【资料】第15届釜山电影节（2010年10月7日开幕）

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4 ]  O/ U  N' lCritically acclaimed director Lee Chang-dong's film "Poetry" was sold to the most countries at this year's Asian Film Market held concurrently with the 15th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF).
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The film, which won the award for best screenplay at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, was picked up by distributors in Hong Kong, Syria, Japan, Portugal and Spain.
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" m& V) b2 \8 o/ h# I4 _% OEarlier in the year, the picture had been sold to nine countries including Taiwan, Spain, Greece, Russia, former Yugoslavia, Benelux, and Brazil, during the Cannes Film Market held concurrently with the Cannes Film Festival.

Starring veteran actress Yoon Jeong-hee, "Poetry" is about an elderly woman who learns how to write her own poems while fighting Alzheimer's and was released in Korea in mid-May.
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- r) [) |# `& b) ~6 n1 AMeanwhile, "Into Fire," which stars actors Cha Seung-won, Kim Seung-woo, Kwon Sang-woo and T.O.P. of idol group Big Bang, signed with distributors in three countries including Taiwan, Thailand and France.
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Close to half a dozen local pics also scored deals; Hong Sang-soo's "Hahaha" to Hong Kong and Mexico, Kwon Hyuk-jae's "Troubleshooter" to Singapore and Taiwan, Kim Hyuk-suk's "Cyrano Agency" to Singapore and Taiwan, Kang Woo-suk's "Moss" to Taiwan and Hong Kong and Kim Dae-woo's "A Story of Bangja" to Taiwan and Singapore.

The Asian Film Market was held for four days from October 10 during the PIFF's run from October 7 to 15.
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From left, Taiwanese director Hou Hsaio-hsien, French actress Juliette Binoche and Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami take part in an Open Talk session of the 15th Pusan Film Festival in Busan, South Korea on October 13, 2010. [PIFF]

  {/ F: J: U3 V/ [5 Q7 M, h2 QLike the name their Open Talk session “They Walk Together” suggests, the film careers of French actress Juliette Binoche, Taiwanese director Hou Hsaio-Hen and Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami cannot be defined without each other.
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Binoche worked with the critically acclaimed Hou first, through “The Flight of the Red Balloon” which opened the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival in May.

She then collaborated with multiple award winner Kiarostami in “Certified Copy” which won her the award for best actress at Cannes this year.
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The three, all visiting Korea for the 15th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), sat down in front of moviegoers on the Haeundae Beach in Busan to talk about their experience of working together.
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Q: You’re said to be a fan of Asian films. How did you come to discover the appeal to them?
" P* O9 Y: N& oBinoche: I’m privileged to meet with directors directly so sometimes I meet with them before I see their films. And when I choose to be in a movie with a director is mainly because I love them. I had seen Asian movies since I was a little girl because in my family, it was part our lives to see films from the other side and because there's been a wonderful tradition in the east to have beautiful films. So with my mother there was a cinematic connection and even on television we had beautiful films coming from Japan and China… Iranian film came later because we didn’t see them at home. But as a teenager when I went to see movies I was interested in great directors so finally getting to meet with those amazing people was great and working with them has been about sharing a life experience.

Q: Abbas Kiarostami and Hou Hsaio-Hen, did you two meet Juliette Binoche for the first time at film festivals? Or did you see her films first.
1 R% b. O  h  m& o/ sKiarostami: Of course the first time I saw her was on the screen and films but 13 years ago I met her in personal through a common friend in Paris.
) Q* ]9 L. Y8 H% ?( wHou: I found out about her through “Three Colors: Blue.” Then while I was readying to make “The Flight of the Red Balloon,” a producer who was helping me in France introduced me to her at the lobby of a hotel where we met for 30 minutes. And we became close quickly because she told me about a scene in “Blue” where the director had asked her whether she’d use a candy or shoe to express a scene where she thinks about the child. She said she responded ‘shoe’ but the director immediately said ‘Then we should go with the candy.’
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Q: You all come from different cultures so is there a particular way you prepare yourself or a certain type of determination you’re under when you have to work with one another?
Kiarostami: To be honest, I don’t go searching about the culture because if there's something we're forgetting, it means it’s not important. And the situations today's human being are in and the worries we have is common everywhere. I wrote the script (for “Certified Copy”) and sent it to Juliette and after she read it, she called me and said, “I laughed and said to my friend ‘You don’t think Abbas wrote this because he knows about me at the present, do you?” I then sent the script to Martin Scorsese as well and he said the exact same thing and laughed. This shows no matter what culture, we're all feeling the same thing. The race, difference of culture doesn’t make any difference. We all have the same inner feelings, the same pains and same happiness in life.
; Y" T' q% {% y4 v- L6 VHou: The first time I met Binoche, we didn’t talk much because of the language barrier. The second time, I just laughed all the time because I don’t speak English well. And the third time, I gave her my scenario, without saying anything in particular. Then the third time we ate together was when we started talking about the movie. That’s why I think what’s important is which actor or actress you meet, not the cultural differences. I usually go straight into shoot, without any tests or rehearsals which could be tough but Binoche adjusted very quickly so I think she’s a great actress in that sense.
1 p- ?5 L4 q5 [) ^Binoche: I think I chose to be an actress and work with directors and with the camera as well because I want to be close to the other one. I think movies are a wonderful medium to get close to the other person and it is magnified by the camera that suddenly interacts both within and outside me. So I think that’s why it’s important that I love them as a person. And don't get jealous of each other, there’s no competition there. (laugh) Also, and the way they put the camera on me, their intention to catch light through me and the other actors is great. It allows us to interact in a more alive way. I think the way they shoot -- it’s a common denominator between them -- they let light be. They also very specifically choose the stories. They need to have the story belong to themselves first and then choose the right people who create this world. After that, Abbas chooses the specific frame and he is so vigorous and precise about the way he wants to choose the frame. Hou, he starts with the details and then expands out, finding that frame so magically. And that’s such a privilege for me, to be able to give the best I can because they allow me to. If I didn’t have the space to, I wouldn’t be the actress I am today.

