ABOUT TORONTO KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL

MISSION STATEMENT To advance diversity and creativity in Canadian society through authentic Korean cinema and its production. OUR STORY With the mission "To Advance Diversity Through Korean Cinema", Toronto Korean Film Festival (TKFF) is a non-profit organization that aims to present authentic Korean cinema to the Canadian community; to support local Korean filmmakers; to engage in academic research and discussion of Korean cinema; and to bridge together the Korean and Canadian film industries. Since 2012, TKFF has showcased over 20 feature films and 30 short films in Toronto; and received more than 120 submissions for the highlight Korean Shorts Competition in 2014. In 2013, in addition to the annual festival, TKFF co-hosted a workshop with the Toronto Arts Council for Korean-Canadian filmmakers on project-funding through grants. With a more diverse film selection than ever before, TKFF is proud to continue celebrating the cultural diversity of Canada. OUR VISION 1. To present authentic Korean cinema; 2. To increase exposure of Korean-Canadian films by: a. Establishing a film professionals' network among Korean-Canadian society; b. Encouraging Korean-Canadian filmmakers to continue their profession in Canada; 3. To engage in academic research and discussion of Korean Cinema; 4. To bridge together the Korean and Canadian film industries

THE 4TH ANNUAL TORONTO KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL 2015 PRESENTS

GGEUN 끈: ALL STRINGS ATTACHED TIES THAT BIND THIS YEAR’S DATES + VENUE May 26 – May 31, 2015 Innis Town Hall (University of Toronto, 2 Sussex Ave.) à TICKETS: goo.gl/g9JiW2 THIS YEAR’S THEME Ggeun concerns one’s position and relations to others. Every human in our society holds one’s own position, makes connections, and becomes intertwined to one another.” (Modern interpretation of a Confucius Teaching) When translated literally, ‘ggeun’ means a piece of string, wire, or rope. On a metaphorical level, it represents connections between people; the idea that human relationships are interwoven and impossible to untangle. This year’s programme will showcase newly released feature films that explore ‘ggeun’ as the bedrock of Korean society, the ties that bind people together for better or for worse. à VIDEO: TKFF 2015 COMMERCIAL “GGEUN 끈: ALL STRINGS ATTACHED” THIS YEAR IN A NUTSHELL -

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5 sections, 19 films (10 shorts, 9 feature-lengths), 10 screenings, 3 Q&As: o Feature Presentation (5 screenings): 5 recently released feature-lengths that explore the theme of “ggeun 끈” o Korean Diaspora Programme (2 screenings): feature-lengths and shorts that highlight the experiences of ethnic Koreans overseas (with Q&A) o Korean Classic Presentation (1 screening): a retrospective on Korean cinema and its history; this year will be a commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Korean independence (with Q&A) o Korean-Canadian Showcase: a celebration of emerging Korean-Canadian filmmakers (with Q&A, filmmakers in attendance) o Korean Shorts Competition Showcase: the festival’s annual competition segment between works submitted by emerging filmmakers from Korea/filmmakers of Korean-inspired works 2 Toronto Premieres, 9 Canadian Premieres, 5 North American Premieres, 1 International Premiere* *official statuses as stated on TKFF’s promotional materials

à VIDEO: TKFF 2015 SNEAK PEEK

4TH ANNUAL TORONTO KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL

2015 SCHEDULE + OVERVIEW DAY 1 | TUE MAY 26 | 7:00PM| Opening Night Feature Presentation Socialphobia (소셜포비아) HONG Seok-Jae | Drama | 102 min | Korea 2015 DAY 2 | WED MAY 27 | 6:30PM | Korean Classic Presentation

Evergreen Tree (상록수) SHIN Sang-ok | Classics, Drama | 141 min | Korea 1961 DAY 3 | THURS MAY 28 | 7:00PM | Korean Diaspora Programme

A Purpleman (퍼플맨) RYU Jinho | Animation, Documentary | 13 min | Korea 2010

One For All, All For One (60 만번의
    트라이 / 60 万回のトライ) PARK Sayu, PARK Donsa | Documentary | 106 min | Japan, Korea 2014 DAY 4 | FRI MAY 29 | 7:30PM | Feature Presentation

A Midsummer’s Fantasia (한여름의
    판타지아) JANG Kunjae | Drama | 96 min | Japan, Korea 2015 DAY 5 | SAT MAY 30 | 1:30PM | Korean Diaspora Programme

