Get first look at latest Chinese cinema

Korean moviegoers will have the opportunity to see some of the latest Chinese films for the first time in the country, as the 2013 Chinese Film Festival kicks off this month.

The festival brings 11 films this year, including nine that have never before been shown in Korea. Already, this year’s lineup is creating much buzz especially because of its closer “A Wedding Invitation,” which is a Chinese remake of Korean director Oh Ki-hwan’s 2001 tearjerker “Last Present.”

“A Wedding Invitation” is also noted for being a Korea-China joint production, once again directed by Oh. With Chinese stars Eddie Peng and Bai Bah-he playing the lead roles, it tells the story of two former lovers who run into each other after being separated for five years. When they finally discover they still have genuine feelings for each other, an unexpected misfortune occurs.

The film enjoyed much success in China earlier this year, becoming the first-ever Korea-China joint production film to gross 100 million yuan ($16.2 million) in the country. The romance film will be released in Korea after its Korean premiere at the festival.

Other films in the lineup include Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai’s martial arts film “The Grandmasters,” which was the opener of this year’s Berlin International Film Festival. The film is set against the backdrop of the tumultuous 1930s China and features the life of Chinese martial arts fighter Yip Man, who also taught Bruce Lee.

The film’s star-studded cast includes Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi and Korean actress Song Hye-gyo. The drama has been selected as the opening film of the upcoming festival.

Those who are interested in Chinese literature may want to check out “Falling Flowers,” a romantic biopic of Xiao Hong (1911-1942), China’s renowned woman writer.

Meanwhile, Feng Xiaogang’s 2012 historical film “Back to 1942” deals with the catastrophic famine that took place in Henan, China, during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The film follows the perspective of Theodore H. White (1915-1986), a Time magazine correspondent who was in Henan to cover the famine during the war.

Also included in the lineup is “Farewell My Concubine” director Chen Kaige’s latest work “Caught in the Web,” which tells the story of a young, modern Chinese woman who gets mired in controversy after a cell-phone video of her being “rude” to an elderly person on a public bus goes viral. The video was posted by a keen, ambitious reporter, and the video severely affects her professional and personal life.

Director Zhang Yang’s comedy “Full Circle,” on the other hand, tells the story of an old man who decides to enter a nursing home after suffering in a 20-year dysfunctional relationship with his son.

The 2013 Chinese Film Festival runs from June 16 to 20 at CGV Yeouido in Seoul. A separate edition featuring the same lineup will be held at CGV Centum City in Busan from June 16 to 20. For more information, call (02) 517-3353.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)