Fifty Years of Korean Cinema: Retrospective Catalog, Cinémathèque Française. Paris, January 6 - February 26, 2005

This issue of Cahiers du Cinéma is dedicated to fifty years of South Korean cinema, corresponding to a retrospective at the Cinémathèque Française. It examines the particularities of the South Korean film industry, which has achieved commercial success and artistic innovation, despite facing the pressures of Hollywood and its own internal challenges. Articles cover the history of South Korean film, from its beginnings to the present day, including the impact of government quotas, the rise of the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), and the current concentration of power within production companies like CJ Entertainment and Showbox. This issue includes detailed analyses of the work of many South Korean directors, like Im Kwon-taek, Shin Sang-ok, Kim Ki-young, Jang Sun-woo, Hong Sang-soo, Lee Chang-dong and Yoo Hyeon-mok. It also explores the transnational success of My Sassy Girl, and the new wave of Korean genre films and action thrillers, and includes a film index of the titles discussed.