“Twenty years ago, South Korean directors dealt with heavy-handed state censorship and worked under protectionist laws, insulating local artists from American competition. But an economic boom in the late 1990s fired up a generation of directors who, like the Hong Kong and Japanese filmmakers before them, have built up global recognition.” GlobalPost introduces four of them.
Author: Matthew Westphal
Fans Pitch In To Pay For Stricken Miami Ballet Dancer’s Recovery
“The former Miami City Ballet dancer devastated by a ruptured brain aneurysm in December has seen an outpouring of financial and emotional support … The help will enable Isanusi Garcia Rodriguez, 36, to pay for therapy he needs to recuperate, and, he hopes, dance again.”
‘Pussy Riot Opera’ Wins Major Composition Prize
Ilya Demutsky’s The Closing Statement of the Accused, a monodrama based on the speech Pussy Riot member Marua Alyokhina made at the end of her trial, “won first prize at the prestigious 2 Agosto composing competition in Bologna, Italy.”
Gay Violinist Pulls Out Of Festival In Russia
“[Keith] Pascoe was set to lead RTÉ’s Vanbrugh Quartet to the Russian-Irish festival in Moscow this December, but will not now be attending. … ‘Being gay myself I felt this the best way to highlight the pernicious laws that are in force now: a license for homophobic bullying in schools and a green light to gaybashers all over Russia,’ he said.”
Same-Sex Couples Compete In World Tango Championships For First Time
“Enthusiastic cheers and massive applause rang out in a Buenos Aires exhibition hall for Juan Pablo Ramirez and Daniel Arroyo, as they danced to a 1940s classic. … The crowds in this traditionally conservative bastion of machismo culture, surprisingly, seem to embrace the change.”
Louisa Jo Killen, Folk Singer And Former Clancy Brother, Dead At 79
“The English folk singer known for most of his life as Louis Killen was a bawdy, bearded pioneer of the 1950s British folk revival, a member of the Clancy Brothers and a soloist admired for giving voice to forgotten miners and sailors in traditional ballads.”
Edinburgh Fringe Posts Record Ticket Sales
“As the fringe drew to a close on Monday, it said that an estimated 1.94m tickets had been sold or issued over the past 25 days. This was 5% more than last year’s festival, which was hit by lower demand as it clashed with the final stages of the London Olympics.”
Theatre Is More “Liberating” Than Film, Says Kevin Spacey (Who Would Know)
“Kevin Spacey has said that despite his Oscar winning career in film, and his current commitment to making and starring in the second 13-part series of House of Cards for Netflix, he still finds theatre a ‘more liberating’ artistic form.”
When Jerusalem Drives People Insane
A look at three types of the “Jerusalem syndrome” which occasionally strikes certain visitors to the city.
Thrashing For Allah: Meet The World’s First Islamic Heavy Metal Band
Tengkorak (Indonesian for “skull”) plays grindcore metal, growling lyrics about politics and religion and encouraging their fans to follow Muslim ideals.