CINEMA KOREA
The U.S.-Korea Institute at SAIS, KORUS House and the Sejong Society of Washington, DC co-hosted a six-month series of historically significant films. The films, provided by the Korea Film Council and Ministry of Culture, included old classics, documentaries and modern dramas and comedies. Each screening featured a short commentary by a Korean historian of film expert on the historical and social importance of the film. This joint project was designed to foster exploration, education and appreciation for Korean culture between many Washingtonian intellectuals, academics, students and the greater community.
February 15, The King and the Clown
Based on the popular play "Yi," which was inspired by the diaries of a sixteenth-century king, the film blends comedy and wit with Shakespearean tragedy. Weaving a rich, colorful tapestry of historical landscapes, amazing acrobatics and unspoken emotions, the fateful story of two clowns is masterfully revealed.
The film's distinctive appeal rests in the sumptuous depiction of an era seen through the wise eyes of street performers, and in the superble conveyed sensations that gush from the wounded heart of a nation broken under the weight of a tyrant. Directed by Lee Jun-ik. Starring Lee Joon-ki
Please click here to read Dr. Tae Yang Kwak's commentary on the The King and the Clown.
March 15, A Petal (1996)
May 1980, during the Gwangju Uprising, a 15 year old girl deserts her dying mom and runs away amid gunfire. Years later the girl calls on a construction site worker Jang and follows him everywhere. Jang seems to know that the girl has experienced something horrible. The girl never talks and always has a far-off gaze. Her mind seems to be torn into pieces, which frustrates Jang. He becomes more and more absorbed into the pain and sadness of the girl. Directed by Jang Sun-woo. Starring Lee Jeong-hyun. A featured move at the 1997 Rotterdam Film Festival.
The director, Jang, was active in the cultural protest movement during the 1980s. He was jailed for having distributed brochures disclosing the Gwangju Massacre. He wrote and directed A Petal fifteen years after the bloodshed.
Please click here to read Dr. Tae Yang Kwak's commentary on A Petal.
April 5, A Flower In Hell (1958)
In 1978, director Shin Sang-ok and his wife, Choi Eun-hee, a leading actress at the time, were kidnapped separately while traveling in Hong Kong and taken to North Korea to make flms for Kim Jong Iil, who was hoping to improve the DPRK's image abroad with a greater film industry. While there, the couple made seven films and worked on surprisingly intimate terms with Kim Jong Il until they shook off North Korean handlers and escaped to the U.S. Emabssy while in Vienna in 1986.
A Flower in Hell depicts life in a prostitutes' village. Young-sik and his gang rob U.S. military warehouses of goods and sell them on the black marekt. His younger brother finds Young-sik at a market in Seoul and seeks to persuade him to return home where thier mother awaits. The two brothers visit the village where Young-sik meets a prostitute called Sonya, played by Choi Eun-hee, and proposes to marry her after he has made his fortune. Meanwhile, Sonya seduces Dong-sik. Shin provides striking footage of daily life in postwar Seoul. Few Korean films of this era present the hard realities of day-to-day existence so honestly. Shin's talents as a director earned him recognition internationally.
The film will be introduced by Institute Chairman Don Oberdorfer, who as a Washington Post correspondent shared with the New York Times the first interview with Shin and Choi after their escape from North Korea.
May 3, Sopyonje (1993)
Yu–bong, a vagabond singer of pansori Lives with the boy Dong–ho and daughter Song–hwa. He teaches Song–hwa pansori music and Dong–ho the drum. They wander about singing pansori for a living but their lives get harder during and after the Korean civil war. With the influence of Western culture, pansori gradually became less appreciated and favored, even despised by people. Dissatisfied with his miserable life Dong–ho leaves home after a dispute with Yu–bong and brokenhearted Song–hwa refuses to sing pansori.
Directed by Im Kwon–taek. Starring Kim Myung–gon. Winner of Best Director and Best Actor at the First Shanghai International Film Festival. Screened at the 47th Cannes and 50th Venice International Film Festivals. The film aesthetically represents Korean culture. Korea audiences found an opportunity to reclaim and rejuvenate Korean culture through this movie.
June 14, A State of Mind
A State of Mind provides unique insight into the lives of two young gymnasts preparing for the Mass Games. Variety calls it an “Admirably non-judgmental documentary about life in the least visited, known, understood country in the world." The Washington Post claims, "The movie indeed offers a rare glimpse into an opaque world, letting North Koreans have their say while illustrating the hardships of their lives." (www.astateofmind.co.uk)
Nick Bonner who has traveled in and out of North Korea for more than fifteen years researching and filming three documentaries on the hermit kingdom will introduce his second film, A State of Mind. After the screening he and Simon Cockerell, a DPRK specialist, who also assisted researching the documentaries, will discuss the film with audience members. Bonner and Cockerell will also preview their third and latest documentary, Crossing the Line, which is to be released in August.
Crossing the Line In the 1960's, four US soldiers serving in the Korean Demilitarised Zone embarked on an extraordinary journey. At the height of the Cold War, this unlikely band of brothers crossed 
the most heavily fortified area on earth and defected to Communist North Korea. No-one knew why they did it. For nearly 40 years their life was hidden from the outside world, trapped in the most secretive of nations. Not even the US government knew their fate. Only one remains in North Korea. This is his story. (www.crossingthelinefilm.com)
This screening is also sponsored by the National Committee on North Korea.
July 5, Silmido
Directed by Kang Woo–Suk in 2003, Silmido is based on true events during the early 1970s involving recruits, mostly ex–convicts, who were trained by the South Korean government to assassinate the North Korean leader Kilm Il Sung. After the training went awry, an uprising by the recruits created a tragic incident on the tiny island of Silmido.
Film commentary and historical analysis regarding Silmido will be provided by South Korean film specialist Mr. Min Hyun–Jun from the University of Maryland at College Park.
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An Evening with Min Jin Lee A discussion on writing Free Food for Millionaires with Yoonmee Chang.
Contemporary Korean Culture Series Features four aspects of contemporary Korean culture: film, music, art, and North Korean film.