In Korea, part 3
Turns out poop jokes totally translate! Oddly enough, those were some of the only jokes that did translate. Not a whole lot of laughing at our screening yesterday at the Chungmuro Film Festival, but I don't think that means the Korean audience didn't like it. Apparently it's a bit of a no-no to laugh loudly at a movie theater. The festival bumpers for the festival, in addition to usual requests to refrain from using your cell-phone, also warn people against making "unnecessary noises" during the film.
The Q & A was less spontaneous than usual, as each of our answers had to be translated into Korean, thereby deflating our jokes and sarcastic quips. But it was interesting that most of the questions were quite serious and probing about the intentions of the film and the characters' motivations. Not one person asked us about the budget or was camera we shot on. Refreshing!
After the screening, we went out to a bar and drank Korean beer with several staff members & volunteers, as well as the director of the closing night film, Tony Chan. His first feature, COMBINATION PLATTER, played at Sundance in 1993 and now, with his second called HOT SUMMER DAYS, he managed to put together a cast of some of the biggest actors in Asia. We're heading to the Closing Ceremony in about half an hour, after spending the day walking through the rain in search of Doubek's old house near the Han River, where he lived back in 1978. We didn't find it, but we did find the beautiful National Museum of Korea, which overwhelmed with its artifacts from 5,000 years of Korean history.
It's gonna be sad to leave this place, just as we're getting over the jet-lag. We meant to stay out later last night and party with the festival staff on the last full night of the festival, but sadly fell asleep around 9pm. So, tonight is our last opportunity to live it up, Seoul style. We're gonna do our best!
The Q & A was less spontaneous than usual, as each of our answers had to be translated into Korean, thereby deflating our jokes and sarcastic quips. But it was interesting that most of the questions were quite serious and probing about the intentions of the film and the characters' motivations. Not one person asked us about the budget or was camera we shot on. Refreshing!
After the screening, we went out to a bar and drank Korean beer with several staff members & volunteers, as well as the director of the closing night film, Tony Chan. His first feature, COMBINATION PLATTER, played at Sundance in 1993 and now, with his second called HOT SUMMER DAYS, he managed to put together a cast of some of the biggest actors in Asia. We're heading to the Closing Ceremony in about half an hour, after spending the day walking through the rain in search of Doubek's old house near the Han River, where he lived back in 1978. We didn't find it, but we did find the beautiful National Museum of Korea, which overwhelmed with its artifacts from 5,000 years of Korean history.
It's gonna be sad to leave this place, just as we're getting over the jet-lag. We meant to stay out later last night and party with the festival staff on the last full night of the festival, but sadly fell asleep around 9pm. So, tonight is our last opportunity to live it up, Seoul style. We're gonna do our best!