Sunday, August 10, 2008

GOOD POST FROM KOREA BEAT

“Crossing” This Year’s Korean Submission to Oscars

I was just thinking the other day that Korea doesn’t seem to understand what Oscar voters want in the Best Foreign Picture category, even nominating “Welcome to Dongmakgol” without realizing that a movie that climaxes with a “joint North-South Korean commando force” heroically shooting down US planes, with US soldiers inside, is going to go over like a ton of bricks with an American audience.

That’s why I’m pleased to see that this year’s selection is “Crossing”, which, all of its strong points aside, is precisely the sort of tearjerker the Oscar voters tend to splooge their pants over. If you haven’t heard about it you might want to check out this preview from the Chosun Ilbo.

The Korean Film Council (영화진흥위원회) has selected director Kim Tae-gyu’s “Crossing” as its submission to the Best Foreign Picture category at the 81st Academy Awards to be held in the United States next February.

The selection committee announced that, “Crossing was selected because it treats human rights issues related to North Korean refugees, has a high chance of distribution and commercial success in the United States and will appeal to the Academy voters.”

The Academy accepts one film submission per country, and five films had vied for the nomination: “Crossing”, “The Good, The Bad, and The Weird”, 님은 먼곳에, “Forever the Moment”, and “The Chaser”.

Further note: When submitting films to Oscar voters, don’t even waste time considering titles with poor English, like “Forever the Moment”.



my review of the crossing

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