Q: In “The Flight of the Red Balloon,” it seems the camera focuses more on Binoche’s bodily movement while in “Certified Copy,” it feels almost as if Binoche is just letting out her emotions while trapped inside the close-up of the camera. What are the takes you like to film most when it comes to Binoche?
Hou: When we were filming the movie, I didn’t tell Binoche what to do other than saying that I want to see her move naturally. I think it’s better to let the actor move naturally rather than force upon him or her what I want to deliver. I think the movie showed well how Binoche moves naturally in a certain setting. I like the scene where she fights with her neighbors in particular. It’s a very complex scene but I think she pulled it off well.
Kiarostami: The first thing that I emphasize is to choose the actor I want to make a film with and after I choose, I don't touch the situation and the way of acting when I’m working with them, so like Hou said, I make them free and they move and talk freely. So the most important part is choosing the right person to act. But working with Juliette was different. I wrote this script for her so when I gave it to her, I was sort of also directing the acting at the same time. Then when shooting the film, I was just watching what she does and not interfering because she understood the material very well and she surprised me with her acting.
Binoche: And both films are about mothers. Women with a young child, trying to survive, feeling abandoned, and no man around. One film is about trying to catch the son because she feels completely out somehow and in the other, she is trying to get the relationship with a man. So what’s beautiful to see is two men trying to understand women, mothers, and loving them. Because whether its because they remember their mothers, partners or wives, I'm trying to understand that part of life. As a woman, I’m very touched by the way they allow the feminine part of themselves to emerge and how they try to understand the other side.

% {7 H& i) |3 R& S" UQ: Binoche, you published a book containing portraits you drew of directors. How did you draw the two directors and what was their response?
Binoche: I think I did Hou’s portrait before Abbas because I shot with him before and almost did the portrait in chronological order. I can’t say that I painted it, it painted through me like acting which goes through me while not being a willing accomplishment. [With Hous] I felt sort of an immensity I felt with him the immense feeling of experiencing life with him and the camera. That’s why in the portrait, you there's not stopping between the outside and the inside, like a world with no boundaries. And there’s sort of a Buddhist kind of way he represents for me because I remember seeing how he would come on set and smile like a child being happy just being there. With Abbas, I hadn’t shot the film yet so it was expectation in wondering what would happen. The scar he has, I wasn't sure which side it was but it just happened to turn out the right way. And I had also started making a little documentary by asking directors what acting is. what an actor is because I wanted their point of view. I remember interviewing Abbas at Cannes for it and I asked him if he wanted to be made up but he didn't want any make-up then I asked him to take off his glasses and he said ‘No way.’ So then during the interview, I zoomed inside his glasses and I could see his eyes completely as well as see myself in the reflection of his glasses. So because I wanted to see his eyes, that’s what I started with for his portrait, the eyes. But now that I’ve shot with him, I think I’ll do another portrait.
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Lee Sun-kyun [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

Lee Sun-kyun is an actor who stands out more in casual wear than formal clothes and at comfortable and easy-going settings than solemn ones. In that sense, the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) is the best place to meet this actor. The first encounter with Lee Sun-kyun came at a sashimi restaurant in Haeundae, the second at the Lotte Cinema party, and the third at a small get-together celebrating film "Cyrano Agency" having attracted over two million moviegoers. "I love coming to film festivals. When you attend the opening ceremony, you even get to watch the opening film. I think watching the opening film on top of walking the red carpet is the way to properly enjoy film festivals." And when he talked of how much he enjoyed this year's opening film "Under the Hawthorne Tree" while also tearing at the end of it, he was talking as a sincere cinephile, not an actor.

