>> Catalog 2003

Part 2 KOREA
KOFIC and KIFV—Public Policies to Ensure a Diverse Cinema

Korean Film Commission (KOFIC)
206-46, Cheongnyangni-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 130-010 KOREA
Phone: 82-2-9587-584 Fax: 82-2-9587-592
URL: www.kofic.or.kr

The Association of Korean Independent Film and Video (KIFV)
B1, Dowon Bldg., 200-23 Dongkyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul 121-200 KOREA
Phone: 82-2-334-3166 Fax: 82-2-334-3155
E-mail: kifv@coincine.co.kr URL: www.coincine.co.kr

Recently the Korean government has given remarkable public support to the film industry. Policies have targeted not only commercial films, but also young filmmakers’ works, short films, and documentaries. This program invites a representative from KOFIC, Korea’s main public institution promoting national cinema within Korea and abroad, and KIFV, the association of independent filmmakers, to report on Korean policies on documentary film and projects supported by public funds. Former KIFV president Kim Dong-won, arrested in 1996 for making a documentary about political prisoners, will address the transition from a cinema policy of regulation and control to one of promotion.

About KOFIC

The Korean Film Commission (KOFIC) is an autonomous organization funded by the central government to promote Korean cinema within the country and overseas. Its broad mission includes shaping film policy, managing and applying funds, conducting research, and developing international markets for Korean films. It offers a wide spectrum of promotional and support programs including production support for low-budget films, distribution support through the Korean Association of Cinematheques, establishment of media centers, and assisting the production of subtitles and international promotional material. KOFIC also provides support for international film festivals and Korean film programs overseas. Recent projects include offering financial support for a publication on Korean documentary film and enabling documentary staff from Korea to participate in YIDFF this year.

About KIFV

The Association of Korean Independent Film and Video (KIFV) was established in 1998 for the improvement of independent film and video culture in Korea. Individuals and groups working in fiction, documentary, animation, and experimental film and video can join. The association formulates public policy that fosters independent cinema, hosts regular screenings, publishes the quarterly magazine Korean Independent Cinema, and facilitates information exchange. KIFV is responsible for running MediACT, the new media access center in Seoul, which opened in May 2002—a non-profit center for media literacy education which makes filmmaking equipment and facilities available to the general public. KIFV is an important supporter of SIDOF (Seoul Independent Documentary Film & Video Festival), which began in 2001.

Kim Hyae-joon Secretary General of KOFIC Kim Dong-won Former President of KIFV and juror for the YIDFF 2003 New Asian Currents program. [Profile]

Ishizaka Kenji Born in 1960 in Tokyo. Film Coordinator at the Japan Foundation Asia Center. Since 1990, has organized and managed more than fifty projects on Asian cinema, including the Indonesian Film Festival 1993, the 2001 Korean Cinema Project, Films on Islam—Islam in Films, and the Thai Film Festival 2003. Lecturer at Meiji Gakuin University, and visiting professor at the Korean National University of Arts in 1999. Co-edited Hara Kazuo’s book Stepping Out Camera (“Fumikoeru Kyamera”) with Izuchi Kishu.