"There is a rule when watching our movie. Don’t think about anything. Don’t be curious about why these things happen. Just enjoy it." Director Lee Won-seok, well known for his 'B-grade comedy sensibility,' presented his film Killing Romance for the first time to North American audiences as the opening film of this year’s New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF): Korean Film Special Exhibition.
According to the Korean Cultural Center in New York, Director Lee attended the festival opening ceremony held on the evening of the 14th (local time) at the Walter Reade Theater at Film at Lincoln Center in New York, USA, and made these remarks. The festival, co-hosted by the Korean Cultural Center, the New York Asian Film Foundation, and Film at Lincoln Center, runs until the 30th and features a total of 14 Korean feature and short films, including Killing Romance. Among them, the opening film Killing Romance, starring Lee Sun-kyun, Lee Ha-nee, and Gong Myung, is a comedy about top star Yeorae (Lee Ha-nee), who has left the entertainment industry and tries to escape from her overbearing wealthy husband Jonathan (Lee Sun-kyun).
Director Lee, famous for his B-grade sensibility in works such as Man on the Edge (2013), met with New York audiences before the screening and fluently urged them in English to "enjoy the movie without thinking." Although Killing Romance did not achieve major box office success in Korea based on audience numbers, it was praised for properly capturing a rare B-grade sensibility, especially among young enthusiasts. The venue was filled with New York viewers and industry professionals interested in Korean films and culture.
After the screening, a Q&A session was held with Director Lee and actor Lee Sun-kyun, where they shared behind-the-scenes stories. During the session, Lee Sun-kyun recounted how he and Lee Ha-nee agreed to appear in the film after bonding at a party following the Oscars ceremony. He also cited the 'bulgama' (Korean sauna) scene as his favorite. Although the script had to be quickly changed due to early pandemic quarantine regulations, the process of working through it together confirmed the so-called team chemistry.
Throughout his answers, Director Lee showcased his sense of humor and shared the story of how a script originally dealing with the serious issue of domestic violence was transformed into a B-grade killing romance. He said, "I love comedy. I believed in the power of comedy," earning applause from the audience.
The New York Asian Film Festival, which began in 2002, is North America’s representative Asian film festival, selecting and showcasing about 60 feature and short films annually from Asian countries including Korea, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand across various genres. This year’s centerpiece film is Dream, directed by Lee Byung-heon and starring Park Seo-joon and IU, which will be screened on the 17th and 22nd at the Walter Reade Theater in New York and the Barrymore Film Center in New Jersey, respectively. A Q&A session with Director Lee is also scheduled for the 17th.
In addition, films such as Phantom, Woong-nam, Rebound, Long Live Hell, Extreme Festival, Someone You Can Trust, Producer, Please Take Responsibility, Proxy Purchase, Vinyl House, What We Left Behind, and Borderline will be screened. Lee Ha-nee, the lead actress of Killing Romance and Phantom, is scheduled to receive the 'Best from the East Award' for the second time this year.
Furthermore, as part of the 'Korean Arts Week' program, a Korean culture and arts special festival held during 'Summer for the City' organized by Lincoln Center, the Korean Cultural Center plans to host a free screening of Director Bong Joon-ho’s The Host on the 21st at the Damrosch Park outdoor venue at Lincoln Center.
Kim Cheon-su, director of the Korean Cultural Center in New York, said, "Seeing excellent Korean feature and short films screened at the New York Asian Film Festival, the largest Asian film festival in North America, and witnessing the focus on film directors with originality and artistic sensibility as well as actors with outstanding acting skills, I truly felt the elevated status of Korean cinema." He added, "In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Korea-US alliance this year, I hope this special exhibition will greatly contribute to the development of friendly relations between the two countries and the expansion of local entry for excellent Korean films, directors, and actors."
Meanwhile, tickets and schedules for the festival can be found on the official festival website, and detailed information about the Korean Film Special Exhibition is available on the Korean Cultural Center’s website.
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