A little bit of history - An Ode To My Father & Taklub

For Filmed in Ether, two Reviews From Biff.
One from the Philippines and the other from Korea.
Two very different films but both are dealing with major events in their respective countries.
Actually in style and how they deal with history they are poles apart.
Taklub from Brillante Mendoza is gritty realism dealing with the aftermath of the super typhoon Haiyan. It is a empathetic observation of life after a disaster where the psychological scares are greater than the physical wreckage. The setting is Tacloban which was literally leveled through wind, rain and waves and the film follows a handful of survivors. It is a far from sensational observation of the heartbreak involved with picking up the pieces.

This is the life of a devastated community waiting to be relocated, waiting for life to be returned to normal, waiting in vain for promised relief beyond daily rations and a canvas roof over their heads. They live with the guilt of a survivor, the fear of the next storm bringing a new tsunami and the want of life’s basics and wanting a place that they can call home.

 read the full review here

Brillante Mendoza

 













Ode To My Father from Yoon Je-kyoon differs greatly in that it spans Korean history from the end of the civil war, or at least when there was a truce on the fighting, right up to the present. It's epic in scale, in production value and in box office takings. The treatment of the history is a lot more stylised and sentimental. This is a tear jerker of a film.

Ode to My Father is the story of one man, Yoon Deok-soo (Hwang Jung-min) who dedicates his life to the service of his family and the nation after his father gets left behind in the mass evacuation from the northern Korean port of Hungnam toward the end of the war. His life is hard and his tales are epic but some say that it is a romanticised and sycophantic rewriting of history. Certainly right wing elements of this society have hijacked the film for their own purposes. When it was released earlier this year, the director in fact stopped doing interviews because the focus was solely on this subject.

 read the full review here

Yoon Je-kyoon

Both are fine films but in very different ways and they both come from very fine filmmakers.

BIFFology 101

          Why BIFF 2015?
                                                        Well why not I say!
          Not enough you say?
                                                       OK then, well try this on for size.
First up, 3 X the usual suspects.

Hong Sang Soo presents his latest Right Now Wrong Then.
Professor, pretty girl, time warps, a palace & drinking. Same old, same old? Apparently not!
By all accounts it's a cracker, winning awards at Lorcarno (Golden Leopard & Best Actor)

this is not a trailer, just a still

Kim Ki Duk has a new one called Stop. Inspired by Fukoshima and set in Tokyo.
Looking forward to an improvement on last years One on One.

• Tsubasa Nakae  & Natsuko Hori 

Sion Sono has The Virgin Psychics, this will be the third new Sono film I have seen this year!!!!
Looks like a blend of Love & Peace & Tag??? But that's just a wild guess from the trailer.
Lookk forward to more tough school girls and his high kicking, up skirt signature shots.

ohhhh Sono!!!!

One summer blockbuster
Last year there were a few of these shown, this year it is Assassination by Choi Dong-Hoon, the man who bought us The Thieves. One of the big summer hits (over 10 millionat the box office) but they haven't shown it with subtitles yet.
Set in the Japanese occupation, it's all about an assassination squad in the Korean resistance.

Movie Poster

One from China (at least)
The Assassin by Hou Hsiao-Hsien, I now everyone saw it at MIFF but I was stuck here in Seoul.
Ethereal, period murder? One to watch according to the grapevine.

movie poster

A couple of classics
Seven Samurai, from Akira Kurosawa, the film that became The Magnificent Seven

the gang

The Housemaid by Kim Ki Young (original) 1960. Loved the remake so looking forward to the original in lucious Black & White.

tension?

And lastly for now.
Brillante Mendoza brings his latest, Taklub. Always interested in his work, a legend of the Philippines. This is another of his films with Nora Aunor, another legend.

movie poster

I'll be heading down for the first six days (I know but logistics & commitments) and am planning to see all these and fill in the gaps with a smattering of new Korean cinema.
Such a great festival and always lots of fun in between the movies. See you there?

