Korean Action Film Sold to 20 Nations
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The latest Korean action film "The City of Violence" has been sold to 20 nations at the film market held at the Cannes International Film Festival. The nations include not only European countries such as Britain, France, Germany and Spain but also Southeast Asian countries and even Brazil, where Korean films have rarely been introduced.
The film's production company Oiyunaegang said Wednesday that with the sale, it has recovered half of its production costs.
This achievement has even more significance because no famous Korean stars appear in the film directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, who himself played one of the two leading characters along with Jung Doo-hong, a famous martial arts director. The picture has demonstrated the potential of Korean action films in the world market. It is comparable to the Thai action movie "Ong Bak", which became a hit in Korea solely through spectacular action scenes despite cultural differences.
Although the movie's total export value is no more than 1.2-1.3 billion won (1.2 million dollars), much lower than the money that a Korean movie with big-name stars earns by being exported to Japan alone, the fact that an action movie made in Korea has drawn such attention is encouraging.
The production company said that the film was not directed by a world-famous director and did not star famous actors, but foreign buyers were amazed by it, saying that they could not believe that the actors themselves did all their own stunts.
Roou not only directed and acted in the movie but also wrote and produced it. The story is about friendship and loyalty thrown away for money, and the 90-minute movie is full of action scenes from beginning to end. It will be released on Thursday.
The film's production company Oiyunaegang said Wednesday that with the sale, it has recovered half of its production costs.
This achievement has even more significance because no famous Korean stars appear in the film directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, who himself played one of the two leading characters along with Jung Doo-hong, a famous martial arts director. The picture has demonstrated the potential of Korean action films in the world market. It is comparable to the Thai action movie "Ong Bak", which became a hit in Korea solely through spectacular action scenes despite cultural differences.
Although the movie's total export value is no more than 1.2-1.3 billion won (1.2 million dollars), much lower than the money that a Korean movie with big-name stars earns by being exported to Japan alone, the fact that an action movie made in Korea has drawn such attention is encouraging.
The production company said that the film was not directed by a world-famous director and did not star famous actors, but foreign buyers were amazed by it, saying that they could not believe that the actors themselves did all their own stunts.
Roou not only directed and acted in the movie but also wrote and produced it. The story is about friendship and loyalty thrown away for money, and the 90-minute movie is full of action scenes from beginning to end. It will be released on Thursday.
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