2018 Korean Film Festival
March 29 – April 1
The Embassy of the Republic of Korea presents the 2018 Korean Film Festival in Athens, showcasing four films at Michael Cacoyannis Foundation with Greek Subtitles. The film festival begins with “Tunnel” (March 29 at 19.30) a drama of a man struggling to survive for 35 days in a tunnel, followed by “The Fatal Encounter”(March 30 at 20.00), a real-life assassination attempt on King Jeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty, coming next the “Forever the Moment”(March 31 at 20.00) based on the story of the South Korea women’s handball team which competed in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and closes with the movie “The suspect”(April 1 at 20.00), an action movie about a North Korean agent abandoned, hunted and on the run from his country looking for answers.
THE MOVIES
Tunnel
Drama, 126’ (2016)
Director: KIM Seong-hun
Cast: HA Jung-woo, OH Dal-su, BAE Doona
Jung-soo, an ordinary car dealer, is on his way home with a birthday cake for his daughter. As he drives into a tunnel, an unbelievable thing happens; the tunnel collapses on him. Minutes later, he realizes that he is completely caught in between the debris. Outside, this breaking news creates media frenzy and a thoughtless reporter even airs a live phone interview with Jung-soo, using up his mobile phone batteries. An emergency response team is immediately organized to rescue him and as it becomes a national concern, the government promises full support for the rescue. Days pass without any progress and people start to lose hope or interest in rescuing him. Having already passed the longest survival record for a disaster, hard decisions are forced on his family while no one knows whether Jung-soo is dead or alive.
The Fatal Encounter
Drama/Action, 135’ (2014)
Director: LEE Jae-kyoo
Cast : HYUN-Bin, JEONG Jae-Yeong, CHO Jung-Suk, HAN Ji-MinThe film is based on a real-life assassination attempt on King Jeongjo. King Jeongjo was the 22nd ruler of the Joseon Dynasty, nicknamed the “King of Misfortune.” King Jeongjo (Hyun-Bin) has been in power for only one year. He has already gone through several failed assassination attempts and his position in the throne is fragile. Queen Jungsoon (Ji-Min Han) and the vassals from Noron plan to assassinate King Jeongjo.Outside of the palace, Eul-Soo (Jung-Suk Cho) was raised as an elite assassin by Gwang-Bae (Jae-Hyun Cho). Gwang-Bae then orders Eul-Soo to kill King Jeongjo otherwise his love, Wol-Hye (Eun-Chae Jung) will be killed.
Forever The Moment
Sports/Drama 124’ (2008)
Director: YIM Soon-rye
Cast: MOON So-Rri, KIM Jeong-Eun, EOM Tae-Woong
The film is based on the story of the South Korea women’s handball team which competed in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Once a professional Korean handball player and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, Mi-Sook (Moon So-Ri) is now working in a grocery store after her team was disbanded. Hae-Kyung (Kim Jung-Eun), a former coach for handball team in Japan, returns to Korea to replace former coach of Korea’s national team. In order to improve the team she asks her former teammates, including Mi-Sook, to join the national team. Conflicts between the new and old members are arising. Will they regain their past glory?
The Suspect
Action, 137’ (2013)
Director: WON Shin-yeon
Cast: GONG Yoo, PARK Hee-Soon, CHO Seong-Ha
Dong-chul (Gong Yoo) was the best field agent in North Korea – until he is abandoned during a mission. After the mission, he found that his wife and daughter were murdered. Hunted and on the run, torn between grief and vengeance, he takes a job as a night driver for the CEO of a powerful corporation. The chairman is brutally assassinated – but gives Dong-chul a pair of glasses before he dies. Now, he’s on the run again. Accused of the CEO’s murder, wanted for treason, and desperate to uncover the volatile national secrets hidden inside the glasses. Dong-Chul wants the truth. Who killed his wife and daughter? What’s the secrets people tried to hide? And he’ll start a war to get it.
