[HanCinema's Digest] Cinema Snippets

Park Chan-wook is back in the spotlight as "The Handmaiden" heads to Cannes, Inverse has a compelling take on the relationship between South Korean cinema and the country's socio-political reality, KOBIZ shares an infographic showing the locations of Hong Sang-soo's films, and Pierce Conran asks if there is still space in multiplexes for romantic dramas.

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"Cannes: South Korea Rejoices as "The Handmaiden" Is Selected to Compete for Palme d'Or"

Park Chan-wook's "The Handmaiden" (also known as "Agasshi" and "Fingersmith"), starring Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri and Ha Jung-woo, will compete for the prestigious Palme d'Or at Cannes in May: "This is the first in four years that a South Korean film has been shortlisted for the big prize at the prestigious French festival since Im Sang-soo's "Taste of Money" and Hong Sang-soo's "In Another Country" in 2012. Onlookers here have expressed much disappointment as Cannes overlooked South Korea for the past four years".

...READ ON THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

"The Korean New Wave and the Anxieties of South Korean Cinema"

This is a very interesting piece from Matt Kim writing for Inverse. South Korean cinema (and the culture that feeds into it) has been massively successful over the past decade or so, but why, exactly? "Turns out South Korean cinema is often a battleground between the government and filmmakers-and how to best represent society to their citizens and the world".

...READ ON INVERSE

"Travelling the Peninsula with Hong Sang-soo"

KOBIZ has this neat infographic showing the parts of the country that Hong Sang-soo has set his various films: "Coincidentally, HONG's films have often been released in spring and fall. So there was a saying that when you meet the spring breeze or lonely fall wind, it is time to see his film. In those seasons, you want to leave somewhere, perhaps with a drink. And, with a good movie, too".

...SEE ON KOBIZ

"Does the Korean Romantic Drama Still Have a Place in Today's Multiplex?"

Korean romantic dramas are big business, but with all the techno-driven changes happening in cinema at the moment (see ScreenX, for example) is there still room for them? Pierce Conran, writing for KOBIZ, looks at some recent trends to get a better grasp on the issue: "Romantic drama production may subside in the coming years but given the low cost associated with the genre and its lengthy history in the local market, what we will likely see more of are more and more tweaked melodramas that seek to add something to the pot".

...READ ON KOBIZ