1 ?: M! G& a, h- [  \Lee recently finished filming a romantic comedy with actress Choi Kang-hee. That is why a hairstyle of someone hit by a bolt of lightening, the could-be-called "Old Boy" style, stood in front of us instead of the lanky guy from MBC TV series "The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince" or the finicky chef from "Pasta." "There's something petty about dating itself. You seemingly share everything but sometimes you'll try to define what is yours or mine so this film talks about those petty aspects seen in every relationship. I'm hoping this movie will become like reality show 'Superstar K.' Why? Because that's what's hot these days. (laugh)"
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! S. E) O- N3 P) W$ PEditor in Chief : Beck Una one@
6 O# M! a' v2 U0 Y+ V  w) IPhotographer : Chae ki-won ten@
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4 s4 g  j; N" t/ k# wFrench actress Juliette Binoche attends a press conference for film "Certified Copy" held at Shinsegae Department Store's Cultural Hall in Busan, South Korea on October 12, 2010. [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

* _1 H' R& f$ }$ {  Q) e8 @/ }) WWhen it comes to France's multiple award-winner Juliette Binoche, it seems that critically acclaimed Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami is inspired by the actress as much as she is inspired by him.

/ v1 ~6 P7 Z5 v/ y0 ~# w( mSpeaking to reporters at the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) ongoing at Korea’s second-largest city Busan, Kiarostami said he found himself completing the storyline for “Certified Copy” while explaining the movie to the French award-winning actress.

“It was short and incomplete in my mind but when I was telling her, she was showing a lot of attention to my story so it made me tell the story longer and longer which ended up becoming the story you see in the film,” explained Kiarostami.

3 f$ M! t  m) BHe then jokingly added it took him two and a half months to write a different script thereafter “because Binoche wasn’t there” -- it had taken him only 45 minutes to complete the plot for “Certified Copy” when sitting with her.

! Y; R- [7 P- Y) CAnd while Kiarostami has won countless numbers of international awards during his 30-year career, he said it was his first time working with a star, which he described as “a very new experience.”

“There was some sort of special acting that was coming from that technical experience she’s had…… She was making the dialogue her own and bringing it out, as if she was the one coming up with the dialogue,” he remarked.
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He also left it up to her to lead her co-star William Shimell, a British opera singer who was taking his first attempt at acting. “His acting is your responsibility. You know how to act so it’s all yours,” Binoche, also in Busan for PIFF mimicked Kiarostami as having said.

0 {2 ^% {1 T4 V- I6 d2 @1 ]“But knowing that Abbas was giving me that kind of weight was also great,” the actress said of her experience of working on the film which won her best actress at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

“I won’t forget the experience……. It created something special, the experience of life and that’s what I want to experience as an actress. The freedom I get, I hope it provokes people’s way of choosing films and life being.”

In “Certified Copy,” set in Tuscany of Italy, a French antiques dealer (Binoche) and a British writer (Shimell) spend a day together during which they feign marriage. As the story develops, the two engage in dialogue as if they are an actual husband and wife.



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Tsumabuki Satoshi attends a press meeting for his film "Villain" held at The Westin Chosun hotel in Busan, South Korea on October 11, 2010. [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]
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To think such a face would be seen on Tsumabuki Satoshi. To think that such anger and loneliness could be seen from he who used to smile ever so brightly or burst into tears like a child. Tsumabuki Satoshi put on a never-before-seen face in his film "Villain" with which he visited the 15th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF). The film, based on a novel of the same name by Yoshida Shuichi and helmed by director Lee Sang-il of "Hula Girls," concentrates on the minute trembling Tsumabuki shows, as if to show that everything Lee wants to say is contained within his face. And during the two seconds the muscles on his face twists with anger, the audience immediately figures out who Yuichi is. Yuichi, who Tsumabuki explained "was the role I opted for first [before I was handed it]" is the "complete opposite from my actual cheerful personality." Raised by his grandparents because his parents abandoned him, Yuichi buys a girl with money he made through hard labor. The only way Yuichi, who has never formed a proper relationship, runs away from his loneliness was by continuously building the wall around him higher and higher. And it is both horrifying and painfully heartbreaking to see how he continues to stubbornly build the wall that fails to protect him.

5 z5 [1 N( `" qBut the Tsumabuki who turned up at a joint interview on Monday was still the heartthrob. Could it be because like he said, he "is happy to still be called a pretty boy and will keep trying to be called that"? The careful footsteps he took and the eyes he lowered as he waited for his turn to respond to a question, was pretty enough to draw exclamation from the viewer. And when reminded of how he casually went to the bathroom during an open talk session at last year's PIFF, the way he laughed and embarrassedly scratched his head made him look so young that it was difficult to believe he was 31 years old. Yet when it comes to acting he is thorough to the extent he "grills and questions" himself and an actor matured enough to reveal his ambition to "try being an director like Oguri Shun if given the chance." "Villain" worries about how the world these days is void of "the person who is so precious to me that I become happy just imaging that he feels happy." Well, as long as Tsumabuki exists, there will be at least one person who can make that happen.
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Hong Kong director Ann Hui poses during a photocall of a press conference for her film "All About Love" at the Haeundae Grand Hotel in Busan, South Korea on October 11, 2010. [PIFF]
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In her latest film "All About Love," Hong Kong auteur Ann Hui draws on all forms of love, particularly that of lesbians, but she says she found herself not being as open to homosexuality as she had initially thought she was.
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- O2 `) {' Q) s$ d) g+ Q"I was very scared and nervous about making the movie because I was afraid I wouldn't do a good job of portraying homosexuals but I realized it came from me being a bit prejudiced about them," Hui told reporters on Monday at a press conference in Busan at the ongoing 15th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF).
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5 B- D5 k4 J$ r% X. P) }She then explained, "It's not that I ever looked down on them but for example, I don't know anything about serial killers and how they think or what they feel but I wouldn't be scared to make a movie about them."
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) c6 @9 W$ g4 ^$ k% S" q. d. OIn the film, female ex-lovers Macy (played by veteran comedy actress Sandra Ng) and Anita (Hong Kong's highly idolized Vivian Chow) meet after 12 years, both pregnant from one-night stands. After finding their emotions for each other rekindled, they decide to pick up their relationship after which the father of their babies turn up saying they will take responsibility.

