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Four Korean Films Invited Jerusalem Film Festival
 

Amid rising local tensions this year’s Jerusalem Film Festival is currently taking place, having kicked off on July 10th. Four films from Korea were invited to screen and director PARK Chan-wook made the trip to teach a masterclass and take part in a Korean film seminar.

 

PARK’s classic film Oldboy (2003) is screening in Jerusalem alongside his Hollywood debut Stoker, starring Mia Wasikowska and Nicole Kidman. The filmmaker took part in a masterclass last Saturday as well as a Korean cinema panel on Sunday. Raid alarms could be heard during his class but while a few participants found their way to safety, the cineaste continued undaunted. He shrugged off the interruption, comparing it to tensions that frequently arise between North and South Korea. During the talk, PARK spoke at length about Thirst (2009), which is his personal favorite among his films.

 

Also screening in Israel are KIM Ki-duk’s Moebius, the controversial film that overcame difficulties with Korean censors before being invited to screen out of competition at the Venice International Film Festival last year. YEON Sangho’s sophomore animation The Fake rounds out the Korean titles on show. Following its debut in the Vanguard section of the Toronto International Film Festival, the dark and gritty animation, which follows YEON’s breakout success The King of Pigs, has traveled far and wide on the festival circuit.

 

This year’s Jerusalem Film Festival will conclude on July 20th.