When Korea?s largerst multiplex, CGV, decided to expand the number of screens devoted to independent films under a program entitled Movie Collage, the move was seen as a long-term investment. The multiplex franchise, which now has 10 screens devoted to independent, art and documentary films, has been losing 3 billion won every year.
The company, though, has seen slow progress over the years. Last year, the Korean documentary Don?t Cry for Me, Sudan which proved particularly popular among the middle-age group, went on to make the box office top 10 for several weeks. CGV introduced the film through Movie Collage but expanded distribution to general theaters as the demand went up.
?It?s more like a community welfare project if you will,? said Yi Sang-kyu, head of PR at CGV. ?In recent years independent films like Old Partner did well but we?re still operating these theaters at a loss. In the longer run, however, we?re trying to satisfy a growing audience that wants more diversity onscreen.?
CGV?s expansion of its arthouse theaters reflects a bigger shift in the Korean film industry: more producers and filmmakers are recognizing the virtue of breaking even with small-to-mid-sized projects that cater to various niche markets.
After hitting an all-time low in the mid-2000s, Korean cinema has seen only a few homegrown blockbusters like last summer?s Haeundae. The first quarter of this year saw an overall decline, down 12.6 percent from last year.
A few family comedies such as Hello Ghost and Meet the In-Laws did well in domestic theaters. But the industry has seen rare genres hitting the Korean theaters in the past few months such as Detective K, about an 18th-century oddball private eye, and Glove, a film about a baseball team of hearing-impaired players.
The upcoming Arrest King starring Park Joong-hoon also targets a niche audience of men in their 40s and 50s as the film evokes nostalgia for the actor?s 1990s cop comedies that may seem outdated for younger mainstream Korean audiences.
Indie films are also witnessing an expanding market. The award-winning teen crime drama Bleak Night drew more than 18,000 viewers as of April 25, since opening in 20 theaters on March 3, while the teen pregnancy drama Re-encounter attracted more than 12,000 moviegoers since Feb. 17.
The number may be small but an indie flick hitting 10 thousand-viewer mark is equivalent to 1 billion for mainstream works. It?s also an impressive feat considering that the two films deal with topics that remain a taboo in Korea.
Korean Film Council, a government-supported film body that promotes Korean films, has taken some proactive measures to promote diversity in Korean cinema. The council recently announced that it would spend 700 million won to help small-budget projects. Qualified filmmakers will receive help from scouting locations to editing for short, feature-length and documentary pieces.
Last year, the council provided 150 million won worth of funding for five low-budget Korean films including the multiple award-winning North Korean refugee tragedy The Journals of Musan. After picking up grand prizes at Marrakesh and Rotterdam, the film?s actor-director Park Jung-bum recently the Best New Narrative Director Award at Tribeca. At home it is steadily attracting auds.
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