Three Black & White Korean movies in 2016

One of the latest trend of Korean movie industry this year is producing film in black and white.
In this modern era of 3D, effects-laden movie spectacles, some of Korea’s adventurous directors are making a colorful splash into black-and-white.

"DongJu: The Portrait of A Poet" overcame the limitations of black and white film, and became sleeper hit on the Korean box office earlier this year, banking on the nostalgia of middle-aged moviegoers. The film, that centers around the real-life story of Korea's beloved poet Yoon Dong-ju and his lesser-known cousin and Korean independence activist Song Mong-gyu, attracted 1.16 million people, quite an achievement for a small-budget film.
Director Lee Joon-ik said "since we all remember Yoon Dong-Ju only in black-and-white photos, i shot this film in black and white format to preserve nostalgic image of him,"


"Han River Blues" which debuted on Sep,22 depicted Seoul and people who live in it in beautiful black and white screen.
Film is about a priest who lived for the sake of other people, trying to commit suicide because of a woman whom he loved. Along the way he meets a homeless man named Oh Jang-hyo, a runaway girl from home called Maria, and Choo-ja, a man turned woman.
Maria is the only girl in the family and has the innocence of a teen with a boldness at the same time.
Maria meets the turning point of her life as she lives with a homeless family and throws the message out to the public that life has to be lived no matter what the obstacle is. Meanwhile, Ki Tae-yeong plays the role of a priest.


Upcoming movie "A Quiet Dream" which will be released on Oct,13 was also produced in black and white.
This film will commence the 2016 Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), the largest film festival in Asia, which will be held in Busan.
"A Quiet Dream" is directed by Korean-Chinese filmmaker Zhang Lu.
The film humorously shows the story of a young woman who manages a bar and takes care of her unconscious, paralyzed father and the three men who are courting her.
It would be the first Korean opening movie of the BIFF after "Always," a romance movie by Song Il Gon five years ago.