Birdfather (기러기아빠) KIM Yoori | Animation, Short | 10 min | Korea 2013

Approved for Adoption (피부색깔=꿀색) JUNG Henin, Laurent Boileau| Animation, Documentary | 75 min | France 2012 DAY 5 | SAT MAY 30 | 4:00PM | Feature Presentation

Han Gong-ju (한공주) LEE Sujin | Drama | 112 min | Korea 2014

DAY 5 | SAT MAY 30 | 6:45PM | Korean-Canadian Showcase

Ksana SOOK Jung | Short, Animation | 3 min | Canada 2014

Leftover Daniel YONG | Short, Narrative | 18 min | Canada 2014

In Her Place Albert SHIN | Drama | 115 min | Canada, Korea 2014 DAY 6 | SUN MAY 31 | 1:30PM | Korean Shorts Competition Showcase

An Atrocity (잔학기) JANG Sun-hee | Thriller | 10 min

Intruder (침입자) PARK Geun Buem | Drama | 28 min 35 sec | Korea 2014

The Way Back OH Sang A | Animation | 11 min | Korea 2014

Ordinary Family (바캉스) LEE Hyun Ju | Drama | 24 min | Korea 2014

Understanding Movies (루이스
    자네티의
    영화의
    이해) YIM Ji Eun| Comedy | 24 min | Korea 2014

Hosanna (호산나)
     NA Young Kil | Drama | 25 min | Korea 2015 DAY 6 | SUN MAY 31 | 4:00PM | Feature Presentation

The Island of Shadows (그림자들의
    섬) KIM Jeong Keun | Documentary | 120 min | Korea 2015 DAY 6 | SUN MAY 31 | 7:00PM | Closing Night Feature Presentation

Revivre (화장) IM Kwon Taek | Drama | 94 min | Korean 2015

4TH ANNUAL TORONTO KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL 2015

PROGRAMME: OPENING NIGHT FEATURE PRESENTATION SCREENING INFO Date: Tuesday, May 26 (DAY 1) Screening starts: 7:00PM Doors open: 6:30PM Venue: Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave. (University of Toronto) FILM(S)

SOCIALPHOBIA 소셜포비아
    
     (so-syeol-po-bi-a) HONG Seok-Jae | Drama | 102 min | Korea 2015 Written by: HONG Seok-Jae Cast: BYUN Yohan, LEE Ju-seung, HA Yoon-kyung, RYU Jun-yeol NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Korean w/ English subtitles Ji-Woong and Yong-min are two young men studying to pass the police officer entrance exam who become fascinated by an online conspiracy theory regarding the suicide of an online bullying victim. When they take it upon themselves to uncover the truth by finding the woman at the centre of the conspiracy, Min Ha-young, they instead find her dead body in an apparent suicide. As the conspiracy gets more and more twisted the young men become the targets of the witch-hunt they started and must find the truth to prove their innocence and save their futures. [TRAILER] Awards and Film Festivals: NETPAC Award and Directors Guild of Korea Award (19th Busan International Film Festival), Audience Choice Award and Emerging Star Award (Seoul Independent Film Festival)

4TH ANNUAL TORONTO KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL 2015

PROGRAMME: KOREAN CLASSIC PRESENTATION SCREENING INFO Date: Wednesday, May 27 (DAY 2) Screening starts: 6:00PM Doors open: 6:10PM Venue: Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave. (University of Toronto) NOTE: 1 feature length followed by a FILM TALK with Professor Janet Poole, Associate Professor in the East Asian Studies Department at the Centre For The Study of Korea (CSK), University of Toronto. She authored the book When The Future Disappears: The Modernist Imagination In Late Colonial Korea. FILM(S)

EVERGREEN TREE 상록수 (Sang-nok-su) SHIN Sang-ok | Classic, Drama | 141 min | Korea 1961 Original Story by: SIM Hun Cast: CHOI Eun-hee, SHIN Yeong-gyun, HEO Jang-kang CANADIAN PREMIERE Korean w/ English subtitles Korean language finds itself strangled under Japanese colonial rule during the 1930s. Lack of education and will to progress plagues those living in the more rural areas of the peninsula. A story about two lovers and a goal to promote education amid political suppression, ‘Evergreen Tree’ was directed by the legendary Shin Sang-ok and is based on the 1935 novel of the same name by prolific screenwriter Sim Hun. Awards and Film Festivals: Best Actress and Achievement Award (1st Grand Bell Awards), Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Soundtrack (9th Asia Pacific Film Awards); 9th San Francisco Film Festival; 56th Cannes International Film Festival - Classic Section

