Korean festivals unveil film slates

CinDi, Chungmuro to kick off in late Summer

By HAN SUNHEE

SEOUL -- Two film festivals launched last year in Korea have unveiled lineups for their second editions.

Cinema Digital Seoul fest (aka CinDi), skedded for Aug. 20-26, will open with Chinese auteur Jia Zhang-ke's "24 City."

With 71 films from 18 countries, CinDi will again include a 15-title competition for digital features and documentaries from new Asian directors. Event is sponsored by the CJ Culture Foundation.

Selection team is a familiar crowd of festival consultants -- Philip Cheah (Singapore Film Festival), Ichiyama Shozo (Tokyo Filmex) and Li Cheuk-to (Hong Kong Film Festival).

A jury of international directors includes Jia, Amos Gitai and Hong Sang-soo. The international critics jury consists of former Village Voice critic Dennis Lim and French critic Alain Masson from Positif.

Fest has expanded its invitation programs by launching new sections including Digital Shorts, CinDi Extreme, Installation and Digital Restoration.

Separately, the second Chungmuro Film Festival in Seoul will feature some 170 titles from 40 countries. Skedded Sept. 3-11, fest opens with Higuchi Shinji's "Hidden Forest: The Last Princess."

New international competition invites 12 features, including Johnnie To's "Mad Detective," Antonello Grimaldi's "Quiet Chaos" and Amos Kollek's "Restless."

International jury headed by American director Michael Cimino will decide the winner of the $30,000 grand prize and other smaller awards.

Fest also focuses on classic films, with a range of programs honoring Douglas Trumbull, David Lean and Deborah Kerr.

The history of German cinema, Japanese director Ichikawa Kon and Korean director Jang Sun-woo will be highlighted in retrospectives, while newly restored films and a special focus on the Cannes fest's 40th Directors' Fortnight will also screen.

 CinDi 2008 competition section

 "Bal Ganesh" (animation, India), Pankaj Sharma

"Days of the Turquoise Sky" (China), Woo Ming Jin

"Doctor Ma's Country Clinic" (docu, China), Cong Feng

"Dog in Cheonggyecheon" (Korea), Kim Kyung-mook (world premiere)

"Dreams From the Third World" (Singapore), Kan Lume

"Girl Sparks" (Japan), Ishii Yuya

"High Noon" (Hong Kong), Heiward Mak

"Little Moth" (China), Peng Tao

"The Summer Solstice" (China), Li Ruijun

"Survival Song" (docu, China), Yu Guangyi (world premiere)

"Sweet Food City" (docu, China), Gao Wendong

"Tropical" (Korea), Lee Sang-woo (world premiere)

"Ubu" (China), Zhang Chi (world premiere)

"Voice of Rain That Comes at Night" (Japan), Igarashi Kohei (world premiere)

"What the Heart Craves" (Japan), Takahashi Izumi

 

 CHIFFS 2008 competition section

 "Everything Is Fine" (Canada), Yes-Christian Fournier

"The Friend" (Switzerland), Micha Lewinsky

"Handle Me With Care" (Thailand), Kongdej Jaturanrasmee

"Mad Detective" (Hong Kong), Johnnie To

"The Mermaid" (Russia), Anna Melikyan

"Quiet Chaos" (Italy), Antonello Grimaldi

"Restless" (Israel), Amos Kollek

"Not by Chance" (Brazil), Philippe Barcinski

"The Shaft" (China), Zhang Chi

"Snow" (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Aida Begic

"The Trap" (Serbia), Srdan Golubovic

"Rivals" (France), Jacques Maillot