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Overseas influential figures who recently visited Korea are actively expressing their interest in the Korean film industry and their willingness to cooperate. Charles Rivkin, CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), visited Korea in October and held a reception to mark the centennial of the association’s foundation. Hosting a dinner party, Rivkin invited key figures from the Korean film industry, stressing that he would like to cooperate with Korean cinema more actively. In addition, on November 4, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the President of Germany visited the Korea National University of Arts and expressed his deep interest in Korean film education. This is a part that can reaffirm the status of Korean films and the influence of Korean cinema on industries and cultural circles around the world.

“Motion Picture Association Wants to Cooperate with Korean Cinema Actively” 

Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the MPA, attended a reception at the U.S. embassy in Seoul on October 10 to mark the centennial of the association's foundation. Speaking before members of the film industry from both countries, Rivkin said the event was being held in Korea to congratulate the country on its successful achievements in cinema and to hope for its continued advance together with the MPA. 

Prior to the 100th-anniversary reception of the MPA in Korea, Rivkin invited Cho Taeyong, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States, to the association in September to exchange opinions on film exchanges and cultural industry development between South Korea and the United States. It can be seen as an active gesture to strengthen cooperation between the film industry in Korea and the United States.

In the reception, Rivkin said, “This is a special moment when Korean culture is meeting more people around the world than ever, from PARASITE, Squid Game, Minari, Hunt, Extraordinary Attorney Woo to BTS and BLACKPINK," showing his special interest in Korean culture. He continued, “It is an honor for MPA to be a partner of Korean creators." Philip Goldberg, the U.S. Ambassador to Korea, also said, "The news of winning Korean movies and TV series is no longer a big topic. There is lots of Korean content that Americans are enthusiastic about, and the world is raising expectations that Korea will export more ingenious works in the future."

The Motion Picture Association was founded in 1922 by filmmakers in the United States, and the major Hollywood productions and distributors such as Walt Disney, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, Netflix, etc. are its members. As the association has served as a mouthpiece for the key U.S. production and distribution companies, it is also the most important interest group in the film industry in the U.S. In particular, when sensitive issues such as government regulations on the film and broadcasting industry or copyright infringement arise, more attention is paid to the MPA’s stance.

CEO Rivkin took office as chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association in 2017 and is a former top U.S. diplomat who served as U.S. Ambassador to France and Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. It is said that his trip to Korea is aimed at attending the Busan International Film Festival and business consultations with Korean partners.

Rivkin evaluated the global phenomenon of Korean films and series as ‘the flow of the global film and entertainment industry.’ At the session ‘POST-COVID: Future of Entertainment Industry’ at the 22nd World Knowledge Forum, he said, "The COVID-19 Pandemic has accelerated the trend toward home viewing of content with subtitles. The current trend is that Netflix's original series, Kingdom, made in Korea, has been in the spotlight in Korea and around the world, and it is the current trend for such a local program to be successful around the world,” expressing special interest in Korean films and entertainment content.

“I Want to Meet the Officials in Korean Film Industry and Film Education in Person”

On November 4, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the President of Germany, visited the Korea National University of Arts, while he was visiting Korea as a state guest. President Steinmeier visited the Seokgwan Campus of the Korea National University of Arts to observe Korea's film education sites in person and expressed his deep interest in Korea's film education and film industry. Along with President Steinmeier, Dieter Kosslick, former festival director of the Berlin International Film Festival (2001~2019), Korean-German documentary director Cho Sunghyung, and German film industry officials attended.

Starting with a film shooting class at 4:20 p.m., the visiting group attended the scenario writing theory class and had a brief talk about the Korean film industry for an hour, and a short question and answer session was also held with the professors during the classes. President Steinmeier mainly inquired and exchanged opinions on the development of the Korean film industry during the time. President Steinmeier's visit was reportedly made in hopes of meeting the officials in the Korean film industry and film education officials, noting the recent advancement of Korean films at the Berlinale and other international film festivals.