Asian Film Festival
September 29 - 30, 2006
View a Flyer of the 2006 Film Asian Festival

Boardman's Art Theatre, 126 W. Church Street, Champaign, Illinois
Free and Open to the Public


To view additional information on the movies, please go to www.koreanfilm.or.kr

	Friday, September 29, 2006 at 7:00 pm The Unforgiven [Yongsô Pachi Mothan Cha] YOON Jong-Bin AnD Pictures; Big Blue Film 2005 121 min Reviewed in the Spring 2007 issue of the AEMS newsletter A young college student, Seung-young (SEO Jang-won), enters compulsory military service and is confronted with a harsh, hierarchical military culture. By coincidence, his commanding officer, Tae-jung (HA Jung-woo), is an old classmate of his and takes him under his wing. Much later, Seung-young seeks out the discharged Tae-jung to tell him "something important." The film is structured as a series of suspenseful flashbacks from that day, following Seung-young's psychological transformation with a building sense of dread as he rises through the military ranks. Please stay for a discussion with the film's director, YOON Jong-Bin, after the film screening.
	Saturday, September 30, 2006 from 10:30am - 12:30pm K-12 educator workshop on teaching about Korea led by Heinz Insu Fenkl Fenkl is an author, editor, translator, mythic scholar, and the director of the Creative Writing Program at the State University of New York, New Paltz. He is also the director of ISIS: The Interstitial Studies Institute at SUNY, New Paltz. His homepage can be viewed here.
	Saturday, September 30, 2006 at 2:00 pm Empress Chung [Wanghu Simch'ông] SHIN Nelson KOAA 2005 95 min Reviewed in the Spring 2007 issue of the AEMS newsletter The first Korean film ever to be released simultaneously in North and South Korea, this sumptuous animated feature tells the traditional Korean tale of Shim Chung, the "dutiful daughter." After Shim Chung's father, a government official, loses his eyesight, he and his daughter struggle in poverty. Shim Chung grows up to be a strong and beautiful girl with the help of her animal friends - a dog, a goose and a turtle. One day, she is given the opportunity to restore her father's sight by sacrificing herself to the Sea Dragon King. Plunging into the sea, Shim Chung finds herself in an fantastic undersea palace. Director Nelson SHIN's studio, Akom Production Co., has produced American television hits such as The Simpsons, X-Men, and Transformers. View trailer (Under English: Media)
	Saturday, September 30, 2006 at 4:30 pm Please Teach Me English [Yông'ô Wanjôn Chôngbok] KIM Sung-Soo Taiseng Entertainment 2003 118 min Reviewed in the Spring 2007 issue of the AEMS newsletter In this offbeat romantic comedy an awkward young public official, Na Yeong-Ju (LEE Na-young) is pressured into taking English classes. In class, she falls for fellow student Park Mun-su (JANG Hyeok) - a.k.a. "Elvis" - a ladies man whose priority seems to be flirting with their sexy Australian teacher, Catherine (Angela Kelly). Mun-su actually has a more serious reason for learning English: his sister, who was given up for adoption years ago, is returning from the United States to visit. Meanwhile, Yeong-ju is determined to win Mun-su's heart, despite repeated humiliations, before the class session ends. Quirky, animated fantasies pepper this satire of the South Korean obsession with learning English. View trailer
	Saturday, September 30, 2006 at 7:00 pm Sad Movie [Saedû Mubi] KWON Jong-kwan TUBE Entertainment 2005 108 min This star-studded film chronicles the lives of several ordinary people as they deal with love, loss, and life in four bittersweet, loosely interconnected stories. A deaf girl (SHIN Min-A) flirts with an artist (LI Ki-woo) at the amusement park where she works but is afraid to show her true face. Meanwhile, her sister (IM Su Jung) yearns for a marriage proposal from her fireman boyfriend (JUNG Woo-sung). An unemployed young man (CHA Tae-hyun) tries to win back his girlfriend by concocting an unusual entrepreneurial scheme. And a young boy tries to understand his mother's love for him as she fights cancer. Connecting all four stories is the struggle to communicate. View trailer
	Saturday, September 30, 2006 at 9:30 pm Sympathy for Lady Vengeance [Ch'injôrhan Kûmjassi] PARK Chan-wook Tartan Films 2005 115 min The sequel to Park Chan-wook's international success Oldboy, this film tells the story of Lee Geum-Ja (LEE Yeong-ae), who goes to prison for the murder and abduction of a child on behalf of her accomplice Mr. Baek (CHOI Min-shik), only to find out he has betrayed her. While in prison, she carefully prepares for her revenge by winning the hearts of her fellow inmates with her kindness, thus earning herself the nickname "the kind Ms. Geum-Ja." Upon her release from prison after 13 years, she seeks revenge with the help of her former prison mates. Due to graphic sex and violence, viewer discretion is advised. View trailer

All films will be in Korean with English subtitles.

Last Updated June 19, 2007