Info part 3

KOFIC's Support Program for Hub-Library for Korean Film Studies

Korean Film Council's

Support Program for Hub-Library for Korean Film Studies

The Korean Film Council provides Korean film-related materials published in domestic or foreign countries as well as Korean film DVDs to major libraries overseas in order to support Korean Film Studies scholars and students. It also hopes that this support program will help broaden the base of ordinary audiences overseas for Korean films.

A library or research center of a university or college overseas that offers both Film Studies and Korean Studies are most eligible to apply for this program, and other institutions related to Korean film studies also can apply for the support program. After receiving applications, KOFIC will review each application and decide which libraries or institutes to support, in careful consideration of : geographical importance, activities regarding film studies, value of the University, and the prospects for development of Korean Film studies as well as management & usage plan of the provided materials.

KOFIC will provide the libraries Korean film-related materials such as publications regarding Korean Film (either in Korean, in English or in a third language) and Korean (Feature) Film DVDs (with subtitles at least in English) In principle, the support program is available once a year, but upon request of the libraries, additional support appeals can be reviewed within the budget limit of KOFIC.

This support program started in 2007, and the first beneficiaries in 2007 were: University of Chicago, UCLA, Columbia University, University of Sydney, Free University Berlin, and Indiana University.

To apply for 2008 Support Program :


O Program Announcement : March 3 ~ 21, 2008
O Application Period : March 17~21, 2008
O Documents to be submitted : to be sent by email ( sant0804@kofic.or.kr)

1) Application Form
2) A cover letter from an official of the institution or related department must be submitted together with this application form.

For program details with application procedure, and application form, refer to the files attached above.

For further inquiries,
contact Hyun-chang JUNG
Publications Manager
Email : sant0804@kofic.or.kr







KOFIC P&A Fund for Korean Films Abroad

Find out more details about the scheme at www.kofic.or.kr/english from March 18 th 2008

General Introduction

The KOFIC P&A Fund for Korean Films Abroad is a program where KOFIC supports expenses required for theatrical distribution, designed to expand opportunities for foreign audiences to enjoy Korean films in theaters. The program will be launched this year with a budget of 400 million Won ($420,000 USD).

What kind of film is eligible?

Films eligible for support include feature-length dramas, documentaries or animations that were made in Korea, or co-produced with Korea as the main producing country.

Who are qualified to apply?

Companies owning rights to a film's theatrical distribution in certain foreign countries are qualified to apply for the program. In submitting the application, the company must also submit related documents to demonstrate such rights.

How to apply?

An application form will be available at a web site of Korean Film Council(www.kofic.or.kr/english) from March 18th, 2008. After filling out an application form, please submit the form along with necessary documents to Korean Film Council by post. The necessary documents include a plan for financing which identifies the source of funding, a release plan with the number of theaters and their location, promotion/marketing strategies and an itemized statement of expenditure.

From when?

Applications are accepted from March 18th 2008. Taking into consideration that selections are made 4 times a year, application forms should be submitted at least 2 months ahead of the planned release date. For more details, please see the annual schedule below.

Annual Schedule 2008
3rd round : August 31st - September 30th - after October 31st
4th round : October 31st - November 30th - after December 31st

When will the final selection be made?

In 2008, a total of 4 selection process will take place. The films and companies to receive the Fund will be announced in June, July, September and November.

What is the amount of support?

The support amount covers up to 50% of the theatrical release expenses in accordance with the number of opening theaters and the scale of the marketing, with the maximum amount per film capped at 100 million Won ($105,000 USD).

What kind of expenditure is supported?

KOFIC P&A Fund award should be spent on direct distribution cost, during the period of 5 months prior to the release and 2 months that follow. Direct distribution cost include production cost of promotion materials, expenses for promotion and marketing, costs spent on promotion tours of director/actors, print production expenses, media advertisement costs, advertising material production costs, etc..

When will the support money be delivered?

