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Having moved into the new office building in the DMC Complex in Sangam-dong in May 2007, the Korean Film Archive has established itself as the space of dreams for movie lovers. Having made a new start, the Korean Film Archive is equipped to fulfill its original duties including film preservation but also has a state-of-the-art multimedia Film Reference Library, multiplex-level Cinematheque movie theaters, and the Korean Film Museum, which provides a look back at the 100-year history of Korean Films. These accomplishments make it compare favorably with the world’s other advanced film archives.
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| Collection and Categorization of Moving Image Contents |
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The first duty of the Korean Film Archive is to collect movie films and non-film materials and rearrange the collected materials according to the classification standards. Moving image materials are collected by way of purchase, entrustment, donation, production (copy, restoration), submission, exchange, or the like, and collection policies and standards are set up flexibly according to the preservation environment and the collection conditions. The collected moving image materials are classified according to their physical and form characteristics. Then they are incorporated in a database, registered, and managed systematically.
Most of the Korean films were submitted to the Korean Film Archive after the introduction of the mandatory movie film submission system in the 1990s. But regrettably, KOFA presently holds less than 40% of the total Korean films produced before the 1970s. KOFA is now aggressively collecting films based on its film collection policy and through active exchanges with film archives in other countries.
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| Preservation and Restoration of Our Moving Image Cultural Heritage |
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The collected materials in the Korean Film Archive are kept under proper temperature and humidity environments according to their respective forms to minimize any changes to their original conditions. Also, acetylation symptom prevention chemical is injected into film cans, which are then stored in isolation, thus minimizing film acetylation. Film restoration and reproduction are performed according to a priority determined by a precise examination of the degree of contraction of the film surface.
Movie films are characteristically likely to suffer wear and tear due to the increasing frequency of use. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent any of our valuable cultural heritages from disappearing by restoring films before they become unusable. Digital film restoration was started in 2007. The first restoration was the movie titled ‘The Memorial Gate for Virtuous Women’ (director Shin Sang-ok, 1962), which was then presented at the Cannes International Film Festival and at the Telluride International Film Festival under the category of the restoration sector respectively. The restoration edition of ‘Sweet Dream’ (director Yang Joo-nam, 1936), the oldest Korean talkie feature film in existence, was also released to the general public via the Pusan International Film Festival and received favorable reviews.
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| "Cinematheque KOFA" for Meeting the Films over 100 Years |
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The Cinematheque KOFA consists of three movie theaters in the first basement of KOFA’s main office building in Sangam-dong. Theater No.1 has a seating capacity of 328, with Theaters No. 2 and No. 3 equipped with 150 and 50 seats, respectively. The Cinematheque KOFA is also equipped with excellent facilities and sound equipment that compare favorably with multiplex first-run theaters. The Korean Film Archive plans to lead a more profound cinematheque culture based on its Cinematheque experience so far. It will be organized as a space for showing a variety of classic and artistic movies both domestic and international in accordance with the basic purpose of rediscovering the values of films suffering wear and tear, films being gradually forgotten by the audience, and films whose values were not properly recognized or evaluated.
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| “Korean Film Museum”, the Treasure Warehouse of Korean Films |
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The Korean Film Museum, set up for the first time in Seoul, is a place to gain knowledge of Korean films as well as rediscover their values. It’s a convenient location where visitors can experience everything about Korean films at a glance. Colorful sets and other collectables related to Korean films are displayed at the Permanent Exhibition Room or at the Planned Exhibition Room. These film artifacts include the time travel equipment from Korean films, actresses’ characters, etc. The Museum is also equipped with the Experience Education Room allowing you to experience the principle of cinematic technology as well as the history and principle of Korean animation yourself so that you can tour it with your children. The Korean Film Museum has opened the Children’s Film Academy to serve as a place of education without being limited to the level of display so that children can enjoy more than the pleasure of a study visit here.
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| Largest State-of-the-Art Multimedia “Film Reference Library” in Korea |
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The Film Reference Library is a multimedia library organized to allow film researchers and movie buffs to use all the film-related contents in a single place. You can use over 8,500 DVDs, over 3,200 VHS tapes, over 3,500 books, over 1,700 dissertations, and over 13,500 scenarios free of charge. The Library also provides VOD services for over 1,000 Korean classic films and over 800 independent Korean films as well as printout services for film articles, reviews and scenarios. Moreover, the Library provides not only seats for watching movies but also seats for listening to OST music, which make it the perfect venue for a romantic date.
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| “Cinema on Wheels” Running to Culturally Isolated Areas |
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The ‘Cinema on Wheels’ project goes to and shows movies in culturally isolated areas that otherwise would enjoy few cultural benefits compared with large cities where multiplex theaters are concentrated. This project has been being carried out since 2001. Under the project, 35mm film projectors and small projection equipment are used. The project operation scale was expanded from one team to two teams in 2008. The scope of target areas for showing movies has also been expanded. The ‘Cinema on Wheels’ is steadily gaining popularity among local residents.
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| Research and Publication of the Korean Film History |
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The Korean Film Archive started its full-fledged research on the Korean film history in 2004 with two goals: to form the basis of research on the Korean film history and to popularize the history of Korean films. KOFA has also established the Korean Film Institute to promote the Korean film history more actively; and now it is reinforcing the existing projects as well as expanding its new projects through the Institute. To lay the foundation for Korean film history researchers, KOFA has arranged and processed historical Korean film materials focusing on oral statements by elders in the film circles and the Korean film material series project. KOFA produces and distributes a DVD collection, a pocketbook series, etc. of Korean classic films to provide the general public with easier access to knowledge and information on the Korean film history, thus receiving a favorable response from people.
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| Everything about the Movie You Enjoy Online |
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The ‘Korean Movie Database (KMDb)’ is a comprehensive Korean film search portal site established and operated by the Korean Film Archive. As Korea’s largest Korean film database, KMDb allows you to easily retrieve and see various kinds and large amounts of information on Korean films such as information on Korean cinematic works, information on movie people, moving images, still images, scenarios, books, articles, etc. Containing not only information on over 8,300 Korean films but also information on over 13,000 foreign films imported into and shown in Korea or put on the Korea market, KMDb is a dedicated portal site for films that provides a look at everything about the Korean film industry.
The Korean Film Archive provides film education services through ‘KOFA School’, the only film e-learning center in Korea, which opened in February 2006 (www.kofaschool.or.kr). The lecture contents and textbooks were written by eminent authors who are active in the film industry. Everyone can easily learn about films through online film lectures given by film directors Kim Tae-yong, Kim Jong-gwan and Yong Yi, and film critics Kim Yeong-jin, Heo Moon-young, and Yi Hyo-in, in particular. In this regard, KOFA School is a great source of pride at the Korean Film Archive.
Having established an ‘online VOD site’ in November 2007, which allows you to enjoy the convenience of watching Korean classic films over the Internet, the Korean Film Archive is promoting people’s right to enjoy motion pictures. KOFA provides VOD services covering over 170 Korean classic films from between the 1930s to the mid-1990s, which are hard to find elsewhere.
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