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Korea Herald
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
CGV AI film contest showcases amateur filmmakers breaking ground
Theater chain's inaugural contest demonstrates how artificial intelligence tools lower creative barriers for newcomers Mutiplex chain CGV's AI-generated film contest concluded Friday with an awards ceremony at CGV Yongsan in Seoul, showcasing how AI tools can enable creators to create sophisticated cinematic works previously beyond their reach. The theater chain's inaugural event drew submissions from amateur and first-time filmmakers who leveraged generative AI to produce short films that would have previously required massive budgets. "The Wrong Visitor" by Hyun Hae-ri claimed the grand prize among five winners selected from 15 finalists. "I think AI filmmaking isn't 'film by AI' but 'film with AI,'" Hyun said in her acceptance speech. Her 11-minute short film centers on a character with a wolf's head and the body of a human who guides fellow animals through death. The contest particularly highlighted AI's democratizing potential through entries like "Galaxy Cat Express," which earned third place alongside a college student's production, "Pinocchio: Begins." Kim Young-hyun, creator of "Galaxy Cat Express," quit his previous job to pursue filmmaking after AI tools became available. "I used to dream about making those imaginative stories I loved watching as a kid with my parents — 'Terminator' and 'Predator,'" Kim said during his acceptance speech. "When AI tech started developing, I thought 'I can actually do this now' and quit my job to give it a shot." College students from Sogang and Yonsei universities created "Pinocchio: Begins," a cyberpunk reimagining featuring an android programmed to eliminate liars. Screenwriter Kang Da-bin, in accepting the award on behalf of director Ahn Ye-eun, highlighted their amateur status: "We weren't film experts or AI specialists, but we pulled all-nighters and made this movie with just 200,000 won ($145) in our hands. We hope this shows other young people that you can make it happen." The panel of judges included "Concrete Utopia" director Um Tae-hwa, author Kim Jung-hyuk, science YouTuber Kim Jae-hyeok and CJ ENM's AI production director Jung Chang-ik. Evaluation criteria weighted storytelling at 40 percent, creativity at 30 percent and technical execution at 30 percent. The screened works proved AI excels at generating convincing imagery for wild concepts — from the half-human, half-animal characters with intricate fur textures in "The Wrong Visitor" and the dark cyberpunk cityscapes of second-place winner "0KB," to the sweeping galactic vistas with floating spaceships in "Galaxy Cat Express." These sequences would typically require expensive video effects teams to create, but AI has enabled solo creators to achieve comparable results on minimal budgets. It may be one thing to create high-concept short videos resembling on-demand commercials, but it is quite another to craft coherent narrative films, however short. The technology's limitations showed clearly in the editing, where constant hard cuts between scenes prevented narratives from gaining momentum. Visual consistency also proved problematic, with characters' facial features and physical detail shifting between shots, resulting in jarring discontinuities. Notably, most entries relied heavily on English dialogue, suggesting AI's translation capabilities may help creators overcome language barriers. For now, the technology appears positioned to complement rather than replace human creativity — potentially threatening video effects roles while helping screenwriters and directors expand their creative possibilities.
Korea Herald
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Jeonju film fest unveils full selection under 'beyond the frame' banner
Korea's premier indie film festival returns with 224 films from 57 countries amid global political uncertainty The Jeonju International Film Festival unveiled its lineup for its 26th edition Tuesday at Seoul's CGV Yongsan, showcasing 224 films from 57 countries under the slogan "Beyond the Frame." Opening the festival is Romanian director Radu Jude's "Kontinental '25." The Berlin Silver Bear winner follows a woman who starts to question societal norms after witnessing an unexpected death. Shot entirely on smartphones, the film embodies what programmer Moon Sung-kyung called "the pioneering spirit of the festival, which has been breaking away from conventional film formats." The closing film, "In the Land of Machines," marks Kim Ok-young's directorial debut after 40 years as a documentary writer. It follows three Nepali migrant workers in Korea who contributed to a poetry collection titled "This Is the City of Machines," offering an outsider's gaze into Korea's mechanized labor systems through poetic language. Among this year's diverse sections, "Again, Towards Democracy" stands out as a particularly timely addition examining recent challenges to democratic institutions across the globe. The program features six documentaries exploring political turmoil worldwide, including "The Last Republican," which follows Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger after he voted to impeach President Donald Trump following the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, and "At This Moment, in the Nation's Sky," a chronicle of Brazil's contested election and subsequent storming of government buildings. "Since Dec. 3, 2024, South Korea's democracy has faced a crisis, with ongoing chaos and aftermath," said programmer Chun Jin-soo, referring to President Yoon Seok Yeol's short-lived declaration of martial law. "We assembled this special section to reflect on similar democratic crises around the world that may feel all too familiar to us now." Actress Lee Jung-hyun, featured as this year's "J Special Programmer," curated a personal selection of films for the festival. The versatile performer, who debuted at 15 in Jang Sun-woo's "A Petal" (1996) before becoming a pop star and later returning to acting, selected six works to screen, including three she appeared in and three from international directors she admired. Her selections include Park Chan-wook's "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance," which she considers his "best work" despite its commercial failure. "It's aesthetically and visually flawless, a film that expanded my perspective on cinema," Lee said. She also chose the Dardenne brothers' "The Child" and Hirokazu Kore-eda's "Nobody Knows." Reflecting on revisiting "A Petal" after decades, Lee said, "I couldn't watch it at 15. The filming was incredibly difficult — I got hurt repeatedly during shoots because I couldn't act properly." She credited Park Chan-wook with helping her to appreciate the film years later, calling it "a poetic, intense expression of Gwangju's pain" — a reference to the film's harrowing depiction of the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising and subsequent military massacre. Lee will also debut her directorial short "Toe-Tapping Tunes" in the festival's Korean Cinema section. "Since my twenties as a singer, I've always dreamed of directing one day," she said. The film follows a woman raising money for her dying mother's hospital bills while dealing with her own congenital condition. The festival continues its tradition of embracing challenging films despite budget constraints affecting Korean cinema. Executive Committee co-Director and veteran actor Jung Jun-ho stressed that with support from sponsors and Jeonju City, they've maintained program scale to "showcase the achievements and values of independent cinema." The 26th Jeonju International Film Festival will take place from April 30 to May 9 across multiple venues in Jeonju's cinema district in North Jeolla Province.
