Editor

The Korean Film Festival in Los Angeles (KOFFLA), which will begin from March 4 to 7 at venues across Los Angeles, held its first official press conference on Monday, February 22 at the Korean Cultural Center. Introducing the festival was executive director Chang-Wha Chung (director of martial arts classic Five Fingers of Death), festival spokesperson actor John Cho (Star Trek, ABC's Flash Forward, Harold & Kumar Go to the White Castle) and festival partner Jeff Black, VP and General Manager of Back Stage. Each expressed their excitement and support for the upcoming festival, which will be first major Korean film festival in Los Angeles.

With a vision for bringing the best in Korean cinema to the American filmgoers, KOFFLA will feature over 60 features and shorts from established and emerging Korean filmmakers from around the world, including special sections for Korean horror, outstanding directorial debuts, Korean-American cinema, and a retrospective of action director Ryoo Seung-Wan (The Crying Fist, City of Violence). Notable special events include a Master Class with cinematographer Kim Hyung-ku (Memories of Murder, The Host) and Actorfest KOFFLA, a one-day event for actors and aspiring actors to participate in panels, workshops, and meet & greet sessions with Hollywood and Korean talent agents, actors, and casting directors.

The red carpet Opening Ceremony will take place at 6 PM on March 4 at the Egyptian Theatre with a screening of Le Grand Chef II (starring Kim Jung-Eun and Jin-Gu). The closing award ceremony will be held at the Laemmle Music Hall followed by the closing film, Hur Jin Ho's A Good Rain Knows, starring Jung Woo-Sung and Gao Yuan Yuan.

The latest information on KOFFLA is available on their website, http://www.koffla.org/.