Cho and Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards in 2006

A South Korean film critic brings Asia a little closer through its common love of cinema.

The film critic and professor has been working for several years to connect filmmakers and cinephiles from across Asia through regional film festivals and cross-cultural exchanges.

She says festivals are the best way for a country’s film industry to get its name on the map.

“International film festivals help strengthen the global standing of the host countries and cities. Many people know about Cannes in France and Pusan in the Republic of Korea simply through the film festivals they hold each year,” says Cho “The festivals also provide a chance for filmmakers and artists to exchange ideas.”

This idea of exchange is important to Cho, who knows a thing or two about film festivals and global connections.

Aside from directing the annual Gwangju festival since 2005, Cho organized the Korean Film Week at the 12^th Golden Rooster Hundred Flowers Film Festival in China in 2003, the 4^th Gwangju International Film Festival in South Korea in 2004, and Korean Film Week in China in 2005.

With several exchanges in Vietnam also under her belt, she is now organizing the Yeosu Film Festival in the coastal city 455 km south of Seoul and will also put together the 2012 Yeosu International Exhibition.

Bridging the gap

Cho says the Korean film industry has shown signs of its great potential over the last few years.

“Though Korean cinema isn’t on a par with Hollywood, it has made great strides recently. Korean filmmakers and actors are excited about a burgeoning industry.”

Cho says the most impressive Korean film event she attended was the 2008 Pusan International Film Festival.

“For 13 years, the festival’s organizers and Korean filmmakers have been striving to make the festival the best of its kind in Asia.”

Last year’s festival was not only a meeting of the minds for some of the world’s best TV and film directors, it also set up several training programs for the newest generation of Asian directors, says Cho.

She says prestigious Asian film festivals in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Tokyo, Shanghai and Pusan are thriving and getting better each year.

“Governments should support the festivals and create favorable conditions for such events to be used as cultural tools.”

The Vietnam connection

Cho has been hosting Korean annual film weeks in Vietnam since 2006.

She also organized the Vietnam-Korea, Hanoi-Saigon Film Festival in 2006.

Cho says many Koreans have seen several Vietnamese films such as Mui du du xanh (The Scent of Green Papaya) by Vietnamese French director Tran Anh Hung, Thuong nho dong que (Nostalgia for the Countryside) by veteran director Dang Nhat Minh, Song trong so hai (Living in Fear) by Bui Thac Chuyen and Chuyen cua Pao (Pao’s Story) by Ngo Quang Hai.

“The [Vietnamese] films have characteristics that Korean viewers can easily relate to,” Cho says.

She has also worked directly with several Vietnamese filmmakers.

Cho invited director Dang Nhat Minh to the 2005 Gwangju International Film Festival, where he received a Lifetime Achievement Award.

She hopes more Vietnamese films will show in Korea, and says the Vietnam Cinema Bureau should hold Vietnamese film weeks in Korea.

Reported by Nguyen Le Chi