The Korean Cultural Centre in cooperation with Korea Association and Cultural
Development Fund have organised the Korean Film Festival from 23 to 27 May at
the Creativity Centre of Cairo Opera House where Korean food was also served.
The festival presented various genres of modern Korean comedy, tragedy, and
action films dubbed into English.
Dr Park Jay Yang, Head of the Korean Cultural Centre, opened the festival.
Egyptian film critic Yaqoot al-Deeb and Ghada Gbara, Professor of Cinema and
former Vice-Dean of the Egyptian Cinema Institute at the Arts Academy attended
the opening night.
Egyptian young people especially were keen to attend and crowded the screening
halls filling all the seats and overflowing out on the staircases. Most of them were
students of Korean language at universities or facebook activists. The films were
screened included Catch Me, Mama, Hot Young Bloods, Born to Sing and How to
Steal A Dog.
Korean cinema is one of the components of the Korean halio that means the spread
of Korean culture. Last year, the revenue of Korean filmmaking in world was
about $1.42 billion. And the number of Korean films exported to the world are
about 650.
The opening film “Catch Me” is a romantic comedy about a police profiler who
has a 100 percent success rate in tracking down suspects. One day while he is on a
stakeout, the criminal attempts to flee and gets run over in a hit and run accident.
When he follows the driver to make an arrest, he finds himself face to face with the
first girl he ever loved. Their relationship had ended ten years before. The police
officer finds out more shocking truths about his ex-girlfriend, like the fact that she
is a notorious thief who has been so long on the most wanted list for stealing
priceless artworks and gems across Seoul.
Watani International
27 May 2016