On October 8, the 14th Pusan International Film Festival, or PIFF, opened in Busan. (Yes, the city takes a different official spelling than the film festival. Blame inconsistent Romanization.)

As the largest film festival in Korea, it drew a large list of attendees, as you can see from the long list of red-carpet walkers. It was definitely a star-studded opening night, and even included one familiar Hollywood face (Josh Hartnett).

This year’s PIFF features its largest lineup to date, screening 355 films from 70 countries, and closes on the 16th.

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Kim Haneul and other movie stars will participate in a midnight event at Lotte World amusement park later this month, the Birth Night Party, which celebrates the 10-year anniversary of Lotte Cinemas. The event begins at 11:30 PM on the night of October 16 and continues till 4:30 AM the next morning and comprises a special talk show and “movie party” emceed by comedian Park Ki-soo.

Part 1 of the night features Kim Haneul and her Level 7 Civil Servant colleagues Kang Ji-hwan and director Shin Tae-ra. They’ll talk about their movie with audience members and show behind-the-scenes and unreleased footage. The second part of the night features Sung Yuri and Jang Hyuk, the two stars of the upcoming melodramatic film Rabbit and Lizard.

In addition to the actors’ talk show, there will be a laser show and a mini-concert featuring performances by 2NE1, G-Dragon, After School, and others.

Sounds like a fun night, if you’re in the area. Tickets go on sale this week.

Via Newsen

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The action comedy Level 7 Civil Servant, or per its English title, My Girlfriend is a Secret Agent, drew in more than 4 million viewers in a slumping movie industry and proved to be a smash hit. Such was its success that now it’s entertaining the prospect of being adapted for a television drama.

According to the production company, offers for drama remakes are pouring in: “We had proposals while we were still in production on the movie, but because of filming, we weren’t able to look into it. We’re considering it in a positive light.”

One source said, “There have been a lot of dramas about spies. We plan to make the Level 7 Civil Servant drama look at their lives in a little more detail.”

On the downside, if the drama doesn’t cast Kang Ji-hwan and Kim Haneul (very unlikely, I’d think), it’s already lost a lot of its charm. But on the upside, the movie’s screenwriter, Chun Sung-il, is expected to return as the drama’s screenwriter (which would follow his current project, writing the fusion sageuk drama Chuno).

Via Star News

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Han Chae-young

It looks like KBS’s Magazine Allo (the fashion drama starring Han Chae-young, Kim Haneul) may not make it to air after all.

The drama is not canceled, merely postponed, but with plagiarism claims asserted by competing drama Style, KBS has decided to swap out Magazine Allo for a different drama, a law series called Partner. The show will follow current Wednesday-Thursday series Accidental Couple.

A representative from KBS’s drama department stated that legally they are clear and have not infringed on copyright, but they dislike being caught up in a fight over the matter. They’ll presumably give the matter more thought while Partner takes over the timeslot, although this may indicate that Magazine Allo is in danger of being dropped.

This is too bad, since I was looking forward to Allo much more than Style, even if the latter is based on a popular novel — I just can’t get past the casting (Lee Jia, Ryu Shi-won). Oh well, it’s not like I’m hurting for dramas to watch at the moment. Style will premiere on July 25 on SBS (it’s a weekend show).

Via Joy News, No Cut News

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So, so pretty: Han Chae-young and Kim Haneul

Just a few days ago, I was talking about the upcoming trend of fashion dramas. Another new style-related series, tentatively titled Magazine Allo [매거진 알로], has announced its two leading ladies and, given the milieu — a competitive fashion magazine — Han Chae-young (Boys Before Flowers, Delightful Girl Chun-hyang) and Kim Haneul (On Air) are perfectly cast. (Or should I say, almost-nearly-practically cast — final contract issues pending.)

The series is being described as similar to Devil Wears Prada, with its main character (Kim Haneul) starting out at a monthly literature publication, which is suddenly named fashion magazine “ALLO.” Pushed thusly into the world of fashion, she faces her new tribulations with an upbeat and determined attitude. Meanwhile, Han Chae-young is the editor in chief at ALLO, showcasing a mix of style and editing talent.

So, not the most innovative concept, and not likely to be wildly original. On the other hand, it might be a whole lotta fun. I don’t think Han or Kim are exceptionally skilled actors, but their casting seems spot-on (I like it much better than Lee Jia and Ryu Shi-won in the similarly premised drama Style). They’re going to look gorgeous and have faaaabulous wardrobes. And great hair. I could get behind that.

Magazine Allo will premiere on Wednesday, June 24, on KBS. It follows Accidental Couple — which pits it against MBC’s Triple and SBS’s Swallow the Sun. (I know which one I’m NOT excited about!) It will air 16 episodes.

Via OSEN

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