Bi-sang Breaks Documentary Record

Director Im Yoo-cheol's football documentary "Bi-sang" has set a new record for Korean documentaries by attracting 25,000 viewers, according to its production company Emotion Pictures and the Korean Film Council confirmed that Bisang surpassed the previous record-holder "Between" (Sa-i-eseo) by filmmaker Lee Chang-jae.

Bisang follows the Korean football team Incheon United, a team in the lower ranks of the Korean Football League. Director IM was fortunate with the developments that season in the performance of the team and emotionally. The documentary coincides with the arrival of a new coach who sets the bar as high as the championship. The team does shape up and makesit to the playoffs. There they face the one team they don't want to lose against, a former employer who got rid of the Incheon coach and some players.

"Between" documents Shamanism in Korea. Both "Between" and "Bi-sang" were released in 2006. 2006 was a relative good year for documentaries in Korea with six releases, good attendance rates and two record breaking documentaries, which mirrors the double box office records for feature films in 2006 with "The King and the Clown" and "The Host".

Yi Ch'ang-ho (KOFIC)

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