Hui said she had no lesbians to refer to on a personal level to tell the story but was able to depict on their lives as accurately as she could thanks to the film's scenarist who studied about them extensively by visiting their hangouts, observing their lifestyle and talking to them.

  ~3 ]. I' ^; V) w* O' E& l' SYet with homosexuality stigmatized in Hong Kong, as is the case in most countries throughout Asia, Hui's attempt to shine light onto the hardships lesbians face in society did not reach out to as many viewers as she expected.

3 S1 h3 t5 h' L! f$ c' D4 y8 R9 zWhen "All About Love" premiered, reaction was excellent, Hui said, which led her to believe the film would do well on the local box office but she saw ticket sales drop from medium to bad.

"I suspect that people who are non-verbal with their disagreement did not say so but they did not like the film, it was sort of a silent protest," she said. "A lot of people will not speak about it but just vote against it by not going to watch the movie."

8 G% R+ _9 |# ~* \: T3 mThat is why Hui said she felt even more lucky to get high-profile actresses Sandra Ng and Vivian Chow to star in her pic. "I guess they agreed with the message I wanted to deliver -- that everyone is equal and deserves to be treated the same."

5 [5 w& P( o. b# H"All About Love" is being screened as a Gala Presentation at this year's PIFF running from October 7 to 15.


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Im Seulong [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]
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% G) c2 p8 m- s4 T' P. pWhile members of boy band 2AM have slowly expanded on the realm of music they do, away from their group -- Jo Kwon sung a duet with Brown Eyed Girls member Ga-in on MBC's make-believe reality show "We Got Married" and Changmin formed a project duo named Homme with 8eight's Lee Hyun -- Im Seulong's choice was to take on acting which he "had high aspirations for since becoming a celebrity." And within time span of less than a year, he has quite quickly taken on three roles starting with MBC TV series "Personal Taste" where he plays Tae-hoon who clings onto the woman he has a crush on, then an MBC Sunday drama series whose title is translates into 'lunchbox,' and movie "Acoustic." Of them, he has played the leading role in two and through his big screen debut pic "Acoustic," he even got to walk the red carpet of the 15th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) which he says "instilled within me the mindset that I'm an actor, an identity I have yet to establish." Being in the spotlight, something that actors who take on the lead roles usually experience, at such an early stage could plant an excessive amount of confidence within an actor who has just started his career. "After 'Personal Taste' I wanted to stand in front of the camera some more as an actor rather than take on an important role. I don't want to step into waters too deep for me to handle yet." And so he successfully avoided from becoming conceited by taking on an hour- long one-act play and a music film which "contained a refreshing and interesting script about 'what music and sound will be mainstream in the future,' - a thought he had usually thought about.
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Like the Tae-hoon from "Personal Taste" who could not handle the xxxx emotions he has for the woman he likes, Im Seulong himself failed to become Tae-hoon, admitting he cringes when he thinks back on the role. And while the newbie station employee Soo-chul he played in "Lunchbox" was similar to Tae-hoon in that they were both honest and cheerful, Im was a completely different man from the previous six months. He unabashedly portrayed the slightly 'loser-like' Soo-chul by failing to catch the direct sign the woman lying down next to him send him by saying, "It's hot" by grumbling to himself. "I did a lot of preparing on a personal level. For the scene where Soo-chul talks to himself for three minutes in particular, I had to speak the whole time so I fixed the ending to some of the words to make them sound more natural when I say them." And that may be why but the members of his group 2AM who "simply showed a lot of support for it being the first time" when Im was in "Personal Taste," monitored his acting in more detail starting with "Lunchbox." Even though Im had to have his hair blow dried after every scene because, as he explained he "sweats a lot and many of the scenes were shot outdoors in mid-August," the reason he was able to say, "Everything was good except for the fact that it was hot" is because it was where he could learn much as a newcomer actor.