4TH ANNUAL TORONTO KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL 2015

PROGRAMME: KOREAN DIASPORA PROGRAMME SCREENING INFO Date: Thursday, May 28 (DAY 3) Screening starts: 7:00PM Doors open: 6:30PM Venue: Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave. (University of Toronto) NOTE: 2 films (1 short followed by 1 feature length) FILM(S)

A PURPLEMAN (퍼플맨) RYU Jinho, KIM Takhoon, YOO JInyoung, PARK Sungho | Animation, Documentary | 13 min | Korea 2010 Hyuk Kim escaped imprisonment in North Korea to live peacefully in South Korea. Despite his newfound freedom, he does not think he is a ‘red man’ (a North Korean) nor, a ‘blue man’ (a South Korean). What is he, a ‘purple man’?

ONE FOR ALL, ALL FOR ONE (60 만번의
    트라이,
    60 万回のトライ) (Yuk-sip-man-beon-ui Try) PARK Sayu, PARK Donsa | Documentary | 106 min | Japan, Korea 2014 Narration: MOON Jung-hee CANADIAN PREMIERE Korean and Japanese w/ English subtitles This warm and exhilarating documentary tells the true story of the Osaka Korean High School rugby team as they head into the season under the slogan of 'One, Trust, Victory'. While embracing in their hearts the hopes of 600,000 Korean residents in Japan, they face a lack of financial support and issues of ethnic/cultural identity, present-day struggles as a result of the past. Despite the odds, can the team come out victorious? [TRAILER] Awards and Film Festivals: Movie Collage Award (15th Jeonju International Film Festival)

4TH ANNUAL TORONTO KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL 2015

PROGRAMME: FEATURE PRESENTATION SCREENING INFO Date: Friday, May 29 (DAY 4) Screening starts: 7:30PM Doors open: 7:00PM Venue: Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave. (University of Toronto) FILM(S)

A MIDSUMMER’S FANTASIA 한여름의
    판타지아 (Han-yeo-reum-ui Pan-ta-ji-a) JANG Kunjae | Drama | 96 min | Japan, Korea 2015 Producer: Naomi Kawase Cast: KIM Sae-byuk, Iwase Ryo, LIM Hyung-kook NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Korean and Japanese w/ English subtitles With his assistant director and interpreter, a Korean filmmaker journeys to Gojo, a small rural town in Japan. The film is split into two parts: the first consists of the filmmaker’s encounters with the town’s interesting residents, presented in monochromatic, documentary style. The second, shot in color, draws inspiration from the first. What results is a near déjà vu, as the characters and the setting re-manifest into fictional romance between a Korean woman and a Japanese man. [TRAILER] Awards and Film Festivals: Best Director Award (Director’s Guild of Korea, 19th Busan International Film Festival), Special Mention (40th Seoul Annual Independent Film Festival), 39th Hong Kong International Film Festival, 45th International Film Festival Rotterdam, 4th Nara International Film Festival

4TH ANNUAL TORONTO KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL 2015

PROGRAMME: KOREAN DIASPORA PROGRAMME SCREENING INFO Date: Saturday, May 30 (DAY 5) Screening starts: 1:30PM Doors open: 1:10PM Venue: Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave. (University of Toronto) NOTE: 2 films (1 shorts followed by 1 feature length) followed by an address by families of Korean adoptees, courtesy of the KCCA. FILM(S)

BIRDFATHER (기러기아빠) KIM Yoori | Animation, Short | 10 min | Korea 2013 While shedding light on real-life experiences of families separated by oceans and obligations, this animated short tells the lonely tale of a father left on his own as his wife and two children venture overseas to study English.