The Troops Rally to Support BIFF

A few weeks ago I posted a little something about the trouble in Busan regarding the Director of BIFF, Lee Yong-kwan, being pressured by the Lord Mayor of Busan City to stand down from his position one year earlier than the expiry of his contract. The reason? because his festival showed the documentary 'Diving Bell' or 'The Truth Shall Nit Sink With Sewol' when the city had expressly requested that the festival not show the film. (read here for the background)

This is dangerous ground when politics expresses a desire to influence an independent film festival of international repute. Princess Park is putting her finger indirectly into the pie where she is most unwelcome. There has been an international response from festival directors, filmmakers and cineastes to the political manoeuvrings happening in the south of Korea.

Rather than bang on about stuff more eloquently written elsewhere here is a link that contains what the Director's of Cannes & Venice film Festivals say and what some of the filmmakers are saying in statements of support for BIFF and its director Lee Yong-kwan.
In English
In Korean
And another in English that also broadens the debate beyond Busan
Watch this space!

Lee Yong Kwan's domestic troubles are gaining International support

A Big Push in Busan

For all you fans of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) there’s been a little bit of news floating around that s very concerning. Call it trouble in paradise, just plain bullying or maybe it’s both. There are forces at work that want to remove the head of the festival, Director Lee Yong-kwan. This is not a mutiny on the good ship but the calls are coming from a once dear ally and supporter. 

BIFF is one of Asia’s premier film festivals and it is coming into it’s twentieth year. It is intrinsically linked to the City of Busan, having it’s own purpose built cinema centre that not only functions as the festival hub but also as a shiny example of the city’s ingenuity and vision. It’s a showcase of advanced architectural and engineering know how featuring the world’s largest outdoor cinema and the world’s largest cantilever roof, along with some beautiful cinemas, meeting rooms and offices.

It really is spectacular!

Busan Cinema Centre

The city supports the festival and the festival supports the city, it’s a symbiotic relationship and it’s been a happy marriage for many years. That is until last year.

Three events occurred in 2014 that are coming to a head now.

In April last year South Korea was in mourning after the ferry Sewol sank. Over three hundred people drowned, most of them school children on holiday excursion. Reeling in the tragedy the Nation came to a stand still and questions were asked of how and why this could happen. The new government of President Park came under the spotlight and many started to blame it’s inefficiencies and incompetency for the high death toll. Many questions have remained unanswered through stonewalling and blame shifting.

 

The second event was that, not surprisingly in a democratic country, this became ripe subject matter for a documentary and one was made that concentrated on just one aspect of the botched recue efforts. It’s subject and title was ‘Diving Bell’ (The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol) and it focused on the media coverage, the distortion of truth, the delays in deployment and the absolute hopelessness of the situation. It wasn’t entirely about finger pointing at the government but they didn’t come out of it looking too pretty. Six months later the documentary was scheduled to premier at BIFF, quite a coup for the festival, as this was politically hot! Controversial was an understatement.

The topsy turvy, it works both ways 'Diving Bell' BIFF Poster

 The third event was that 2014 saw a new mayor of Busan. Suh Byung-soo took up office in the July after ten years of his predecessor Hur Nam-sik. Normally the city left the programmers alone to do their job but before the festival started in October Lee Yong-kwan received a request from the City of Busan to withdraw the documentary from the festival. One could only speculate as to why ???

But as a true champion of the festival he declined the request and the documentary got two screenings, one with a Q&A session. This delighted the filmmaking community and cinephiles but city hall was not amused.

Protesters outside the Busan Cinema Centre getting the attention of the media prior to the first ‘Diving Bell’ screening. BIFF 2014

Both screenings were sold out and the Q&A was jam packed with media.

Diving Bell’  Producer & Director Q&A session post screening BIFF 2014

Photo: Brayden Alden

Fast forward to now, it’s pay back time.

City of Busan officials met with Lee Yong-kwan and requested he step down as Director of BIFF even though he has a bit more than a year left on his contract. Lee was a founding member of the festival in 1996, has been a programmer, a deputy director and has been its director since 2011.

The reasons for their request? The evolution of the festival, apparently there has also been some dissatisfaction from the city with how the festival has been run and how the budget has been spent.

