Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with some exciting news for you LA area readers. If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing a Chan-wook Park film and you are in the LA area you have absolutely no valid excuse to miss seeing this stuff on the big screen, especially since Park is going to be there in the flesh. Sounds like another kick-ass series put on by the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater... On top of Chan-wook Park's SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE, they're also showcasing other great Korean films. I've seen THE TALE OF TWO SISTERS and can vouche for it... it's not the greatest, but damned if it didn't scare the bejeezus out of me once or twice. The others I haven't seen, but would love to discover if I was there. All the info you need is below. Have at it!!!

THE AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE PRESENTS

THE LOS ANGELES KOREAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

September 24 - 25, 2004

HOLLYWOOD - The American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre presents THE LOS ANGELES KOREAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, September 24 - 25, 2004. This two day series features four L.A. Premieres of some of the most acclaimed recent Korean movies including, on September 24th, director Chan-wook Park's SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE (BOKSUNEUN NAUI GEOT) (2002, Tartan USA in assoc. with Vitagraph Films, 121 min.). Back from the Cannes Festival with a Grand Jury Prize for his movie OLD BOY, Chan-wook Park will join us for a post screening discussion. This series also features director Ji-woon Kim's spine-tingling ghost story, A TALE OF TWO SISTERS (JANGHWA, HONGRYEON) (2003, Tartan USA in assoc. with Vitagraph Films, 115 min.); director Hong Sang-Soo's WOMAN IS THE FUTURE OF MAN (YEOJANEUN NAMJAUI MIRAEDA) (2004, MK2, 84 min.), a subtle portrait of men, women, and how complicated their relationships really are. The series ends with a screening of the disturbing SAMARITAN GIRL (SAMARIA) (2004, Cineclick, 96 min.), from award-winning director Kim Ki-duk.

All guests are subject to their availability. All screenings are at the newly renovated Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the historic Egyptian (6712 Hollywood Boulevard between Highland and Las Palmas) in Hollywood.

The news from the Cannes Film Festival this year that Asian, and in particular Korean, cinema has arrived in full force on the world film scene should come as no surprise to anyone watching the incredible explosion of filmmaking talent in South Korea over the past few years. Break-out directors like enfant terrible Chan-wook Park (whose new film OLDBOY won the Grand Prize at Cannes from the Quentin Tarantino-led jury, and whose previous film SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE premieres in our Fest), Kim Ki-duk (SAMARITAN GIRL; SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER ... AND SPRING; THE ISLE), and Hong Sang-soo (WOMAN IS THE FUTURE OF MAN; TURNING GATE) are pushing Korean cinema into wonderfully strange and unsettling territory, while crowd-pleasing hits like the Korean War epic TAEGUKGI (which will be released in the U.S. in early September) have packed theatres across Asia.

This year, the American Cinematheque is pleased to partner with the Los Angeles Korean International Film Festival (LA-KIFF), one of the largest events dedicated to Korean and Korean-American cinema in North America, to bring a greater knowledge and appreciation of the cultural richness and artistic diversity of the Korean and Korean-American experience to L.A. audiences. LA-KIFF emphasizes individual creativity, cultural exchange and global communication during its multi-part Festival events. [For more information on the other LA-KIFF screenings, please check www.lakiff.com.]

TICKET PRICES: $9 General; $6 Cinematheque Members. $8 Seniors (65+ years) and students with valid ID card. Must be shown at box office at time of purchase.THE PROGRAM IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.