APPROVED FOR ADOPTION (피부색깔=꿀색, Couleur de Peau: Miel) Jung Henin, Laurent Boileau | Animation, Documentary | 75 min | France 2012 TORONTO PREMIERE French w/ English subtitles This animated biopic traces the life of its director Jung Henin from his homeless youth on the streets of Seoul to his upbringing as part of a Belgian family. He is one of 200,000 Koreans worldwide who were adopted by non-Korean families following the Korean War. Coming from “here and elsewhere”, Jung decides to make his first-ever trip back to his motherland to find consolation for the confusion in self-identity and belonging. [TRAILER] Awards and Film Festivals: Audience Award and UNICEF Award (Annecy International Animated Film Festival 2012)

4TH ANNUAL TORONTO KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL 2015

PROGRAMME: FEATURE PRESENTATION SCREENING INFO Date: Saturday, May 30 (DAY 5) Screening starts: 4:00PM Doors open: 3:40PM Venue: Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave. (University of Toronto) FILM(S)

HAN GONG-JU 한공주 (Han Gong-Ju)
    

LEE Sujin | Drama | 112 min | Korea 2014 Cast: CHUN Woohee, JUNG Insun, KIM Soyoung, LEE Younglan TORONTO PREMIERE Korean w/ English subtitles Inspired by the true story of the Miryang rape case of 2014, the film follows high school student Han Gong-ju and the terrible aftermath of the incident. Uncared for by her parents and forced to leave school, her previous school teacher arranges for her to hideaway at his mother’s place. Now in a home under the care of someone she barely knows, Gong-ju tries to move forward and settle into her new life. But when a video of her on the internet reveals her whereabouts the trauma and humiliation catches up with her, both internally and in reality. [TRAILER] Awards and Film Festivals: CGV Movie Collage Award and Citizens Reviewers’ Award (18th Busan International Film Festival), Tiger Award (43rd International Film Festival Rotterdam), Golden Star Award (13th Marrakech International Film Festival), Grand Prix and Ecumenical Jury Award (Fribourg International Film Festival 2014), Grand Prize and Best Actress (2nd Wildflower Film Awards), Best Actress and Best New Director (Blue Dragon Awards 2014), Jury Prize, Critic’s Prize, and Audience Prize (Deauville Asian Film Festival 2014)

4TH ANNUAL TORONTO KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL 2015

PROGRAMME: KOREAN CANADIAN SHOWCASE SCREENING INFO Date: Saturday, May 30 (DAY 5) Screening starts: 6:45PM Doors open: 6:20PM Venue: Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave. (University of Toronto) NOTE: 3 films (2 shorts, 1 feature length) followed by a FILM TALK with all three filmmakers Sook Jung, Daniel Yong and Albert Shin. FILM(S)

KSANA Sook JUNG | Short, Animation | 3 min | Canada 2014 CANADIAN PREMIERE *Filmmaker in Attendance A woman set on taking her own life encounters a lonely ant in her house.

Leftover Daniel YONG | Short, Narrative | 18 min | Canada 2014 *Filmmaker in attendance A North Korean refugee family’s new life in Canada remains tainted by memories of their past. While ‘Leftover’ is a narrative fused with documentary, it retains grains of reality as it draws upon true experiences of some of its cast. Awards and Film Festivals: Manulife Student Film Award (Toronto Film Critics Association)

In Her Place Albert SHIN | Drama | 115 min | Canada, Korea 2014 *Filmmaker in attendance A city woman longing for a child of her own travels to a farm in the countryside. There she meets a pregnant teenager and her disapproving widowed mother. The unborn child becomes the basis for a private agreement between the women, from which Shin orchestrates a gradual but dramatic series of events. [TRAILER] Awards and Film Festivals: Jay Scott Prize (Toronto Film Critics Association), Toronto International Film Festival 2014, 14th Annual Canada’s Top 10

4TH ANNUAL TORONTO KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL 2015

PROGRAMME: KOREAN SHORTS COMPETITION SHOWCASE SCREENING INFO Date: Sunday, May 31 (DAY 6) Screening starts: 1:30PM Doors open: 1:10PM Venue: Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave. (University of Toronto) NOTE: 6 short films, 2 to receive 1 of the following awards by the end of the night: Best Korean Short Award (to be given to the film most favored by our panel of judges), and the TKFF Audience Choice Award (to be given to the film most favored by this evening’s audience). FILM(S) Out of 150 submissions, the following six were selected by TKFF 2015 to present at the annual Korean Shorts Competition Showcase. Awards will be given to the two films most favored that evening. While some have had their world premieres at other film festivals, TKFF 2015 will be the Canadian Premiere of all six shorts. *Viewer Discretion Highly Advised: These films contain strong language and scenes of a violent and sexually explicit nature.