& }5 n* J, p7 ]1 Z. @+ q"Ah, that's what you thought of it. Wow, thank you." This is how Im started his response when asked a question after being told an opinion about his film or acting. And he could have talked about how he interpreted and expressed Soo-chul in a grandiose way, yet he paused for a moment and said instead, "I thought a lot about how Soo-chul would express the great saying, 'Life may not be as good as you expected it to be but is better than what you worried it might have been.’” Of course, he also desires to “do masculine acting in noir films like ‘The Godfather’ or ‘A Bittersweet Life’” and he is “in dilemma over being a member of 2AM which is active in variety shows while most actors maintain a certain image even when they go on such shows.” But for now, it is okay for him to enjoy feeling curious over the fact that he feels “amazed at how my acting and singing are improving together” rather than desire or worry over the future. Because like he said, he is “a new actor who has taken the first step.”


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! v' h3 L$ \% z: M; O) _# p, YWillem Dafoe [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]
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+ Q1 N- F. `) g/ A2 V" t- a5 a8 V7 YHollywood actor Willem Dafoe, known for playing strong or eccentric characters, has brought a softer side to him to the 15th Pusan International Film Festival.

) F) f' o& o% M  KDafoe, visiting Korea's second-largest city of Busan for the international premiere of his latest film "A Woman" directed by his Italian wife Giada Colagrande, said at a press meeting on Friday that his character is "reactive," "ambiguous," and "hiding a secret."
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6 _* h) \1 G" s: o5 B"But after all, it is about a woman," Dafoe said of the movie where he plays a novelist who finds himself falling for a woman while suffering from the tragic death of his wife.

"A Woman" is Colagrande's third feature film which has won her third-time participation in the Venice Film Festival.

Below are excerpts from the press meeting where Willem Dafoe and Giada Colagrande spoke about "A Woman" and working together as a couple.


- H& N' G3 N& X7 c7 C( D+ x0 I( JQ: How did you two come to collaborate in "A Woman"?
Willem Dafoe: I remember seeing "Open my heart" before I knew Giada. I was quite taken by the film. I thought there was a filmmaker behind this film. I was very interested. I got the opportunity to meet her, I met her, got to know her. And we made a second film together called "Before It had a Name." And she invited me to work on this one as well. I think she's got a really unique vision. It's quite personal, it's quite vigorous and I like working with her.
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9 T$ `! t! Y, QQ: "A Woman" is about a man falling in love with another woman after his wife dies so how was it working together for the two of you since you are a married couple?
8 H4 t8 r3 H" I* sDafoe: To work together is great. Not only as I said I like the way Giada is working but I also I like the cinema she envisions. When you work with a director, you're always looking for some sort of trust and simplicity and shorthand and we have that automatically because we know each other very well. Nobody is quite working the way she is and I like that so I was always happy to be on set. Since she has a very clear view of how to work, she's very precise and very demanding so I would basically submit to her will and try to do what she wanted to do.
% A3 L1 e+ `0 \' @Colagrande: I always say that I like to work with material that I know very and belongs to me because I think my work is very intimate and personal so it always starts from an interior side. So Willem is certainly part of the material that I know very well and belongs to me. Or I belong to him. (laugh) So that really helps me to envision what a character is going to become because when I start thinking of the character that will be Willem's character, it takes shape. But it also helps me to realize to make it concrete in a very direct way because as he said, we can work in a deeper way without too much fuss about it, and get straight with the point. And he also helps me with other actors with the direct approach. He's a very flexible and available actor, and I know that he's like that on other sets as well. Willem will become the actor that the directors wants him to become and that helps any director a lot because it cuts the way short and gives you material that you can manipulate in a more interesting way than you would normally do.

4 n, K2 B6 w' C0 s8 N' C10: You're noted for playing roles with very strong characters but in "A Woman," you played a role which is much softer, to the extent that it makes you look weak.
( n. ?" W: Q7 a- tDafoe: That's true. He's a reactive character, ambiguous, he's a man that's hiding a secret so that's not an active part to play in the story. He plays a very important role but after all, it is called "A Woman." (smiles)

Q: What do you look for when choosing a new role?
0 P( [2 A, e+ e) S0 mDafoe: As far as selecting roles, it's always changing but I think the one thing that's fairly consistent is that I'm very much attracted to strong directors, passionate directors, people that are on fire to express their cinema. I'm less interested in exercises of style and my work has a job so I require more adventure and stimulation than that.

% A4 O( `* v4 _, h# o# I6 U$ vQ: Does having experience playing such a large variety of roles help when you take on new roles or is it difficult every time?
Dafoe: I think that each time I approach a film, it's true that it's like the first time. Because the problems are different. Every project is different. And I like resetting my thought process and my intentions and my expectations each time. I really like to start work from zero. Having said that, I do know that as I get older, I don't know about experience but I've just done more films so I feel like I can be more reckless in my choices sometimes. Because when I was younger and if I made a bad choice, it would kill my opportunity in the future. I feel that so that's the good part of getting older. But the contradiction is that I'm still trying out new situations. I'm trying like it's the first time.

