The film industry here is getting increasingly involved in making Chinese movies. Kwak Jae-yong, director of 2001's smash hit romantic comedy "My Sassy Girl," has just completed two more films in China, a romantic comedy titled "My Girlfriend is Sick"/ "我的早更女," a project that's currently in post-production, and the other that has yet to be named.

Similarly, Jo Jin-kyu, director of "My Wife is a Gangster" (2001) and "Man On the Edge" (2012), is currently making a drama in China, "Passion Heaven"/ "雅望天堂," which will star Korean actor Joo Won.

Chang Yoon-hyun, director of "The Contact" (1997), has nearly finished making "Safety Island"/ "平安岛," a new thriller set to be released in November. This Korea-China co-production has a team of ocean explorers on a deserted island as they face a mysterious series of deaths.

Lee John H., director of "A Moment to Remember" (2004), is making a new melodrama titled "The Third Way of Love," while Huh In-moo, director of "Love So Divine" (2004), is filming his new "Wedding Diary"/ "婚礼日记" there, a romantic comedy.

A handful of Chinese films made by Korean directors have been quite well-received in the mainland market. Oh Ki-hwan's "A Wedding Invitation"/ "分手合约," (2013), made CNY 192 million or KRW 33.7 billion in profits last year.

An Byung-ki had a string of huge hits in China with his "Bunshinsaba" (笔仙) series (2012, 2013, 2014), a Mandarin-language re-make of his 2004 Korean version, which has now gone on to become the most successful horror series in China. "I wanted to introduce various types of film to Chinese audiences," said An. "Luckily, the series has been successful and 'Bunshinsaba 3' will also be released in China."

Hur Jin-ho's "Dangerous Liaisons"/ "危险关系," a Korea-China co-production featuring Jang Dong-gun, Zhang Ziyi and Zhang Baizhi, was released in China in 2012.





TV producer Jang Tae-yoo, known for the hit SBS TV soap opera "My Love From the Star," is going to join the league of big-screen directors filming in China. The TV show enjoyed huge popularity in both Korea and China and Jang has reportedly been offered the director's chair for an upcoming romantic comedy.

As we look forward to the next few years, there are expected to be more directors heading to China to grab film-making opportunities there. On July 24, there was a showcase in Beijing specifically for Korean directors. A total of eight directors took part in the event, including Jang Cheol-soo of "Secretly Greatly" (2013), Yang Woo-suk of "The Attorney" (2013), Cho Ui-seok of "Cold Eyes" (2013), and Lee Yong-ju of "Architecture 101" (2012). It was organized to introduce Korean directors, photography directors and screenplay writers to the Chinese movie market. These directors, it is presumed, will now seek opportunities with Chinese producers.

Korean directors are increasingly taking part in film production in China because that neighboring country's film market has seen explosive growth over the past few years. In the world's second biggest film market, the number of films produced grew from 88 in 2001, to 260 in 2005 and to 558 in 2011, leading to rapidly-growing demand for directors and crews.



Limb Jae-un
Korea.net Staff Writer
jun2@korea.kr