BAE Chang-ho's Road  released with English subtitles

Road, a film by veteran director BAE Chang-ho, is receiving its long-awaited commercial release in association with the KOFIC-sponsored arthouse network ArtPlus on November 2.

The film will screen on three prints nationwide, and the screenings at Sponge House in Seoul will be presented with English subtitles, to give the work more exposure to the expat community.

Road, in which BAE himself takes the leading role, tells the story of a blacksmith living in 1970s Korea who unexpectedly confronts his painful past when he encounters a young woman on the road.  The film previously screened as the closing film of the 2004 Gwangju International Film Festival, and won the top award at the 2005 Philadelphia Film Festival in the U.S.

BAE is considered one of the leading directors of the 1980s, known for the commercial and critical hits Whale Hunting, Deep Blue Night and Our Sweet Days of Youth, among others. 

Given the difficulties facing low-budget independent films in Korea, the film was delayed for two years before receiving its release this month through local distributor Sponge and ArtPlus.  Besides Seoul, the film will screen in Gwangju and Daegu.

The English subtitled screenings in Seoul will take place at 11:20, 13:15, 15:10, 17:05, and 19:00, beginning on November 2 (check with the theater at 02-2285-2090 to confirm the schedule).  Sponge House (www.spongehouse.com) is located in a tall building also known as Cinecore, between the south end of Insa-dong at Jongro 2-ga and the Cheonggyecheon Stream.

Darcy Paquet (KOFIC)