* g3 q7 B9 y2 s/ o% q' a8 QQ: What is your exposure to Asian films and filmmakers over the years?
  j  |3 E; ^2 @+ v  X! M8 l$ W4 nDafoe: I have worked in Asia, I would like to work in Asia again, and there are many fillmmakers I admire so I'm always looking for opportunities to work in other situations because it frees you from your cultural orientation. So I'm looking for those opportunities always of course. The conditions of whether I work on a film depend very much on language and certain aspects.

10: Where do you get your inspiration for your films?
Colagrande: I always sense value in American film noir from the 1940s, that's always my favorite genre and a point of reference especially with stories and characters. I always find that alive in me. In this case, I also looked at hitchcock's "Rebecca." And there's a particular part of horror-ish kind films that are about female madness that I adore. I started watching them when I was very little. As far as it goes for storywise, the story is almost never the most important element in a movie for me. In film noir, what I always try to make is contrast. The use of the light can show the emotions. And I think "A Woman" is a lot about this, a lot about expressing female duality through the application of light and darkness, and what can happen to a woman in certain conditions and a loss of identity. So our female character or "woman" embraces paranoia and eventually madness.
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Q: Do you know much about Korean movies?
# O/ _+ d5 J! Y# C2 Q  W2 IColagrande: As far as korean cinema, yes, I've been watching Korean movies for many years at film fests. One director I remember the most is Kim Ki-duk who I adore. And I hope he makes a movie soon since I heard he's working as a farmer right now. One of the movies I've seen the past few years that really interested me a lot was a movie he made five or six years ago called "Time" about a plastic surgeon. I loved that movie.
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Q: How do you think you've changed during the past ten yours of your career?
) p2 c* ]) Q) D: R  k8 i' XColagrande: I think I'm embracing more simplicity. even as a spectator. I respond more and more to noir, and essential, minimal, and intenseness. Intensity is what I look for most and I just realized that the more time goes on, the less powerful a movie is, the less it engages me. So as an author, I try to be simpler and simpler and go straight to what my goal is.

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( l5 q$ x* k# x" dJessica Kim jesskim@
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ordinaryone

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A scene from film "Late Autumn" [Courtesy of PIFF]

* N! A) f& x" f! QA space thick with fog. The coincidental meeting between a Korean man and Chinese woman. And that too in the unfamiliar city of Seattle. The time they spend loving each other -- 72 hours. The countless number of fallen leaves which fluttered around in the air in director Lee Man-hee's 1966 film "Late Autumn" are gone and the setting too has changed from Korea to the United States. But the solitary vibe which surrounds the two remains so unchanged that it pales the fact that 45 years have passed. Anna (played by Tang Wei), who is in jail after murdering her violent husband, has an only blood tie who is tied up with splitting up her deceased parents inheritance and Hoon (played by Hyun Bin) is always on the run from the husband of the woman he has an affair with. Both characters have no cozy home to go to nor person to rely on. And that is the emotion that the three-day love between Anna and Hoon takes off from -- loneliness -- when Anna lends Hoon money in exchange for his watch.

9 U5 [9 c# l4 b9 S  I6 WThe reason that the two's relationship seems more special than that observed in any other melodrama is because they do not say they love each other. "Thank you for listening to my story" is all that Anna utters to Hoon in a low voice as she throws her arms around him and Hoon expresses his affection for Anna by telling her "I want to make you smile" everytime he meets her. In such a way, the love story of this lonely man and woman overlap with the desolate image of Seattle for two hours. And because the story and imagery share a common point, the message that "Late Autumn" suggests is delivered straight to the heart and not the brain. It is to the extent that their passionate kiss at the end of their meeting reveals their anxiety over having to go back to being alone rather than being in love. The movie is a thumbs up if you want a two-hour hike in experiencing the emotion of loneliness.

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ordinaryone

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2 ~) f/ Z% p7 r2 A& Z4 k$ bFrom left, Chinese actress Tang Wei, Korean director Kim Tae-yong and Korean actor Hyun Bin pose during a photocall of the press conference for film "Late Autumn" held at the Cultural Hall in Centum City's Shinsegae Department Store in Busan, South Korea on October 8, 2010. [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]
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  w3 V$ [3 O* Q. X" z5 b1 HChinese actress Tang Wei has said that “Late Autumn,” her collaboration with Korean actor Hyun Bin, is a film that makes her “heart race.”
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- f+ X7 |5 w, h& [2 v* F2 `The starlet of Venice’s Golden Lion award-winning pic “Lust, Caution” made the remark at a press conference for “Late Autumn” on Friday in Busan, where the pic is being screened as a Gala Presentation at the ongoing 15th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF).
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. f$ H: ^* u6 c$ O6 n“’Late Autumn’ is a very exciting film which makes my heart race. There are certain things that still pop into my mind when I think of my character,” the 31-year-old actress said of the film.

