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Art and Culture

And now it's time for our arts and culture report with Michelle Kim. I hear today she has updates on the Shanghai International Film Festival that opened a couple of days ago and a photo exhibition that's ongoing at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.

Hello Michelle

[Reporter : ] Hello Conn-young

So what do you have for us today ?

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[Reporter : ] The 15th Shanghai International Film Festival had its grand opening on June 16th with more than 400 hundred stars not only from China but from Hollywood and Korea as well. Follow me to the opening night ceremony filled with stars, glamour, and of course, films.

A record number of international and Chinese film stars and directors greeted the crowd on the red carpet for the opening of the 15th Shanghai International Film Festival on June 16th.

More than 400 hundred stars, including Hollywood actor Aaron Eckhart and Korean actor Jang Dong-gun, joined other A-list stars, including Japanese actress HIrosue Ryoko, Korean actress Han Chae-young, and of course, Chinese film stars to shine on the red carpet.

The festival was founded in 1993 and since become the city's best known film industry event.

A number of stars and directors participate in this event to see the winner of the big night, the Golden Goblet Award, which is awarded to the festival's best film, every year.

This year, the jury is led by the acclaimed French director Jean Jacques-Annuad and Chinese actress Li Bingbing.

Shanghai has been hoping to use its annual film festival to introduce and promote Chinese films around the globe and to spark more collaborations between countries in filmmaking.

The Chinese film industry is heavily controlled by the government, as they limit the number of foreign film shown in theaters each year.

This regulation was only eased in February during a visit to the U.S. by China's leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping.

The Korean film 'Architect 101' was chosen as the closing film for the ceremony on June 24th.

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Seems like a week of glamour and some great films. It's nice to hear that a lot of familiar faces from Korea and the United States are there to enjoy the event and I'm also very excited that a Korean film will close the festival.

[Reporter : ] This is another chance to see how influential the Korean Wave is. Seeing Korean celebrities at foreign festivals such as this or Cannes is no longer out of the ordinary. And it's also a great honor to have "Architecture 101" chosen as the closing film of the festival.

I loved that movie and I hear that you did too, so I'm really glad "Architecture 101" got the chance to be shown to foreign audiences. I hope it receives rave reviews there as well. And now, moving on to a different subject, I hear you have an exhibition for us

[Reporter : ] One of the leading photographers of the 20th Century, Henri Cartier-Bresson, is the subject of a retrospective now showing at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The exhibition, which started May 19th and runs through September 2nd, has already seen more than 12,000 visitors.
Let's take a closer look at the beautiful works of this photography legend.

A man jumping over a puddle looks very similar to the dancer in the poster at the back of the photograph. The harmony of the two gives the photo a unique rhythm.

Another photograph shows a young boy making a hole in the tent to peek through at a circus and a middle-aged man next to him is terrified of the man's actions.

This shows the psychological breakdown of the man striving to find answers to his curiosity but also keeping his dignity as a gentleman.

Lee Ki-myoung, Executive Director
[Interview : Lee Ki-myoung, Executive Director of the Exhibition] "The photographer puts emphasis on time, as he pressed the shutter button the internal world and the external world collided".

Henri Cartier-Bresson did not take posed photos, instead he figured out the exact time when the subjects were naturally in harmony.

The exhibition shows the daily lives of great artists like Picasso and Matisse and instead of showing the King's parade on King George the Sixth's coronation, Cartier Bresson focuses on the people watching.

Reporter : dainee@arirang.co.kr

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Taking photos is nothing special anymorewe all use our phones or digital cameras to take pictures of ourselves, of scenery, or even of food. This exhibition seems to tell us something about why we do it.

[Reporter : ] Yeaif we look back all of the photos we took a year, a month, or even several days ago, it reminds us not just of the image in that photo, but how we felt, what we did that day and who we met, along with all of these other memories and feelings. I think this is why the power of photography is so great. And I think this exhibition takes it a bit deeper and reflects a person's inner emotions while capturing the surrounding atmosphere.

I agree with you and I think that this exhibition will show not just beautiful photographs but images that makes us wonder and think about the subject's feelings and why the photographer pressed the shutter button at that specific time. I look foward to seeing it. And now you'll be closing with the events bulletin, right[Reporter : ] You are absolutely correct. I have two concerts and a music festival for you. Indie singer-songwriter RossyPP will be holding a concert in Hongdae; the star of the film, "Once", Marketa Irglova, will be coming to Korea in August; and the 2012 Paju Folk Festival is scheduled to be held in September. Here are the details.

[Reporter : ed:mark] This bulletin features 3 events.

Indie singer songwriter RossyPP is celebrating the release of her second album '29' by holding a live concert on June 22nd at Hongdae V-Hall. Her first album, released in October 2011, was widely praised by critics and fans.

Anybody who has seen the movie 'Once' will be familiar with the name Marketa Irglova. Her duet with Glenn Hansard on the track 'Falling Slowly' became an instant hit. For the fans wishing to hear her voice live, she will be coming to Korea for a concert on August 15th at Ax-Korea.

The 2012 Paju Folk Festival will be held for two days from September 8th. Held at the Imjingak Pyeonghoa-Nuri Outdoor Concert Hall, the festival will feature artists like Lee Ji-eun, Ahn Chi-hwan, Jose Feliciano, Song Chang-sik, and more.

Thank you for the update

[Reporter : ] My pleasure

Reporter : dainee@arirang.co.kr

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