draft story on Korean Film Week in Exeter

This will be a story for OhmyNews later in the week. Any suggestions welcome.

Korean Film Week launched in Exeter, UK
Sound base for future possibilities

The first Korean Film Week in Exeter was held from 11th to 16th May and featured five movies at the University Cinema Society. the openning reception was attended by the Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Kevin Mitchell, and the free food continued throughout the week. The event was supported by the Korean Students Society and the Korean congregation at the Mint Methodist Church in central Exeter. The Korean Cultural Service in London made a grant of £500 and the Korea National Tourism Organisation supplied books and DVDs. Councillor Mitchell welcomed the awareness of Korean culture that the event made possible and the contribution of the Korean community to local culture.

The university campus is on the edge of Exeter, where I live. Often people in the city centre do not know what is happening there and miss out on specialist film. This event was better publicised than most Cinema Society events though future events may reach a wider audience still. The cinema seemed not to be completely full on the two visits I made, though this is probably a basis to organise another one.

Films included Marathon, A Tale of Two Sisters, and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. The two I saw were Strokes of Fire, an art movie, and The Host about a monster in Seoul.

more about them

also others if

The Host has a convincing monster and is also very funny. i could not follow all the politics or references but some idea of the technology background is evident. The children are trapped where the monster stores other victims, some dead, but they wait for decent mobile device to turn up. You would think that the local authorities would learn from such an experience but apparently the sequel will be set sometime earlier.

Asian Cultural Centre

possibly China and Japan films

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC0Urhfucos

5th Tailo festival


Exeter is the location for a major UK animation festival - Animated Exeter usually in February each year. This has a solid base in classic forms of animation such as stop frame but there has also been discussion of digital technology and CGI in feature films. The Host is an example of how animation can be central to special effects. The sequel is expected to feature several new monsters and may be release in time for news to be available before Animated Exeter in 2010.

The Korean Cultural Centre in London organised an animation event in 2009 so some of these titles may also reach Exeter.

http://london.korean-culture.org/navigator.do?siteCode=null&langCode=null&menuCode=200903170055&promImg=1198673534460.jpg&menuType=BG&subImg=1198673979402.gif&action=VIEW&seq=18990

The printed material available included a guide to Korean Film Festivals. The Jeonju International Film Festival includes a Digital Project that looks interesting as it could connect with the computer activity on the edges of animation.

Since I started writing for OhmyNews I have attended one International Forum but most of the time I only find out about Korea online. The Korean Film Week has taught me that there is
more hapopening locally than I realised. I hope more will come from blending the local and stories from OhmyNews.

http://www.jiff.or.kr/