Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival Is To Open

#Information on the film festival

This film festival is charming as the title `fantastic` indicates. Many works with peculiar styles will be shown, such as horror, fantasy, and animation, rather than popular genres. The festival comprises of 6 divisions including a competition, `Puchon Choice`, and the `World Fantastic Cinema`, a division to introduce films in various genres from around the world.

In the division of the `Puchon Choice`, as full-length films, nine works including the `House on Terror Tract`, `Common Wealth`, and `Hotel Splendid` will be introduced. Among them, there are four works from Asia including `The Butterfly`, an SF fantasy directed by Moon Seung-Wook, and Thailand’s `Tears of the Black Tiger`. Among the short films, the `Father and Daughter`, a film that earned praises from international film festival, and the `Rejected` will become the center of public attention.

If you are a film mania, you need to focus on the special programs prepared by the film festival. As the special programs, there will be `The Retrospectives of King Hu`, in which the works of King Hu, such as the `Dragon Gate Inn` and `A Touch of Zen`, will be shown. He was a master of 1960s Hong Kong marital arts movie. `The Retrospectives of Korean Master Works` for which `Daughter of Kim Pharmacy` and `An Actress’ Confession` will be presented is also a part of the special program.

As a special retrospective presentation, there will be `John Berry Special`. He was the chairman of the screening committee for the full-length film competition of the film festival in 1998. He died in 1999. His posthumous work, `Boesman and Lena`, starred by Danny Glover and Angela Basset, will be shown. In addition, the `SRF (French directors and authors’ association) Project` `The Retrospectives of Chu Song-Wung`, and the `Hollywood Classic Horror Movie Special` will follow.

Admission fee for general works is 5,000 won. For the opening and closing, it will be sold at the scene for 10,000 won. Since there is 400 won of additional charge for telephone ticket reservation, the internet reservation is preferred. (homepage of the film festival: www.pifan.com, Ticket Park: www. Ticketpark.com) Ticks are also available at the major post offices and major theaters nationwide. 032-345-6313-4

# Films Not To Miss!

1. Requiem for a Dream = It is a film in which the lives and collapse from various addiction such as TV, diet, and drug use were shockingly illustrated. Its experimental images by Darren Aronofsky, who was widely known with his `Pi` made in 1998 with a small budget of 60,000 dollars, are very attractive. He will direct the new episode of the `2002 Batman`.

2. Amelie from Montmartre = A work of Jean Pierre Jeunet, who directed the `Delicatessen` and `Alien 4`. Expectations are awaken with just hearing of his name. It expressed an adventurous story of a woman completely isolated from outside world, but later is exposed to the open world. Starred by Mathieu Kassovitz, who directed the film `Hate` and Audrey Tautou, last year’s winner of the rookie actress award of the French `Cezar Award`.

3. `Soreum` = The first full-length work by Yun Jong-Chan, who is known for short films, `Play Back`, `Memento`, and `Scenery`. It is a psycho driller with a chain murder cases set in an urban apartment building for low-income families. Starring Jang Jin-Young and Kim Myung-Min

4. `Tears of the Black Tiger` = It is a good opportunity to see a Thai movie. Thailand is a newly rising country with `Nang Nak` in Asian movie market. The `Tears of the Black Tiger` has been selected as a `noticeable movie` at this years the Cannes Film Festival. It is about a story of two lovers who loved each other since young age but were separated due to their different social class. Its director Wisit Sasanatieng wrote the scenario of the `Nang Nak`.

5. `Battle Royal` = a work based on a bestseller book that brought a controversy on violence. In this film, nine students play a death survival game in which only one survives at an isolated island. Takeshi Kitano who had starred for the movie `Hana-Bi` took the role of a merciless teacher. Directed by Takeshi Kitano.

6. `Father and Daughter` = an excellent animation film that won many international film festivals’ short animation film awards including one from the Academy Award. In this movie, a beautiful life story of a father and a daughter is well described. Directed by Michael Dudok de Wit.

# How to enjoy the film festival with double fun

The Puchon Philharmonic Orchestra (conductor Im Heon-Jung) well-known for the `Mahler’s symphonies series` polishes up the film festival with their music. At the `eve concert` that will be held at the `Puchon Central Park` at 7:30 pm on 11th, the orchestra will hold `a jazz and pop concert for families`. They will have `a dedication concert for Stanley Kubrick` at the closing ceremony on 20th (7:30 pm Puchon Civic Center).

`The Cine-Rock Night` (13th~ 16th Puchon Civic Center) will have a concert for which Kim Chang-Wan, `Jaoorimm`, ` UHUHBOOBAND `, `Crash` and `Nobrain` will participate.

Four `Mega Talks` are good opportunities in which fans can meet the invited stars of the festival. A film lecture (2 pm on 14th at Boksagol Culture Center) by Lloyd Kaufman, the president of the `Troma Studio` whose specialty is the bizarre movie`, and a `talk show that commemorates John Berry` in which Danny Glover will take part, will be also held.

Kim Gab-Sik gskim@donga.com