She further explained, “Those of you who have watched the movie will know but ‘Late Autumn’ is a very delicate piece so I decided to appear in it because I thought it would be a challenging film as well my role being one that I very much wanted to play since it’s a classic masterpiece.”
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( n+ |1 O. `" a% F- gIn the English-language remake of a 1960s Korean film of the same name by director Lee Man-hee, Tang Wei plays a Chinese woman on a 72-hour leave from a prison after being jailed for killing her abusive husband.
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* v; [. y+ F+ q+ B4 P; kDuring that brief time, she falls in love with a Korean man, the role taken by Hyun Bin, whom she encounters on a bus on her way to Seattle. The man is a gigolo who is constantly on the run from being chased by the husband of the woman he is having an affair with.
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% A% E5 M5 N9 Z7 p* t) E7 D$ r1 ~While Tang Wei admitted the language barrier made it difficult to work with her co-star despite it being another one of the main reasons she took on “Late Autumn,” she said she “came across the powerful realization that the eyes, mouth and even the hands and feet are all speaking.”
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Director Kim Tae-yong remarked happily that such an obstacle between the two actors worked better with the film because they had to read each other’s eyes to play their roles which helped reinforce the image of two strangers falling in love. "It helped them express their emotions with more delicacy," he quipped.
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Tang Wei, 31, has pointed to making a full-fledged return to the big screen -- her Cantonese romance "Crossing Hennessy" was released in April this year and she has been cast as Mao Zedung's girlfriend in a propaganda movie marking the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party next year.
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"Lust, Caution," Ang Lee's espionage thriller, placed her onto international stardom but also into a two-year hiatus in China due to her sexually explicit scenes in the movie.
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Hyun Bin rose to fame after starring in smash hit series "My Name is Kim Sam-soon" alongside actress Kim Suna in 2005 and has since appeared in a steady stream of films and dramas.

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' S' o; T% U, J' L4 L) ?/ ~9 FJessica Kim jesskim@
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ordinaryone

                               
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' x0 H' f) a3 t" e4 UActor Won Bin, actress Kim Sae-ron and director Lee Jeong-beom of film "The Man from Nowhere" walk the red carpet of the opening ceremony for the 15th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) in Busan, South Korea on October 7, 2010. [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]
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% w0 M) j) ?5 r6 P& A& h( FSecond visit to Busan and first time covering the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF). It is experience that is embarrassing to even be considered short. But instead feeling discouraged by the Busan natives and reporters who cover PIFF every year, the fireworks which went off at the start of the festival were watched with ease and excitement. It was probably from the anticipation felt from getting to meet directly with actors and directors who turned up at the show with their films as precious as their own child, and the satisfaction felt from being amongst the huge crowd seated at the venue.
9 x) O( e6 O- R- Z* T/ \: z! `Let me give it to you more straightfoward. There was a satiety felt from seeing Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun who maintained a sexiness about him even with his moustache and curly hair and Aoi Yu presented her watcher with the realization that for the first time, there 'is a woman who is pretty enough to mesmerize even a woman.' And actor Jo Jin-woong who drew a burst of laughter by stepping onto the red carpet while clapping because he was worried of receiving lukewarm reaction from fans is a result of such complex emotions. That is why the words by a member of the audience who said, "I guess this is why people come to the opening ceremonies of film festivals," was taken as more than a mere joke.

8 \& l3 C3 @, E+ S4 B* IThe quivering night scene that the numerous lights on the Diamond Bridge created the first night of arrival in Busan and the moving words delivered by singer-songwriter Roh Young-sim who just hours ahead of the opening ceremony explained that she created "a song which will irradiate Festival Director Kim Dong-ho who poured his love (into the fest) for a long time for his dreams and the actors who are waiting back stage and waiting for their moment to become the main star," were felt precisely at the scene of the opening ceremony. And while the audiences reaction to the handsome and beautiful actors such as Won Bin and Son Ye-jin were that of enthusiastic cheering, what greeted Director Kim who was the symbol of the Pusan International Film Festival for the past 15 years and the director and cast of opening film "Under the Hawthorn Tree" was closer to honest applaud full of sincerity. That is why the moment the video of actors Uhm Jung-hwa, Moon Sori, Hwang Jung-min, Kim Nam-gil and Ye Ji-won singing overlapping with Yoon Gun singing live while playing the piano was more calming and heartfelt. Whether you are one of the people who will be in Busan for the next several days enjoying the various films and events, or whether you have not been able to make it but will still be enjoying it indirectly, what is important is that that moment will be about Busan.
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! M8 e& Q/ g. k1 F$ {A scene from Zhang Yimou film "Under the Hawthorn Tree" [Courtesy of Pusan International Film Festival]

The hand that hesitantly draws closer to the other person. The hand that embarrassedly receives a piece of worthless candy. The hands that inches closer to each other with every step. And the hands that finally hold together. Holding hands is almost the only way the lovers in "Under the Hawthorn Tree," the opening film of the 15th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), express their affection for each other. And that is how Jing Qiu (played by Zhou Dongyou) and Lao Shan (Dou Xiao) end up "having eternal life" -- without a passionate confession and bodily chemistry.