Korea Herald
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Solo diner's global vision
Yutaka Matsushige, star of Japan's beloved culinary series, introduces his directorial debut to Korean fans There is a certain epicurean joy in eating alone. The right to dine without anyone bothering you applies equally to all, especially to those who work hard to make ends meet. "The Solitary Gourmet" is a work that embodies precisely that ethos. At Thursday's press conference at CGV Yongsan in Seoul, Yutaka Matsushige — star of the beloved Japanese TV franchise that has run for 11 seasons since 2012 — sat before Korean reporters to discuss the film adaptation, his directorial debut. "I can feel how much Koreans love this work even when walking the streets here," Matsushige told reporters. "Young people in Korea seem to enjoy it much more than in Japan." The show's premise has remained disarmingly simple: Middle-aged businessman Goro Inogashira (played by Matsushige), in suit and tie, wanders city streets until his stomach growls. He then enters random local restaurants, typically modest mom-and-pop establishments, and enjoys a meal all by himself. "What's so captivating about watching a middle-aged man eating alone?" one might ask. There are no frills — no company, no Instagram posts, no talking (the narration consists entirely of internal monologues), no theatrical displays of delight. He simply sits and savors his food. The show maintains an almost religious contemplation of the act of solitary dining, letting food take center stage against the protagonist's stoic observations and musings. Inogashira's modest journeys preceded — perhaps even heralded — the explosive rise of mukbang in Korea and its eventual global spread. Even as food porn went on to produce its own excesses, he became an unlikely icon for lone diners, amassing a considerable Korean fanbase well before the food-content hype. This time, the film moves beyond one man's solitude and offers a sweeping romp through varied locales and characters. Here, Goro's culinary odyssey begins in Paris, where an elderly friend of his — the father of his late ex-girlfriend — asks him to find the ingredients for a nostalgic soup from his childhood. This curious errand leads him to Japan's Goto Islands and onward to Korea, a journey fraught with unexpected detours and mishaps. For many familiar with the show's trademark realism, seeing Goro jump headfirst into such a grandiose quest on a whim might seem out of character. Matsushige shared a personal story that inspired this imaginative leap. "Recently, I found a painting from my late grandfather and asked about restoration," he said. "When I inquired about payment, the specialist said they only charge transportation costs and accept whatever clients feel like giving. They follow their heart— just like Goro, who undertakes this journey with no material reward in mind." "I wanted to convey joy and surprise through this film," Matsushige added. "Though it might seem impossible in reality, creating a believable fiction is the mission of filmmaking. You could say I'm boldly playing with the medium." Setting aside its far-fetched premise, the film is first and foremost a love letter to Korean viewers. It features extensive shootings on Geojedo, Gyeongsang Province, and incorporates a uniquely Korean ingredient as a key plot element. Veteran Korean actor Yoo Jae-myung features prominently in a supporting role. "I saw Yoo in 'Voice of Silence' (2022) and thought, he's the one," Matsushige said. "So I sent him an invitation, and he accepted. He understood our creative intentions even better than we expected." Matsushige, who said he was deeply moved by the warm reception at last year's Busan International Film Festival, revealed he initially asked "Mickey 17" director Bong Joon-ho to helm the film before taking it up himself. "I wanted to make something that transcends being just a Japanese film," he said. "I thought Bong could bring something special to this material. Our schedules didn't align, but he sent a warm message wishing us success." Food brings people together, and Matsushige seemed a true believer in its uniting force. He recently appeared on Netflix's reality show "K-Foodie Meets J-Foodie" with Korean singer Sung Si-kyung to explore cuisines from both countries. "Japan and Korea must cooperate as neighbors," Matsushige said. "We don't know what challenges the future holds, so we need to face them together. If this film helps maintain that connection, I'll happily consider it my life's mission." "I'm not just trying to show food tasting good," he added. "I want to share those delicious moments with viewers. Eating connects people across cultures with shared emotions. That's why a show about an old guy eating alone somehow clicks with so many different people."
