An American eco-thriller coproduced by Koreans has been included in the main competition lineup of the ongoing Venice International Film Festival. Titled “Night Moves,” the film stars American actress Dakota Fanning and actor Jesse Eisenberg in the lead roles. Directed by Kelly Reichardt, it tells the story of three young radical environmentalists who come together and plot to blow up a hydroelectric dam.Two Korean producers, Kim Sae-rom and Kim Sae-mi, participated in the production process of

VENICE (AFP) ― Korean director Kim Ki-duk, who won the Golden Lion award at Venice film festival last year, is back in the floating city with a tale of incest and self-mutilation.“Moebius,” a story about a father’s infidelity sparking a chain of violent events which lead to his wife dismembering their son, was initially banned in Kim’s home country.The Korean Media Rating Board put its foot down over the sex, nudity and incest and Kim had to cut out the offending passages before they would allow

A Bhutanese film directed by a Buddhist monk has been selected as the opener of the upcoming 18th Busan International Film Festival. It is the first time for a Bhutanese movie to be screened as an opening film at an international film festival, according to the organizers. Directed by Khyentse Norbu, the film features Bharata Natyam, a classical Indian dance. Norbu is unable to attend the film festival, as he is currently occupied with his religious training.A total of 301 films, including 95 wo

VENICE (AFP) ― The Venice film festival descended briefly into chaos Sunday as screaming “Harry Potter” fans stampeded across the seafront after British star Daniel Radcliffe, in town to present his new film.Radcliffe, who rose to fame playing the child wizard, was surrounded by bodyguards and police, but that did not stop some admirers pushing their way into the bathroom with him during a press conference break.The 24-year-old shrugged off suggestions that the clamor of hyperventilating teenage

Filmmaker calls cut incest scenes ‘heart of a body’

Elysium Sci-fi. Action. Drama. Directed by Neill Blomkamp.Opened Aug. 29In the year 2154, people are divided into the wealthy and the poor, the former living in a floating luxurious space station Elysium and the latter living in an overpopulated, disease-stricken Earth. People on Earth are especially in need of the state-of-the-art medical care available on the spaceship. Max Da Costa (Matt Damon), an ex-convict living on Earth, is desperate to get into the Elysium, and reluctantly takes on a da

The 2010 French film “Crime d’Amour (Love Crime)” opened to unspectacular reviews and indifferent box office in France and then the United States. But something about it intrigued legendary American filmmaker Brian De Palma. And when a producer pitched the idea of an English-language remake to him, the director of “Scarface,” “Dressed to Kill,” “The Untouchables” and the first “Mission: Impossible” could see places where this story of two women’s cutthroat (literally) rivalry in the workplace mi

Many local moviegoers liked her previous movies, especially “Lost in Translation” (2003) and “Marie Antoinette” (2006).Sofia Coppola’s latest film is arriving in Korean theaters next month, and the movie ― titled “The Bling Ring” ― will likely draw those who love designer labels, interested in the lifestyle of Hollywood celebrities, and of course, Coppola and her well-known taste in fashion. (The filmmaker is the famous muse of Marc Jacobs). And the high-fashion heist film has another local conn

Domestic movies expected to hit 100 million-viewer mark next month

VENICE (AFP) ― Hollywood high-rollers George Clooney and Sandra Bullock kicked off the Venice film festival on Wednesday with a harrowing space drama that opens a line-up flush with gloomy tales.“Gravity,” a 3-D sci-fi thriller, sees Clooney and Bullock as astronauts who are flung into deep space when a debris shower destroys their shuttle.The stars sashayed down the red carpet to the song “Mambo Italiano” for the opening ceremony of the world’s oldest film festival, drawing wild screams from ad

VENICE (AFP) ― The Venice film festival kicks off Wednesday with the arrival of movie stars on water taxis for a dark line-up flush with fiendish tales of abuse, betrayal and survival.The world’s oldest film festival opens with “Gravity,” a 3-D sci-fi thriller starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock as astronauts who are flung into deep space when a debris shower destroys their shuttle.Other premieres are “Parkland,” Peter Landesman’s re-creation of John F. Kennedy’s assassination and David G