Thursday, February 2, 2006
2005-06/031

Korean cinema subject of panel discussion,
film screening February 7-8 on UI campus

URBANA—Korean cinema will be the subject of a panel discussion and movie screening on the University of Illinois campus on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 7-8.

A panel discussion, “Korean Cinema Today,” will be held on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in Room 160, English Building. The screening of the acclaimed Korean War movie, “Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War” (2004), will begin on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Room 101 of the Armory, 505 E. Armory Ave., Champaign.

Both events are free and open to the public.

“The Brotherhood of War” is a drama about the fate of brothers forced to fight in the Korean War. Directed by Kang Je-Gyu, it is the most expensive and highest-grossing movie made in Korea. Tae Guk Gi is the name of the national flag of South Korea. The movie is rated “R” and contains strong graphic sequences of war violence.

Richard Leskosky, assistant professor of cinema studies and associate director of the Unit for Cinema Studies at the U. of I., and movie critic for the Champaign News-Gazette newspaper, describes "Tae Guk Gi” as “…an epic tale of brotherly devotion in the midst of a fratricidal war that achieved blockbuster status in Korea by appealing to young viewers with popular stars and stirring action and to older viewers by dealing with the Korean War."

Members of the discussion panel on Tuesday include Kang Je-Gyu, director/producer ("Ginko Bed," "Shiri," "Tae Guk Gi"); Hana Lee, co-producer, "Tae Guk Gi"; Lee Young-Lan, Professor of Theatre, Kyung Hee University and actress in "Tae Guk Gi"; and Lee Hyangjin, professor of film and author of "Contemporary Korean Cinema.”

Sponsors for the events include Unit for Cinema Studies, the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies, the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures and the Program in Comparative Literature.