Entering the 21st century, director Zhang Yimou had presented audiences with a sequence of blockbusters such as "Hero" and "Curse of the Golden Flower," as well as directing the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. But when he suddenly said he will visit PIFF with small-budget "Hawthorn" starring new actors, many probably recalled his earlier works. And they may have thought he is returning to the days when he depicts on the pain people suffered during certain eras by portraying the lives of average people like he did in "Not One Less" or "The Road Home." But "Hawthorn" was similar to, yet unlike such works. Zhang talks about common again but his sole interest is love. And the movie is set during the Cultural Revolution but it focuses on the first love between Jing Qiu and Lao Shan rather than the historical turmoil. Just like how the Hawthorn tree, which is dubbed the 'Hero tree' just because it was on the ferocious battlefield during the Second Sino-Japanese War, turn into the keepsake of their heartbreaking love toward the end of the movie.

# S9 R& e8 c7 Y/ v7 }) H8 ^Jing Qiu falls in love with Lao Shan whom she meets while in the countryside to learn about farming. The two continue to meet each other after falling in love at first sight but Jing Qiu is cautious about everything. It is because Jing Qiu, whose family has gained bad reputation, could have a hard time finding a job if she is found to be dating a man freely. But the two's secret relationship becomes known after a year and Lao Shan leaves Jing Qiu after he falls ill with leukemia. A heartbreaking parting with your first love over an incurable disease! Such stories are now easily criticized as being 'tear-jerkers' and have been made again and again in romantic novels, dramas and teen flicks. However, "Hawthorn" contains precious moments, not the obvious cliches, that Zhang has put in so much care into presenting in the film. That moment which is more beautiful because what is important has passed and will never come back. After witnessing a love which has just started to bloom, weak enough to end over a trivial misunderstanding, yet also strong enough to delay death, all that could be done was to search for a handkerchief. It was not expected at all. That such tears would be shed over the opening film of PIFF, over the story of two lovers who break apart because of an incurable illness.
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Chinese director Zhang Yimou speaks during a press conference after the 15th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) screening of film "Under the Hawthorn Tree" held at CGV Centum City in Busan, South Korea on October 7, 2010. [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]
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$ x, ?# ?0 R8 i& v6 f* iChina's top filmmaker Zhang Yimou, best known for his use of vibrant colors and dazzling action beats, has gone back to basics with his latest film "Under the Hawthorn Tree."
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% E7 ^' ~+ U* YThe film, opening this year's Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) and making its international premiere, contained subtle hues, controlled movement and little dialogue, characteristics observed more often in his earlier works.
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And while his turn to his humble style has been questioned, particularly after the commercial success of his large projects such as "House of Flying Daggers" and "Hero," Zhang said he opted to create the online novel into a movie simply for its moving storyline.
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& i8 S. E( `& E' w$ Q, w"I read the novel after hearing of this very moving story and I just felt that I should make it into a film...... I thought it would be great as a film," Zhang explained on Thursday after the film's screening ahead of the PIFF's official opening ceremony later in the day.
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He also said that his first-hand experience with China's Cultural Revolution during his late teens was a "tragic memory" but that it was meant to serve merely as the background to the love story between Jing Qui and Lao Shan.

Jing Qiu, played by ballet dancer-turned-actress Zhou Dongyou, comes across Lao Shan, played by Canadian-raised actor Dou Xiao, when she is sent to the countryside to be 're-educated' under Mao Zedong's Communist policies.

! k0 n( |# c, T  ~Jing Qiu struggles between love and duty when she falls in love with Zhou Dongyou yet support and protect her family after her father is politically persecuted.

9 `- P- `1 X6 Z, ?, q% |% i* \+ lThe film, which has been seeing strong box office sales in China since its premiere in September, will be screened at the PIFF running from October 7 to 15 this year.


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ordinaryone

Top Korean actress Han Ji-hye has been chosen as a PR ambassador for France's themed night event during Asia's largest film fest Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF).

On Thursday, Trophy Entertainment announced that Han will be the publicity ambassador for Cinefrance, part of the 12th annual Soiree Francaise, to be held at the Emerald Hall in the Haeundae Grand Hotel on October 9.
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* j0 s) w* @/ @! R6 j5 M% A: X; K2 _"Han has led the audience through the various roles that she has taken on. She is open to try different genres and we believe that the appeal of French films and Han coincide," explained an official of PIFF on choosing Han as the PR ambassador.

# s  b3 ]- O* H* a8 l  MHe added that they have high expectations that Han will help in the cultural development of both countries.
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The 26-year-old actress will attend the appointment ceremony as well as a reception on Saturday.
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Born Lee Ji-hye, Han made her debut as a supermodel in 2001 and has since appeared in many dramas and films such as "Summer Scent" (KBS2, 2003), "Sweet 18" (KBS, 2004), "My Boyfriend is Type B" (2005) and "East of Eden" (MBC, 2008-2009).

Cinefrance, which began in 2006, introduces French movies to the audience under special programs, previous ones including the 'Juliette Binoche Program' or 'Director Park Chan-wook's Carte Blanche.'
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