HOSANNA (호산나) NA Young Kil | Drama | 25 min | Korea 2015 A boy in a small village possesses the power to cure the ill and revive the dead. However, those saved by his hand curse at his help, for they are forced to suffer the same life they had left for good.

ORDINARY FAMILY (바캉스) LEE Hyun Ju | Drama | 24 min | Korea 2014 Just when Su-young and Young-mi are about to take off on their first romantic getaway, Su-Young receives news of her father’s hospitalization. Secrets are revealed during Suyoung’s visit to her parents; and Young-mi suddenly shows up, bitter about the delay in travel plans. Amid the chaos, will the two be able to enjoy a vacation together?

AN ATROCITY (잔학기) JANG Sun-hee | Thriller | 10 min | Korea 2013 A woman and three men’s ‘season of cruelty’.

UNDERSTANDING MOVIES (루이스 자네티의 영화의 이해) YIM Ji Eun| Comedy | 24 min | Korea 2014 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE It dawns on Jihan that he may need more than classroom knowledge to create the perfect graduation film. Out of nowhere appears Louis Giannetti, the author of Understanding Movies. Though the cinematography expert in text, his real-time advice to Jihan and his production crew is more of a nuisance than anything...

THE WAY BACK OH Sang A | Animation | 11 min | Korea 2014 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE The seasons change as she goes about her daily routine, from home to work. At the day’s end, she takes off the things that covered her; and after a deep breath, smiles, finally home after the long way back.

INTRUDER (침입자) PARK Geun Buem | Drama | 28 min | Korea 2014 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE A man attempts to rob his own house, only to end up protecting it.

4TH ANNUAL TORONTO KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL 2015

PROGRAMME: FEATURE PRESENTATION SCREENING INFO Date: Sunday, May 31 (DAY 6) Screening starts: 4:00PM Doors open: 3:40PM Venue: Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave. (University of Toronto) FILM(S)

THE ISLAND OF SHADOWS 그림자들의 섬
    
     (Geu-rim-ja-deu-rui Seom) KIM Jeong Keun | Documentary | 98 min | Korea 2015 INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE Korean w/ English subtitles South Korea’s world-class shipbuilding industry has always been a buttress to the country’s booming economy. It is thus no surprise that Hanjin Shipyard was once a workplace charged with high energies, honor and community spirit. But today, it is a vessel of desolation and divisions. Labor relations are tense and unstable, a worker has committed suicide, and there is no end in sight for the ongoing strike. Funded by the 2011 ‘Bus of Hope’ project in support of the labor struggle, ‘The Island of Shadows’ explores the 30-year old darkness blanketing the shipyard, bringing to light the real struggles of individual goals and dreams against the power giants of the capitalist world. Awards and Film Festivals: Grand Prize (The 40th Seoul Independent Film Festival 2014)

4TH ANNUAL TORONTO KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL 2015

PROGRAMME: FEATURE PRESENTATION SCREENING INFO Date: Sunday, May 31 (DAY 6) Screening starts: 7:00PM Doors open: 6:30PM Venue: Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave. (University of Toronto) FILM(S)

REVIVRE 화장 (Hwa-jang) IM Kwon Taek | Drama | 94 min | Korea 2015 Original Story by: Kim Hoon Cast: AHN Sungki, KIM Qyuri, KIM Hojung Korean and Japanese w/ English subtitles Oh Sang-moo, a successful, middle-aged businessman in the industry of cosmetics, finds himself torn between affairs in the office and his duties at home. Being the husband to his terminally ill wife is complicated by a new project at work, and by a growing attraction to Choo Eun-joo, his newest and much younger team member. A homonym of the word ‘make-up’ and ‘cremation’ when translated to Korean (‘Hwajang’), ‘Revivre’ is filmmaker Im Kwon Taek’s 102nd work and is based on the award-winning short story Cremation by Kim Hoon. [TRAILER] Awards and Film Festivals: 62nd Berlin International Film Festival’s Critics’ Week, 19th Busan International Film Festival’s Gala Presentation, 39th annual Toronto International Film Festival, 25th Stockholm International Film Festival, 71st Venice International Film Festival