Toronto Fest's City to City to include 8 much-buzzed S. Korean films

PanARMENIAN.Net - Eight of the year's most buzzed about South Korean films will be shown in the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival's (TIFF) City to City section. The Canadian festival will run Sept. 4-14, The Hollywood Reporter said.

City to City showcases filmmakers living and working in a selected city regardless of where their films are set. This marks the sixth year the section has been introduced. Previously spotlighted cities are Tel Aviv, Istanbul, Buenos Aires, Mumbai and Athens.

Making both its world premiere and market debut through TIFF is Yim Pil-sung's Scarlet Innocence (CJ Entertainment). Actor Jung Woo Sung — who makes a special appearance in the music video for Psy's upcoming "Daddy" — plays the role of a college professor who falls into a dangerous affair while succumbing to blindness. Jung's previous films Cold Eyes and The Good, The Bad, The Weird received gala presentations at Toronto.

Also making its world premiere is Cart by Boo Ji-Young (Myung Films). Actress Yum Jung-Ah takes the lead as a contract worker at a discount retail store that teams up with other employees when they are summarily laid off.

Titles that have hotwired major film festivals earlier this year are also included in program: Park Jung-bum's Alive (Locarno), Zhang Lu's Gyeongju (Locarno), July Jung's A Girl at My Door (Cannes), Kim Sung-hun's A Hard Day (Cannes) and Kelvin Kyung Kun Park's A Dream of Iron (Berlin).

"We have selected this South Korean cinema capital for the consistent strength and bounty of its cinema across the spectrum, from arthouse to commercial," said Cameron Bailey, artistic director of TIFF.

"Seoul continues to produce some of the world's most exciting auteurs, and we want the City to City spotlight to introduce our audience to the next generation. We are lucky to be based in Toronto, home to one of the most ardent audiences for Korean cinema outside of Korea." Meanwhile, other titles by major Korean auteurs are included in TIFF's 2014 lineup, including the latest work by Im Kwon-taek, Hong Sang-soo and Bong Joon Ho.