Whatever the real reason is the filmmaking community is well alarmed and there is talk about boycotting the 2015 20^th edition of BIFF. There is lots of talk and dismay about politics getting involved with the festival’s programing but there is not a real lot of surprise. Critics of the current political regime of South Korea are becoming ever increasingly cynical.

Niu Doze Chen-Zer (Paradise in Service) & Lee Yong-kwan at last year's opening ceremony

The good news is that again in true champion style Lee Yong-kwan has refused to resign and BIFF management is bewildered that they are yet to be consulted on what is ultimately their responsibility and their decision regardless of where there support is coming from. This will be an ever evolving story because these just feel like opening shots of something that has the potential to be much bigger with ramifications to be felt far and wide.

Way beyond the confines of South Korea’s second largest metropolis.

Red Carpet for Opening Night, BIFF 2014.

Wowy Cowy, me as the paparazzi? nahhh, never. But popping off shots of celebrities was exactly what I did on opening night this BIFF. It takes quite a while to fill an outdoor cinema via a red carpet.
So the decision between passively watching this parade of actors and directors or taking it head on as undercover photographer was made with very little deliberation and here are the results.
No Shame!

Ryohei Otani & Dir. Kim Han-min  (Roaring Currents)

Lee Jung-hyun (Roaring Currents)

Watanabe Ken & Moon So-ri host's of the evening.

Kim Won hae doing it like a Gangster

Tang Wei & Dir. Ann Hui (The Golden Era)

Kim Soo-hyun (Level 7 Civil Servant, The Avengers)

Chen Jian Bin, Chen Yi Han, Juan Ethan, Wan Qian, Dir. Niu Doze Chen-Zer & Dir. Lee Yong-kwan

Paradise in Service Dir. Niu Doze Chen-Zer & BIFF 2014 Dir. Lee Yong-kwan

Dir. Shim Sung Bo + Han Ye-ri (Haemoo)

Cast from One on One and Dir. Kim Ki Duk

Han Ye-ri + Moon Seong-geun (Haemoo)

Lee Ha-Nui Honey Lee (Behind the Camera) & Kim Nam-gil (The Pirates)

Im Ji-yeon (Obsessed)

Kim Hee-ra and wife

Love Never Fails - Jang Hyun-sung, Oh Yu-jin & Choi Jungwon

Paradise in Service - Opening Night Film

Kim Gyu-ri, Dir. Im Kwon-Taek & Kim Ho-Jung (Revivre)

Kim Hee-ae (Elegant Lie)

Kim Hee-ae (Elegant Lie)

Kang Ye-won (The Huntress, Haeundae)

Jo Yeo-jung (The Target, Obsessed) + one

Jung Woo-sung + Esom (Behind the Camera)

Jung Yumi (Our Sunhi, In Another Country, Oki's Movie)

Kaho Minami, dir Ryuichi Hiroki & Lee Eun-Ho (Kabuki Lovehotel)

Well it was a bit of fun and it certainly passed the time before the official formalities.
It was amazing that I was where I was and was able to witness the passing parade.
Opening Night tickets sold out online within 3 minutes! It's a pretty in demand event.
What's not captured in the pictures is the clapping and cheering and screaming that is going on, depending heavily on who was on the carpet. There were some who got complete silence.
The rest of the night was sort of epic in scale and a bit weird too, ending in a screening of Paradise in Service. Which was great but that's not for here nor now.

BIFF Bucket List

3 days out and counting
Here's my El - Biffo Bucket List,
I fuck'n never make bucket lists, own a bucket list or use the expression.
What's going on?
Anyway I've been watching the fish jumping for joy in the SuYeong River and I'm pretty excited too!
Here we go.

Thurs:
Paradise in Service (Taiwan). Opening night film. Very lucky to get ticket so will attend.

Fri:
Hill of Freedom 자유의 언덕 (Korea). This is Hong Sangsoo's latest, plus it's so short (70min) it mus be sweet and there is a guest visit!!!! Say no more.   

Hong Sangsoo

A Hard Night 끝까지 간다 (Korea). This is a text book case study in genre mechanics and a cracker of a ride. I wanna see it again to break it down a bit plus it has a guest visit.

