Japan-Korea join forces to battle Hollywood1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minutePutting aside their past cultural and political differences stemming from Japan’s WWII-era occupation of Korea, Japanese films started making inroads in there around 1999. Nowadays, filmmakers from both countries are sharing success in titles such as the romance “Sayonara Itsuka,” by Korean director John H. Lee, which grossed 1.2 billion yen ($14.6 million) in Japan this year.
“The recent prosperity in Korean cinema was made possible by KOFIC’s generosity. This is a subject of great envy for us in Japan,” said Kawai. He added that Japan must shed its introspective nature and “play on the Asian stage.” For now, that still won’t mean many Japanese co-productions in China, where subject matter can quickly dredge up painful history.