50% of the total amount will be delivered when the selected film is released and the rest will be delivered when an account report on cost statement is finalized.

In case of a surplus, how should it be returned to KOFIC?

The Korean Film Council will seek to recoup its award in the event that the film generates a surplus for the applicant/distributor in its theatrical release. This will work as follows:

The applicant may recoup its agreed P&A investment in first position from distributor's share of box-office receipts. The applicant's agreed P&A investment includes the applicant's own money, a third party's investment and other grant such as those obtained through public funding program. Any distributor's share of box-office receipts in excess of this will go towards the Korean Film Council award i.e. the Korean Film Council award will be recouped in last position. In the event that insufficient distributor's share of box-office receipts are received to cover the award, then no further payment to the Korean Film Council will be due.

For further information
KIM Hyoun-soo
International Promotion Dept, KOFIC (Korean Film Council)
myear1014@kofic.or.kr








Deluge of foreign films drowning Korean releases

One of the intriguing (or disturbing) signs about where Korean movies are headed is the near absence of press previews this month. For instance, except for a screening of Yoo Ji-tae's short titled "Out of My Intention" on Tuesday, there's nothing going on this week. No screenings yet either next week.

The declining number of domestic film releases is in sharp contrast to the surging demand for foreign films. According to the Korean Film Council, the Korean cinema imported 404 films from abroad in 2007, up from 289 in 2006 and 253 in 2005.

The rating agency handled as many as 72 foreign films in the first two months of this year, up 36.8 percent from the same period last year. The momentum comes not only from the major Hollywood distributors but also from small film importers, encouraged chiefly by the unexpectedly respectable box-office success of "Once" and "Lust, Caution".

The foreign movie boom is setting off alarms in the domestic film industry, which is already finding itself in a rut due to rising production costs and a dearth of box-office hits.

In fact, the March-April period is traditionally a slow movie season as the key audience -- college students -- is largely busy taking care of back-to-school affairs.

Exacerbating the problem is the reluctance of local production houses who want to push back the release date of their forthcoming movies in order to avoid the slow season. For the March-April period, only seven local movies are scheduled to hit theaters, significantly down from 16 in the same period last year.

For March, only three Korean titles are expected to fill up the slots. "My New Partner", a sort of buddy-and-detective movie featuring Ahn Seong-gi and Jo Han-seon is being released today nationwide, while "Humming", a romantic flick staring Lee Cheon-hee and Han Ji-hye, is slated for March 13 and "Destiny", a tale of betrayal where Song Seung-heon and kwon Sang-woo compete for the spotlight, is set to be released on March 20.

Meanwhile, the producers of a host of Korean movies, including "Girl Scout" and "Kill Me", have decided to wait until May or June.

The only relief at the box office now is the trailblazing performance of "The Chaser" (Chugyeokja), a Korean thriller directed by Na Hong-jin. Ticket sales have surpassed the 3 million mark.

Since its Feb. 14 release, the film has maintained its lead at the box office, even outsmarting other Hollywood flicks.

The box-office performance of "The Chaser" is regarded as a surprise because it is after all a small-budget film and its main actors are low profile compared with those in other Korean movies released in recent months. Even the lengthy running time of 123 minutes was deemed a negative factor. But despite all the bad press, the movie has solidified its position as a "must-see" for mainstream audiences.

However, the euphoria sparked by "The Chaser" is limited as prospects for Korean film releases are unlikely to brighten for a while. In recent years, about three to four Korean movies were released per week. But the figure steadily declined to two in mid-February, and is now standing at the much-feared one or zero.

Many of the foreign films imported in 2007 are waiting to secure theater slots. In March alone, about 30 foreign movies, big and small, are getting ready to be released. Oscar-winning films such as "There Will be Blood" as well as small-budget titles are expected to dominate theater schedules.


Last weekend, foreign films led by "Vantage Point" and "Jumper" clashed with "The Chaser" and "BA:BO", a Korean film based on a popular online comic book of the same name that was released on Feb. 28.