HOLLYWOOD - The American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre presents THE LOS ANGELES KOREAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, September 24 - 25, 2004. This two-day series features four L.A. Premieres of some of the most acclaimed recent Korean movies including Chan-wook Park's SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE (BOKSUNEUN NAUI GEOT) (2002, Tartan USA in assoc. with Vitagraph Films, 121 min.), Ji-woon Kim's spine-tingling ghost story, A TALE OF TWO SISTERS (JANGHWA, HONGRYEON) (2003, Tartan USA in assoc. with Vitagraph Films, 115 min.); director Hong Sang-Soo's WOMAN IS THE FUTURE OF MAN (YEOJANEUN NAMJAUI MIRAEDA) (2004, MK2, 84 min.), a subtle portrait of men, women, and how complicated their relationships really are, and the disturbing SAMARITAN GIRL (SAMARIA) (2004, Cineclick, 96 min.), from award-winning director Kim Ki-duk.

The news from the Cannes Film Festival this year is that Asian, and in particular Korean, cinema has arrived in full force on the world film scene, which should come as no surprise to anyone watching the incredible explosion of filmmaking talent in South Korea over the past few years. Break-out directors like enfant terrible Chan-wook Park (whose new film OLDBOY won the Grand Prize at Cannes from the Quentin Tarantino-led jury, and whose previous film SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE premieres in the Korean Film Fest), Kim Ki-duk (SAMARITAN GIRL; SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER ... AND SPRING; THE ISLE), and Hong Sang-soo (WOMAN IS THE FUTURE OF MAN; TURNING GATE) are pushing Korean cinema into wonderfully strange and unsettling territory, while crowd-pleasing hits like the Korean War epic TAEGUKGI (which will be released in the U.S. in early September) have packed theatres across Asia.

This year, the American Cinematheque is pleased to partner with the Los Angeles Korean International Film Festival (LA-KIFF), one of the largest events dedicated to Korean and Korean-American cinema in North America, to bring a greater knowledge and appreciation of the cultural richness and artistic diversity of the Korean and Korean-American experience to L.A. audiences. LA-KIFF emphasizes individual creativity, cultural exchange and global communication during its multi-part Festival events. [For more information on the other LA-KIFF screenings, please check www.lakiff.com.]

The Friday, September 24th program begins at 7:00 PM with the L.A. Premiere of SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE (BOKSUNEUN NAUI GEOT) (2002, Tartan USA in assoc. with Vitagraph Films, 121 min.). One of the hottest directors in world cinema, Korean filmmaker Chan-wook Park demonstrates his talent in this ferocious, brilliantly constructed revenge tragedy. To raise money for his older sister's life-saving operation, a deaf-mute man with green hair (Shin Ha-kyun) kidnaps the young daughter of a wealthy corporate executive. Fate conspires against him at every turn - and when the kidnapping goes horribly awry, it sets off an inexorable and increasingly horrifying chain of events that sucks everyone involved into a black vortex of destruction. Stunning visuals, editing, scripting and acting make this one of the most impressive films of the white-hot Korean New Wave. [Please note that SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE features extremely graphic violence. No one under 18 will be admitted to the screening.] Discussion following with director Chan-wook Park.

Following at 10:00 PM is the L.A. Premiere of A TALE OF TWO SISTERS (JANGHWA, HONGRYEON) (2003, Tartan USA in assoc. with Vitagraph Films, 115 min.). Director Ji-woon Kim's superb, spine-tingling ghost story brings to mind thrillers like THE SIXTH SENSE and THE GRUDGE. In fact, TWO SISTERS is already in the pipeline for a major Hollywood remake. Two teenaged sisters, Su-mi (Su-jeong Lim) and Su-yeon (Geun-yeong Mun), return home after an unexplained absence to face their emotionally distant father and their demonically cheerful stepmother. But there are deeper and darker problems lurking inside the house, and Su-mi is determined to protect her younger sibling from the unnamed evil that hides in the corners, in the bedroom closet, under the kitchen stove. For press material please check www.twosisters.co.kr

The Saturday, September 25th program begins at 6:00 PM with the L.A. Premiere of WOMAN IS THE FUTURE OF MAN (YEOJANEUN NAMJAUI MIRAEDA) (2004, MK2, 84 min.). Arthouse favorite Hong Sang-Soo (TURNING GATE) returns with this elusive, quietly devastating portrait of men, women, and just how phenomenally screwed up and complicated relations between the sexes really are. Two former college friends, an aspiring film director (Kim Tae-woo) and a now-bourgeois professor (Yu Ji-tae), meet on a snowy day at a restaurant, and immediately start to hit on any woman in sight (their come-ons to a shy waitress are painfully hilarious). Fueled by booze, their conversation turns to a former lover of both, Seon-hwa (Seong Hyeon-ah), and the story flashes back to the messy, inarticulate, graphically sexual encounters of days past, while both men try to track down Seon-hwa in the present day. [Due to graphic sexual content, no one under 18 will be admitted to this screening.]

Following at 8:15 PM is the L.A. Premiere of SAMARITAN GIRL (SAMARIA) (2004, Cineclick, 96 min.). A mournful, brutally disturbing parable of corruption and self-sacrifice, SAMARITAN GIRL follows two high school girls engaged in the dangerous business of prostitution: Jae-young (Min-jeong Seo) sleeps with older men, while her more cautious friend Yeo-jin (Ji-min Kwak) keeps watch and takes the money. But when Jae-young is gravely injured during a police raid, the emotionally and mentally shattered Yeo-jin adopts her friend's persona, sleeping with men as a twisted act of self-sacrifice. Even more tragically, Yeo-jin's father (Eol Lee) is a highly religious policeman, and when he discovers his daughter's secret life, this caring, seemingly stable man is driven to the brink of violence and insanity. Break-out director Kim Ki-duk manages to craft a moral allegory that is both gut-wrenching and unbearably poetic. Winner of the 2004 Silver Bear at Berlin International Film Festival.

TICKET PRICES: $9 General; $6 Cinematheque Members. $8 Seniors (65+ years) and students with valid ID card. Must be shown at box office at time of purchase. THE PROGRAM IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. All tickets are subject to availability and all screenings will be held at the newly renovated Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the historic Egyptian (6712 Hollywood Boulevard between Highland and Las Palmas) in Hollywood.

A complete calendar/flyer listing of these films is available on our website. 24-Hour information: 323.466.FILM

American Cinematheque 1800 North Highland Avenue, Suite 717, Hollywood, CA 90028 (tel) 323.466-FILM (fax) 323.461.9737 www.egyptiantheatre.com