While Korean blockbusters like “The Host” and “Oldboy” are slowly achieving cult-like status in the U.S., there exists an entire realm of Korean cinema still unknown that transcends genres.
The world-renowned UCLA Film and Television Archive, in cooperation with the Korean Film Council, is striving to change that with Korean cinema through a film series entitled “Korean Cinema Now (and Then),” premiering tomorrow night at the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum.
In the U.S., Korean cinema has achieved popularity with its contemporary revenge thrillers and exaggerated monster flicks, but Korean cinema also represents a substantial population of international art-house and independent filmmakers.
Korea’s film history spans almost 100 years, and boasts a rich tapestry of diverse films woven together to demonstrate Korea’s expansive culture and multi-genre capability.
Korean filmmakers have produced poignant dramas and endearing romances that were potent enough to leave their cultural imprint on the world film community.
“This program may be the only chance for people to see some of these films, especially the older titles like “˜A Flower in Hell,’ in any way,” said Paul Malcolm, a programmer at the archive. “So it really is a special opportunity for people who are either already fans of Korean cinema or who want to know what all the fuss is about it to catch up on both classic Korean films and recent hits.”
Interestingly, from the late 1990s up until very recently, South Korea was one of the few countries whose film industry experienced greater success in the domestic market than film imports from Hollywood.
By 2001, the 60-70 Korean films released each year were performing substantially better than the 200-300 Hollywood and foreign titles released, according to koreanfilm.org. Korea’s impressive ability to consistently produce cinematically important motion pictures year after year has resulted in well warranted attention in the international film arena.
And although some of these titles may be available on Netflix or cable TV, this is not an issue in Malcolm’s perspective.
“It’s not just about showing these films, it’s about showing them the way they were meant to be seen, on the big screen and with an audience,” he said.
For those involved with programming this series, the wide array of films being presented is one of the most exciting aspects of this event.
From classic to contemporary and from comedy to tragedy, this series of Korean films represents the entire cinematic spectrum.
“The great thing about this program is the range of genres represented,” Malcolm said.
As Los Angeles is home to over 200,000 Koreans, this Korean film series will also serve as a way for the Korean population to become more familiar with their culture and their culture’s increasingly popular art form.
The Korean Film Council was created in 1973 as a government-supported body designed to enhance the quality of Korean films and to raise international awareness of the Korean film industry.
The council seeks to promote the artistic vision of the Korean filmmaker and provide the independent Korean filmmaker with an outlet for his or her creative vision to be internationally recognized.
The council’s Korean films have also been increasingly recognized on the film festival circuit and the films’ respective filmmakers are slowly garnering acclaim for their impressive bodies of work. Lee Chang-dong’s “Oasis,” Park Chan-wook’s “Oldboy,” Bong Joon-ho’s “The Host,” and Kang Je-gyu’s “Brotherhood of War” championed the Korean box office and earned the respect and attention of the world’s film critics.
“It is important to show the depth of Korean films and the variety of genres and different styles, and how these different genres and different types of Korean movies developed,” said Moon Sun-young of the council.
This seems to be the genesis of a movement striving to showcase international cinema to the greater Los Angeles area to further enhance the unique multi-cultural experience of Los Angeles.
“The UCLA Film and Television Archive has been a long time champion of bringing the best in international cinema to Los Angeles,” Malcolm said.