Master Series “Park Chan-wook”
October 1-5, 2016
Metrograph (7 Ludlow Street, New York, NY 10002)
Korean Cultural Center New York announces
Korean Movie Night New York: Master Series “Park Chan-wook”
Director Park Chan-wook and producer Syd Lim (OLDBOY, THE HANDMAIDEN)
will attend the screenings.
October 1-5, 2016, Metrograph
(7 Ludlow Street, New York, NY 10002)
Featuring International Premieres of the 2K digital remaster of OLDBOY, the 4K digital remaster of JSA: JOINT SECURITY AREA, and OLD DAYS, a new documentary about the making of OLDBOY, plus the New York premiere of THE HANDMAIDEN
Korean Cultural Center NY, a branch of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) of the Republic of Korea, is proud to announce Korean Movie Night New York: Master Series “Park Chan-wook.”
Co-presented with Metrograph, Korean Movie Night New York: Master Series will showcase a condensed retrospective of Korea's groundbreaking auteur Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Stoker), revered worldwide by cinephiles and genre fans alike.
The program will include the New York premiere of director Park’s latest expectation-defying creation, The Handmaiden (2016) - a twisty, kinky, 1930s-set period piece constructed of interlocking narratives which come together in an old dark-house mystery taut with thrills. The film screened in competition at this year's Cannes International Film Festival, and will receive a limited theatrical release in the U.S. on October 21st from Magnolia Pictures.
Other highlights include international premieres of the new digitally remastered versions of director Park’s seminal works, Oldboy (2003) and JSA: Joint Security (2000), and International premiere of Old Days (2016), a documentary about the making of Oldboy, consisting of archival footage and newly recorded interviews with the cast and crew.
As a special treat for the fans, the series will conclude with a secret screening of one of director Park’s classic films, which has never before been shown anywhere in the U.S.
Director Park Chan-wook, producer Syd Lim (Oldboy, The Handmaiden), and co-producer Jeong Wonjo (The Handmaiden) will be in attendance.
All screenings will be held at Metrograph, located at 7 Ludlow Street, between Canal and Hester streets, in the Lower East Side. www.metrograph.com
NOTE: Metrograph is an assigned-seating movie house. To choose your preferred seats, we recommend that you buy tickets in advance online.
Keep up with the latest Korean Cinema Night New York news at: Facebook.com/KoreanMovieNY
THE FILMS
International Premiere of the new 2K Digital Remaster
OLDBOY (올드 보이 old-bo-i)
2003 | South Korea | 120 min | DCP | in Korean with English subtitles
Directed by Park Chan-wook
Starring: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Gang Hye-jung
“A wild, intensely cinematic ride” - The Variety
“It was a pity to see dusty, streaked prints [of Oldboy] being screened all over the world. I’ve wanted to make a digital version for a long time" - Park Chan-wook
The key work of New Korean Cinema and the winner of Grand Jury Prize at Cannes, earning praise from the jury president Quentin Tarantino, Oldboy was responsible for catapulting Park Chan-wook’s international career, and came to symbolize the creativity of Korean cinema to a generation of movie buffs. Based on the Japanese manga of the same name, Oldboy follows a middle-aged business man Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik), who is abducted and held captive in a motel room, not knowing who imprisoned him or why. 15 years later, he’s suddenly released, and consumed by the thirst for revenge, starts looking for answers.
The new 2K digital remaster, with color correction, elimination of scratches and dust, and new English-language subtitles, was supervised by director Park for the occasion of Oldboy’s 10th anniversary theatrical re-release in South Korea in 2013.
International Premiere
OLD DAYS (올드 데이즈)
2016 | South Korea | 112min | DCP | in Korean with English subtitles
Directed by Han Sunhee
Combining archival footage from 2003 with the newly recorded interviews with director Park Chan-wook, producer Syd Lim, stars Choi Min-sik, Yu Ji-tae, and the rest of Oldboy’s cast and crew, documentary Old Days is a fascinating and expansive look at the story behind this seminal work of New Korean cinema, providing a detailed account of Oldboy’s pre-production and production process. Directed by Han Sunhee (producer of Park Chan-kyong’s Manshin: Ten Thousand Spirits (2013)) and commissioned for the upcoming Korean Blu-ray release of Oldboy, Old Days had its World Premiere at the Jeonju International Film Festival in May of this year.
New York Premiere
THE HANDMAIDEN (아가씨)
2016 | South Korea | 145min | DCP | in Korean and Japanese with English subtitles
Directed by Park Chan-wook
Starring: Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong, Kim Hae-sook, and Moon So-ri; introducing Kim tae-ri
“Ravishing. Director Park Chan-wook’s most delectable narrative feature in years.”
– Justin Chang, LA Times
“An amusingly kinky erotic thriller and love story that brims with delicious surprises...”
– Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter
Set in the 1930s Korea under the Japanese colonial rule, The Handmaiden is a gripping and sensual tale of two women - a Japanese Lady Hideko (Kim Min-hee) living on a secluded estate, and a Korean woman Sook-hee (Kim Tae-ri) who is hired to serve as her new handmaiden, but is secretly plotting with conman Count Fujiwara (Ha Jung-woo) to defraud her of a large inheritance. Inspired by the award-winning Victorian-era lesbian crime novel Fingersmith, by the British author Sarah Waters, The Handmaiden borrows the most dynamic elements of its source material and combines it with Park Chan-wook’s singular vision to create an unforgettable viewing experience.
