is also Lee Mario's MAD MINUTES, about Korea's 
participation in the Vietnam War, and PATRIOT GAME, a rather 
jumbled but interesting deconstruction of Korean patriotism. 
  The box set also includes some interesting fiction films, 
including CAPITALIST MANIFESTO: WORKING MEN OF ALL 
COUNTRIES, ACCUMULATE! (one of the best, and strangest, 
independent films of recent years).

If you need advice tracking down some of these DVDs, you can 
contact me off list.

Darcy


-- 


Darcy Paquet
KPO Box 1142
Gwanghwamun Post Office
Seoul 110-611  South Korea

darcy at koreanfilm.org
http://www.koreanfilm.org





Alon Levkowitz wrote:
> Dear KoreanStudies fellows.
> I would appreciate if the fellows could assist me. I was 
> asked to recommend for the library 15 documentary 
> films/videos about Korea (politics, culture etc). If anyone 
> has an idea please let me know.
> Thanks
> Alon  
> Dr. Alon Levkowitz
> Email: levko at zahav.net.il
> Tel/Fax: 972-3-6133045
> 
> 
> 
>