Love Never Fails 사랑이 이긴다 (Korea) An overachieving high school girl and her overbearing mother. Hmmmm OK!

Kundo: Age of the Rampant 군도:민란의 시대 (Korea). One of this summer's period blockbusters that sent the domestic box office in a spin (in a good way). Must see to experience the fuss and maybe learn some history? It too has a guest visit.

Sat:
The Fatal Encounter 역린 (Korea). A historical piece about a king dodging too many assassins. A debut feature film for a established TV director.

One on One 일대일 (Korea). A Kim Ki-duk film is always worth the investment of some time. Happy to see the progression from Pieta and Mobius plus hear from the boss himself in a guest visit.

Timing 타이밍 (Korea) Superpowers of time control used to solve mysteries! With a guest event to explain. Sounds good to me.

Mother 마더 (Korea) A Bong Joon Hoclassic that needs to be seen on the big screen + guest visit.

Sun:
Roaring Currents 명량 (Korea) Another box office smashing, period, summer blockbuster staring Mr. Old boy himself, Choi Min-sik. Oh yeah it's including a guest visit.

Sion Sono

Tokyo Tribe (Japan). Sion Sono's latest and it sounds like a cracker. If anyone is going to switch me onto Hip Hop it's going to be the Master. Unfortunately amidst unsubstantiated rumours of unreliability and high jinx revelry he will not be in attendance this year. Boo!

Haemoo 해무 (Korea). debut feature and all about people smugglers/fisherman/boat people/illegal immigrants. Sounds kinda close to home?

Venus Talk 관능의 법칙 (Korea). I  dont think this is sex in the city but it might be. I apologise if I'm right off the mark.

Mon: Doco Monday!
The Truth Shall not Sink with Sewol 다이빙벨 (Korea). A doco looking into the disaster of the Sewol ferry sinking and the consequent Government inaction and silence ever since. Controversial and with guest visit. This one will get close to the bone.

The Target 표적 (Korea). A remake of Point Blank! Interesting. Chases & Twists Assassins and a doctor's kidnapped wife. Recipe for goodness maybe?

Southeast Asian Cinema, When the Rooster Crows. (Italian) A documentary featuring four directors from the region, the one that pricked my interest was Brillante Mendoza from the Philippines. This director also made a doco on South Korean cinema a few years back which was met with acclaim.
Tue:
Over your Dead Body (Japan). A ghost story from Takashi Miike, ahhh, OK!

Kill Me Three Times (Australia). Maybe a not so cute follow up to Red Dog.

Socialphobia  소셜포비아 (Korea) Internet bullies, provocative comments online, suicide or maybe murder. If it be too confusing a guest event might help.

Nick & Chai (Philippines). Doco on the aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan and how one couple cope.

Wim Wenders

Wed: 
Salt of the Earth (Germany) Interesting doco from Wim Wenders. Track record impeccable, will always check out his work.

Bwaya (Philippines) Crocodile attack in swamps, guest event, Philippines.

Thur:
Han River 한강블루스 (Korea) Suicide, homeless, priesthood and that famous river.

Live TV 라이브TV (Korea) Suitably coocky story of a live internet broadcast of a threesome where they are stalked by a crazed killer. OK I'm there!

The Pirates 해적: 바다로 간 산적 (Korea). Another summer, period blockbuster, this time with those that say arrrggghh!

Asian Short Films program 3. A collection of shorts that are in competition this year.

Fri:
Korean Shorts Prog 1. A collection of shorts that are in competition this year.

Coming Home (China) cause it came highly recommended and has a star studded cast

Pasolini (France/Italy/Belgium). Reconstructing the last days of Pasolini's life. If this is half as good as the short on the same subject "Ostia - La Notte Finale" it will be a cracker.

Lars Von Trier

Nymphomaniac Lars Von Trier at midnight and uncut. Yes Please!

Sat:
Still the Water (Japan) Life, Death & First Love uh huh.



So that's it so far, busy schedule but it still has room for more.....but do I?