The Handmaiden will receive a limited theatrical release in the U.S. (New York and LA) on October 21st from Magnolia Pictures. For more info, visit: http://www.handmaidenmovie.com/
International Premiere of the new 4K Digital Remaster with the Dolby Atmos sound mix
JSA: JOINT SECURITY AREA (JSA 공동경비구역)
2000 | South Korea | 110 min | DCP | in Korean with English subtitles
Directed by Park Chan-wook
Starring: Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, Lee Young-ae, Kim Tae-woo, Shin Ha-kyun
An atmospheric mystery thriller that revolves around the investigation into the death of two North Korean soldiers, JSA is set in the tense environment of the demilitarized zone (DMZ), which separates North and South Korea. It was Park Chan-wook’s breakthrough film, which broke the Korean box office record in 2000 with close to 6 million admissions, and won Best Film and Best Actor (Song Kang-ho) at the 2001 Grand Bell Awards, the Korean equivalent of the Academy Awards. The 4K digital remaster with the new Dolby Atmos sound mix was created last year for JSA’s 15th anniversary limited theatrical re-release in Korea.
SECRET SCREENING! (120min)
As a special treat for the fans, the secret screening will present one of director Park’s never-before-screened-in-the-U.S. classic films on 35mm, which will offer a fascinating look into the development of the future auteur and at the Korean film industry in transition prior to its commercial maturation. Not to be missed!
SCREENING SCHEDULE
- Saturday, October 1
2:00pm OLD BOY (120 min)
Followed by the conversation with director Park Chan-wook
5:30pm THE HANDMAIDEN (145 min)
Follow by the conversation with director Park Chan-wook and co-producer Jeong Wonjo
- Sunday, October 2
4:00pm OLD DAYS (112 min)
Follow by the conversation with director Park Chan-wook and producer Syd Lym
7:00pm JSA (125 min)
Followed by the conversation with director Park Chan-wook
- Wednesday, October 5
6:00pm SECRET SCREENING (120min)
THE GUESTS
PARK CHAN-WOOK
Born in Seoul, Korea on August 23, 1963, winner of the Cannes’ Grand Prix for Oldboy and the Jury Prize for Thirst, Park Chan-wook stands at the forefront of Korean cinema’s modern-day renaissance. Renowned for his explosive visuals and dynamic storytelling, he is a director who continually challenges and defies expectations.
An ardent cinephile, Park juggled film directing and criticism in the 1990s before his commercial breakthrough Joint Security Area (JSA) in 2000, which broke local box office records and screened in competition at Berlin Film Festival. However, it was with his critically acclaimed follow-up Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance in 2002 that he established the intense, relentless cinematic style for which he is now renowned. After the success and worldwide recognition of Oldboy (2003), his follow-up features Lady Vengeance (2005, Venice competition), I’m a Cyborg but that’s OK (2006, Berlin competition) and Thirst (2009, Cannes competition), further demonstrated Park’s cinematic and thematic range. He then went onto make his first English language feature Stoker (2013), a Fox Searchlight film starring Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska and Matthew Goode, further cementing his status as an important global auteur.
In The Handmaiden, which is inspired by Sarah Waters’ historical crime novel Fingersmith (2002), Park returns to Korea for one of his most ambitious productions yet. In this latest work he continues to display the bold and innovative approach to storytelling and visuals that has made him internationally famous.
SYD LIM
Producer (Oldboy, The Handmaiden)
A veteran film producer, Syd Lim is the CEO of Young Film which he founded in 2012, and was formerly the president of Sio Film and the Vice President of Barunson Film Division. His producing credits include The Target (2014), a remake of the French action thriller Point Blank (2010), Kim Dae-woo’s box office hit The Servant (2010), as well as several of the essential New Korean Cinema works, such as Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy (2003) and Ryoo Seung-wan’s Crying Fist (2005). His most recent project is Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden (2016).
JEONG WONJO
Co-producer (The Handmaiden, Stoker)
Before becoming a key member of Park Chan-wook’s creative team by joining Moho Films in 2013, Jeong worked as a visual effect coordinator on Bong Joon-ho’s The Host (2006) and Rob Mikoff’s The Forbidden Kingdom (2008). His co-production credits include director Park’s English-language debut Stoker (2013) and The Handmaiden (2016).
- Park Chan-wook, Syd Lim, Jeong Wonjo are available for interviews.
- For interviews, contact Mickey Hyun mickeyhyun@koreanculture.org or pr@koreanculture.org, 212-759-9550 (ext. 212).
- For stills, contact Jean Jo - jjo@Koreanculture.org, (212) 759 9550 (ext. 207)
- For screeners and film related inquiries, contact film curator Kyungmi Kim kyungmi007@gmail.com.
About Korean Movie Night New York
Korean Movie Night New York (KMN) is Korean Cultural Center NY’s year-round program of screenings and events that introduce New York audiences to the full spectrum of contemporary and classic Korean cinema. Currently, KMN consist of Korean Movie Night New York: Premiere Showcase (special premiere screenings of the latest blockbusters) and Korean Movie Night New York: Master Series (thematic retrospective programs). KMN was launched in 2010 as a successor to Korean Cine Forum, an earlier film screening series that was organized by the Korean Cultural Service since 1996.
Keep up with the latest news at: www.Facebook.com/KoreanMovieNY.
Korean Cultural Center NY
Inaugurated in 1979, the Korean Cultural Center New York (previously known as the Korean Cultural Service New York) is a branch of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) of the Republic of Korea. Under the authority of the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in New York, KCCNY works to promote cultural arts exchange and stimulate interest in Korean culture through various opportunities. KCCNY provides diverse activities including exhibitions, concerts, film festivals, and educational programs. KCCNY is located at 460 Park Avenue (at 57th Street), New York City. www.koreanculture.org