Following her last drama, Strongest Chil Woo, actress Gu Hye-sun is now turning her attentions to her pet project: her directing debut.

The short film project written and directed by Gu is named The Cheerful Caretaker and deals with the sobering topic of euthanasia. Gu updated her personal mini-homepage on the 18th to show behind-the-scenes photos of the shooting, many showing her in action behind the camera.

The film was submitted to the Pusan International Film Festival this year, but failed to make the final cut. (Although that’s too bad for the film, I actually appreciated hearing this, since we always see actors getting special “star treatment” when venturing forth into areas outside of acting and immediately being lauded for their skills, sometimes for good reason but many times not. See: Kim Ah-joong, Kim Hye-soo, Yoon Eun-hye, Jung Ryeo-won, So Ji-sub and others.) It also makes accomplishments by other actor-directors, like the multiple awards won by Yoo Ji-tae, seem that much more admirable.

Check out the behind-the-scenes photos >>

Tags: directors, Gu Hye-sun

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The debut directing project for actress Gu Hye-sun — currently starring in KBS’s Strongest Chil Woo — now has a name, thanks to CEO Jung Seung-hye of Morning [아침] film studio. Jung had suggested the title The Cheerful Caretaker [유쾌한 도우미], which Gu Hye-sun liked and has now adopted. The short film tackling the subject of euthanasia creates a bit of a macabre undertone with its deceptively, well, cheerful title, doesn’t it?

Jung — who has been involved in such hit projects as The King and the Clown and Radio Star — has followed Gu’s progress closely in her debut project, but explains that her involvement doesn’t overshadow her protégé’s — she’s given first-time director plenty of room to work on her own.

Their acquaintance began when Gu Hye-sun first met Jung in 2004 at an informal event; in 2006, Gu took a screenplay she’d written to Jung and asked her to take a look. The film exec soon showed her support for her, calling her “Screenwriter Gu Hye-sun”: “Gu Hye-sun has undertaken the writing, art design, and other aspects all on her own. I believe she’ll become a director on par with those working now.”

Obviously I can’t judge for myself, but I kinda dig her choice of material — not that I love euthanasia, but she didn’t go for fluff, that’s for sure — and the cognitive dissonance in contrasting the title and topic.

Via Hankooki.com

SONG OF THE DAY

Taru - “Yesterday.” Taru (real name Kim Min-young) is the vocalist for pop-indie band The Melody, and recently came out with her solo album, which is where this track is from. [ Download ]

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Tags: directors, Gu Hye-sun, scriptwriters, short films

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Actor-director Yoo Ji Tae (Oldboy, Hwang Jini) has had a rather successful run with his recent short film Out of My Intention, which just won a special contribution award at the Short Shorts Film Festival (SSFF), in its Asian category. The Tokyo-based film festival is one of the biggest short film festivals in the world (and is one of the qualifying festivals for the Academy Awards). This year, the festival selected 80 films to screen from nearly 3,000 submissions.

Out of My Intention is Yoo’s latest of three short films, all of which screened at SSFF. Last year he was a judge in the competition section; this year he was invited as a special seminar guest. The festival explained that Yoo’s award was given upon recognizing his passion in his work and his “wonderful contribution” to Asia’s short film industry.

Out of My Intention was released for a theatrical run in Korea in March, and continues to the Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival in Seoul, which opens on June 26, where it will be entered in the competition section. (Yoo’s debut short, 2003’s Bicycle Boy, earned him recognition as a director, and his second, 2005’s How Do the Blind Dream, won an award at the 23rd Pusan Asian Short Film Festival.)

Star News, Newsen

SONG OF THE DAY

Nell - “섬” (island) [ Download ]

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Gu Hye Sun joins actors like Yoo Ji Tae in expanding her resume to film directing. Her debut project is the short film Gaze [시선], which starts filming on June 2 in Gangwon-do, and boasts a pretty large scale for this kind of work: approximately 50 crew members and name casting which includes sageuk actor Kim Myung Su, Seo Hyun Jin of the kpop group MILK, and Ha Jiwon’s younger brother Jeon Tae Su. There will also be cameos by other famous actors.

The 35mm film, written by Gu Hye Sun, will be approximately 20 minutes long, and deals with euthanasia and human psychology, which seems like an unexpectedly dark issue to tackle in a debut film — no fluffy vanity project here, it seems.

Gu herself won’t be acting, focusing instead on the directing and even set design work; she’s mentioned her desire to direct since her early debut days and was an art major at school. Her next acting role will instead come in the upcoming fusion sageuk drama Strongest Chil Woo (Choi Kang Chil Woo) which also stars Eric, Lee Eon, and Kim Byul.

Via Newsen

SONG OF THE DAY

Vistee - “Snow Cry.” Vistee is a fairly new three-member group that shares a sound with other electronica groups like House Rulez and Shibuya-kei artist FreeTEMPO. [ Download ]

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Tags: directors, Gu Hye-sun, scriptwriters, short films

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Boa, Jamilya

• Actor-cum-director Yoo Ji Tae’s third directorial endeavor (and first theater release, more here), short film Out of My Intention, held its press conference on the 4th. Though it’s unusual for a short to get a theatrical run, Out of My Intention will open on the 20th and screen for a week at Seoul’s art-house cinema Sponge House.
• Former Jewelry singer turned actress Lee Ji Hyun has just released fresh self-cam photos online. Aw, is someone feeling left out now that the new Jewelry is in the spotlight for their latest album?
• Former HOT member and solo singer Kang Ta may be headed for military service on April 1, but he’ll be cramming in some last-minute singerly duties, releasing a new album and holding a concert on the 29th. It’s his first album in three years and first concert in five.
• Pop star Boa continues to rule Japan’s Oricon music charts. Her newly released album, “The Face,” shot to the top of album sales charts, making it the sixth time she’s occupied the #1 spot.



• Ballad singer Eru’s father, famous trot (aka old-fogey pop) singer Tae Jin Ah, still wants his son to sing trot music. While Eru hasn’t yet succumbed to parental pressure, his second album featured a remake of one of his father’s songs, “Ok Kyung-ee,” in a fusiony ballad-jazzy-trot hybrid.
• Speaking of whom, Eru also confessed on an episode of Sang Sang Plus to being struck the first time he laid eyes on television announcer Choi Song Hyun (while watching her on a TV program). While guesting on a radio program (which put him through on a call to Choi), the writer handed him Choi’s phone number, which he “immediately programmed into [his] phone.” He describes himself as “simply a fan.”
• Misuda’s (Global Talk Show, aka Chatting with Beauties) Uzbek panelist Jamilya (or Djamilya) Abdullaeva is one of those people constantly in the news these days that I find a waste of media attention. It’s nothing personal — who knows, she might be a super-sweet person — but it’s the weird cult of faux-celebrity surrounding Misuda that bugs me. In any case, she’s taking this springboard to fame and transitioning into pop singer. I suppose I could hold off on the cynicism, but really, do we have much to hope for from a girl who cites her own television show as her favorite, lists Hyori as her favorite Korean celeb, and debuts a single track titled “Oppa I Hate You”?

SONG OF THE DAY

Jamilya - “오빠 미워” (Oppa, I hate you). What an ear-screechingly horrible song. It’s like one of those pop-trance hits of the late ’90s, with none of the kitsch factor. If I clap my hands everybody, just clap my hands, will you stop? On the upside, her Korean’s pretty good. On the downside, her voice isn’t. [ zShare download ]

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Tags: army duty, directors, Eru, Jewelry, Kang Ta, kpop, Misuda, news bites, short films, stuff that bugs, Yoo Ji-tae

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