The KCC brings their Year of the Film Professionals to an end with a focus on art director and production designer Ryu Seong-hie, who has worked on some of the top Korean movies of this century.
The Year of the Film Professionals: Ryu Seonghie — Production Designer
October – December 2014
One of the longest running and most popular initiatives at the Korean Cultural Centre UK, our Korean Film Nights has undertaken two ambitious film programmes in the last two years. In 2012 we presented The Year of the 12 Directors – a series of film events that allowed British audiences to meet with the most prominent film directors from all genres of Korean cinema. Following on from its success, in 2013 we developed The Year of the 4 Actors programme in which we invited four of the most exciting actors, Moon So-ri, Jeon Do-yeon, Choi Min-sik and Ha Jung-woo to meet with their fans in London alongside showcasing a wide spectrum of each of their works. In 2014, to conclude this three-year project of Korean Film Nights, we are introducing The Year of the Film Professionals programme that illuminates the overlooked processes of filmmaking behind the screen.
This year’s programme focuses on four critical elements of filmmaking: Screenwriting, Film Music, Cinematography and Production Design. In turn for each quarter of 2014, we will present 4-6 films followed by a culminating event of Q&As and workshops where we welcome four of Korea’s top industry professionals each of which have worked on our very best films over the last two decades.
We end our Film Professionals year with a screening of six films from the very talented Production Designer, Ryu Seonghie. The KCCUK will be screening; Memories of Murder, The Front Line, Late Autumn, Mother, A Bittersweet Life and The Host. We hope that you enjoy the rest of this year’s vibrant film events at the Korean Cultural Centre UK and would like to thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for Korean cinema.
Hye-jung Jeon
Project DirectorBiography
Originally a student of pottery, Ryu Seonghie (류성희) debuted as a Production Designer with Flower Island in 2001, a film which instantly showed off the designer’s imagination. She soon chose to undertake a number of thriller and noir genre films and quickly became associated with the top filmmakers of the Korean film industry by working with Ryoo Seung-wan on No Blood No Tears and Kim Jee-woon on A Bittersweet Life. However the most important partnerships have been with the giants of K-Cinema Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho. These two filmmakers have produced some of the biggest, most commercially successful and critically praised films the country has seen, sharing a success that stylistically owes a great debt to its production design by Ryu Seonghie.
Visually stunning films such as Oldboy, The Host, I’m a Cyborg but That’s OK, Thirst and Mother have the trademark originality and imagination that Ryu Seonghie has based her career on. What would Oldboy be without its purple and black patterning and colour palette or I’m a Cyborg without its face masks? Central to her work is Ryu Seonghie’s dedication to visualising the emotional core of a story and enhancing the director’s vision.
In her thirteen year career Ryu Seonghie has shown herself to be an incredible force in helping to create and elevate Korean film standards to what they are today.
Filmography
Gukje Market (2013)
The Attorney (2013)
Behind The Camera (2012)
The Front Line (2011)
Late Autumn (2010)
Mother (2009)
Thirst (2008)
Hansel & Gretel (2007)
I’m a Cyborg, But That’s Ok (2006)
The Host (2006)
A Bittersweet Life (2004)
Three….. Extremes (2004)
Old Boy (2003)
Memories Of Murder (2003)
No Blood No Tears (2001)
Flower Island (2001)Film Screenings
16 October Memories Of Murder 30 October The Front Line 13 November Late Autumn 27 November Mother 4 December A Bittersweet Life 11 December The Host + Q&A With Ryu Seonghie
Reservations for all screenings should be made via the KCC website, www.kccuk.org.uk