Facing a Great Impression Presented by 200 Korean Actors

The highlight of the campaign [THE KOREAN ACTORS 200], ‘THE ACTOR IS PRESENT’ photo exhibition, which presented a deep impression to Korean movie fans around the world, will finally open in Seoul in August to touch your hearts. The photo exhibition, which will be held in Seoul, is an unprecedented photo exhibition where you can meet large portrait photographs of 200 Korean actors representing the past and future of Korean films.

[THE ACTOR IS PRESENT EXHIBITION : SEOUL] will be held for 2 months at ‘ARTNINE N-Hapjeong ARTPLEX’ from August 12 (Fri) after pre-opening on August 9 (Tue). The slogan of this exhibition is ‘RE:BOOT K-MOVIES,’ which means that it supports Korean films to fly again after enduring a long tunnel of the COVID-19 Pandemic crisis and welcomes the audience coming back to the theater. 

The exhibition draws attention in that it is a ‘super-large photo exhibition’ of a Korean actor, which has never been held before. The portraits of 200 Korean actors are overwhelmingly huge enough to fill the 5-story exhibition hall. The faces of Korea's leading actors, captured by the celebrated Korean photographers Kim Jungman and Ahn Sungjin, will leave visitors with a touching and lingering impression as if they were watching a movie titled ‘Actors.’ Especially, for the Seoul exhibition, the Korean version of the book, 『THE ACTOR IS PRESENT』 written by professional writers, will be open for the first time to provide an opportunity for Korean moviegoers to understand Korean representative actors more deeply. 

In addition, various special event programs will be held to cheer for Korean films that are still prosperous during the Pandemic and to encourage audiences to return to the theater. Special events where the audience can meet the main characters of Korean movies, which have recently heated the Korean theater, will be released frequently through [THE KOREAN ACTORS 200] SNS, etc. Visitors will be presented with the book of 『The Actor is Present』 through various participatory events during the exhibition period. In addition, the limited edition of 『THE ACTOR IS PRESENT』 in English will be placed in the Seoul exhibition hall, adding more fun for viewing. Besides the books, you can meet a variety of goods that will remind you of the touching moments of the exhibition. 

Starting with the Seoul Exhibition, the Global ‘RE:BOOT’ of [THE KOREAN ACTORS 200] Campaign 

The campaign [THE KOREAN ACTORS 200] was designed by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) to promote Korean films and actors more actively around the world even in the crisis where the global film industry was suspended temporarily due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. [THE KOREAN ACTORS 200], the only promotional campaign in which 200 Korean representative actors participated in the shooting for the first time in Korean cinema history and a large-scale archive project of trusted Korean actors, achieved unprecedented results. 

On March 15, 2021, after the campaign [THE KOREAN ACTORS 200] online site (https://theactorispresent.kr/) was released for the first time, the enthusiastic support for Korean movies has continued from Korean film fans all over the world. The number of visitors to the special site surpassed 2,000 per minute on its opening day, and the total number of views of the moving trailer for each actor, which was released on the KoBiz YouTube channel, recorded more than 1.2 million hits. According to the site analysis, it was counted that fans visited the site from more than 170 countries around the world. It is no exaggeration to say that they literally visited the site to meet Korean representative actors from ‘all over the world.’ 

The value of the [THE ACTOR IS PRESENT] photo exhibition has already been confirmed by the first world tour exhibition held in New York. In September 2021, [THE ACTOR IS PRESENT EXHIBITION : NEW YORK] held at the Korean Cultural Center New York, U.S., sparked a heated response as the first ‘Korean Actor Photo Exhibition’ held in the U.S. Even foreign media introduced global fans in Korean content costumes representing their favorite Korean actors and movies while visiting the photo exhibition. Also, Korean VIPs such as BTS, who was visiting New York to attend the 76th U.N. General Assembly, visited the exhibition hall to confirm the hot popularity of K-MOVIE further. Following the New York exhibition, the Busan exhibition, which was held at the Cinema Center from October 6 to 31, 2021, also received high attention. In particular, a special exhibition was loved as a photo zone, where the audience could meet the actors who participated in the campaign [THE KOREAN ACTORS 200] among the Korean films invited to the 2021 Busan International Film Festival.

Exhibitions are scheduled at home and abroad to continue the Korean Actor 200 campaign, following the baton of [THE ACTOR IS PRESENT EXHIBITION : SEOUL]. First, on August 11 and 12 for 2 days, the photo exhibition of [THE KOREAN ACTORS 200] will be held in the lobby of the National Assembly building. The exhibition aims to inform the National Assembly of the re-emergence of the Korean film industry, which has been stagnant due to the COVID-19 Pandemic crisis, and various agendas to restore the Korean film industry. 

The fever of the campaign [THE KOREAN ACTORS 200] will continue in New York, USA. At the K-MOVIE ZONE of ‘Discover Your Korea,’ you can see the photos, the video trailers, and the English version of 『THE ACTOR IS PRESENT』 of the actors who participated in the campaign. ‘Discover Your Korea’ is an event that promotes Korean culture and tourism content for New Yorkers, and it will be held at the Grand Central Terminal in New York City from August 22 to 24. 

Two Faces of Korean Films, a Meaningful Exhibition Where Actors & Audiences Meet 

The photo exhibition of [THE ACTOR IS PRESENT EXHIBITION : SEOUL] was postponed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, but the power of Korean movies and Korean audiences became the driving force for it to be held as an offline exhibition. At the 75th Festival de Cannes, Korean films won the Best Director and the Best Actor awards, further cementing Korea’s status as the ‘Powerhouse of global movies.’ The power also reaffirmed the revival of Korean theaters as The Roundup attracted 10 million viewers for the first time in 3 years after the Pandemic. 

[THE ACTOR IS PRESENT EXHIBITION : SEOUL], which reveals the large portrait of the actors who you have only met digitally so far, is meant to express a deep gratitude to the Korean audience, who are the real main characters that have contributed to the development of Korean cinema. Therefore, the exhibition in Seoul is more meaningful in that the best actors and the best audience, the two faces of making Korean films meet.