Korea And Japan Co-Produce Movie 'Soonebo'

Home > Culture > Features

print dictionary print

Korea And Japan Co-Produce Movie 'Soonebo'

For the first time since the opening of Japanese cultural importations into Korea, a movie will be jointly produced in a collaboration between Japanese and Korean filmmakers. Japanese movie giant Shochiku and Korean movie investment company Cinema Service held a joint press conference in Tokyo on August 8 to announce their plans for the production of 'Soonebo.'

At the press conference, the two companies stated that Cinema Service will finance 60 percent of the cost of the production, with Shochiko picking up the remainder. The companies plan to release the movie simultaneously in both countries in December of this year. Lee Jae-yong (director of 'Jung Sa') was chosen as the director and Lee Jung-jae was chosen as the leading actor. The lead female role will be played by Japan's Tachibana Misato, who was selected through an open audition.

Director Kang Woo-suk of Cinema Service elaborated on his company's plans at the press conference: "We not only plan to invest in Japanese movies but also to bring Japanese directors like Iwai Shunji to make movies in Korea."

'Soonebo' began shooting on July 25. The post-modern drama deals with themes of anomie and alienation, love and redemption. The movie revolves around an ordinary Korean man living a boring life in Seoul and a girl in Tokyo who spends her days in a torpor, dreaming about death. They meet coincidentally through an Internet chat room and later leave for Alaska to begin a new life together.

This is not only the first time that a movie has been jointly produced by Japan and Korea, but is also considered a groundbreaking opportunity for interchange between the movie industries of Japan and Korea.

by Nam Yoon-ho

Log in to Twitter or Facebook account to connect
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
help-image Social comment?
s
lock icon

To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.

Standards Board Policy (0/250자)