The 6th Korean Film Festival in Australia > TV-MOVIES

We’re Back!

The Korean Film Festival in Australia (KOFFIA) is back for its 6th year and it’s already receiving the hype to be an amazing installment to the series. Upon the release of the poster for 2015, Twitch film has gone to say it was “the best poster to date”. KOFFIA is the most celebrated annual festival in Australia to showcase the very best and latest in Korean cinema. From ground breaking blockbusters, Arthouse delights to heartwarming rom-coms there is something in the line-up for everyone!

Presented by the Korean Cultural Centre Australia and Samsung, this year’s festival goes with the theme of harvest and will engage all Australians with the ‘cream of the crop’ from the Korean film industry.

Featuring a complement of 20 features and 4 guest visit sessions, the festival will see over 80 screenings take place across Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide. With almost 20,000 people attending the festival to date, the festival expects to double all our figures in 2015. The festival will return with our venue partners; Event Cinemas and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image Federation Square. If you are a fan of trying something new and different or are an appreciator of good film, KOFFIA is a must for all backgrounds and ages! All our films screen with English subtitles.

Dates and venues:

Sydney August 12 – 20 : Event Cinemas, George Street

Brisbane August 25 – 31: Event Cinemas, Brisbane City Myer Centre

Melbourne September 3 – 10: Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Federation Square

Canberra September 5 – 6: Palace Electric Cinema, NewActon Nishi

Perth September 17 – 20: Event Cinemas, Innaloo

Adelaide September 24 – 27: Event Cinemas, Marion 

The Theme 

“The theme for 2015 is harvest. Each year, filmmakers of “Hallyuwood” carry their ideas through the 4 seasons of scripting, shooting, editing & promoting to bring them to life in the form of movies for the world to enjoy. The Korean Film Festival in Australia annually harvest these ideas containing the culture, ideology and sentiments of Korea and carries them overseas to the land down-under for all Australians to enjoy.

I initially started with the image of an ox-drawn cart carrying reels of Korean film and wanted to give direction for a poster which had a start and an end; the start being, harvesters busily harvesting film reels and the end being, excited patrons awaiting the film festival. I approached several designers with the idea but was astounded most by the creativity from Patrick Tao, a talented Chinese designer. Patrick understood the ideas I wished to convey for the festival and devised artistic ways in which to achieve them. By incorporating paper-craft, Korean paint techniques and breathing his own color, Patrick came to me with delightful designs which seemed to jump off the page. If things didn’t work Patrick would come up with alternatives and we would exchange ideas and solutions contributing to the final product.

Our team is very excited to unveil the result of our collaboration and hope that you enjoy it.” 

– Dong Seok(David) Park, Artistic Director, Korean film festival in Australia 

The Guests

KOFFIA 2015 invites a charismatic collective of filmmakers who are leading the world of Korean cinema. Spend a night watching their fantastic films and join the intimate Q & A as our guests reveal behind the scenes stories and their life in film.

KIM Sung-ho 김성호 

Director

2014 How to steal a dog, 2013 Horror Stories II, 2009 She came from, 2003 Into the Mirror 

Born in 1970, KIM Sung-ho graduated with a degree in Architecture from Yonsei University. He later studied in the department of Film Production at Brooklyn College before going on to receive a Master of Arts in Media Studies from New School University in New York. In 2003, he made his feature debut with Into the Mirror. Following his debut, KIM Sung-ho became involved in a number of omnibuses, cementing his talent for narrative with several films including Modern Family, Horror Stories II, Fantastic Parasuicides. KIM likes to meld fantasy into day to day occurrences and keeps the viewer enthralled with his unique perspective. He

does this yet again with his return to commercial feature directing with the family film How to Steal a Dog, based on the book of the same name by Barbara O’Connor. 

WOO Moon-gi 우문기

Director

2014 The King of Jokgu 2012 Lost in Transportation 2012 Mongoo Speaking

Born in 1983. WOO Moon-gi studied Film and Video at Hong Ik University. He gained recognition through his initial short films which include Between Hot and cold, Trembling and The Boy’s Physics. WOO is no stranger in Hallyu wood and has immersed himself in several film making roles. In 2008, he was an assistant director on the period drama Modern Boy. He worked as a storyboard artist on both Manshin: Ten Thousand Spirits and The Legacy, all the while working on his debut feature, the indie sports comedy The King of Jokgu which debuted at the Busan International Film Festival to rave reviews. Released in 2014, the film was a major sensation, attracting record viewers, unheard of for an indie comedy in Korea. WOO is steadily establishing himself in the industry with many eyes expecting his next feature.

HAN Ji-won 한지원

Director

2014 Clearer than you think 2013 On the way to School 2010 Kopi Luwak

Ever since appearing in the animation scene in Korea, HAN Ji-won has been a sensation to be reckoned with. Her first short Kopi Luwak received top prize at the Indie-AniFest in Korea, cementing her as a director to look out for. 4 years on, she has successfully released several shorts On the way to school, Lucky Me, Say that you love me which, along with Kopi Luwak ave formed her first feature Clearer than you think in an omnibus project which opened to great acclaim. HAN has also worked in the industry by assisting with background for several films including Pistol City and Propose Again.

HAN Ji-won had visited Sydney in 2011, and her short Kopi Luwak had screened as part of the Korean Film Festival sub-program IndieAnifest Sydney. Her visit for 2015 will be significant and sentimental for the festival and for our patrons as we revisit her growth and experiences. 

SHIN Su-won 신수원

Director

2015 Madonna 2012 Pluto 2012 Circle Line 2009 Rainbow 

During a 10 year career in teaching, Shin Su-won wrote and published two novels focusing on teenage lives. She then entered the Korea National University of Arts to study script-writing, resulting in her first feature Passerby No.3 about a woman who quits her job to pursue her dream of becoming a filmmaker. Since then SHIN has been making films, film that have constantly been gaining interest and accolade internationally. In 2012, her short film The Circle Line was invited to the Cannes Film Festival, where it earned the Canal+ Prize after it screened

in Critics’ Week. Later that year, she revealed her sophomore feature Pluto at the Busan International Film Festival. Noted for its strong sense of style, the high school-set social depiction earned a special mention at the Berlin international Film Festival before being invited to screen all around the world. Her latest film, Madonna was officially selected in the Uncertain Regard at Cannes 2015 and will no doubt make another international round.

LIM CHUNG-GEUN 임충근

Producer

2015 Madonna 2012 Pluto 2007 7 Days 2007 The Elephant on the Bike

LIM Chung-geun has shown an ability to produce a wide variety of films across a range of genres. The coming of age drama, The Elephant on the Bike, is a poignant tearjerker that offers realism through its heart-warming tale. The crime thriller 7 Days, was one of the top 10 grossing films at the Korean box office in 2007. His most recent projects, Circle Line, Pluto and Madonna have seen critical acclaim from major international film festivals. LIM understands the boundaries that exist between the creative process of the director and the reality of production through his many years of experience in Hallyuwood and melds the two worlds

seamlessly. 

The Films 

Korea.com’s Emily You (maintyoung@korea.com) and Korean Cultural Center(AU) contributed to this report. For questions, more information or interview inquiries, pleas contact Artistic Director, David Park (dspark@koreanculture.org.au) 

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