Korean Academy of Film Arts was established in 1973. The Korean Film Council(KOFIC) is a unique organization entrusted to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea.KOFIC aims to support and promote Korean films through various means.
KAFA is a film school that centers its teachings on production. Students will produce three feature films and one animated feature every year through hands-on training and research programs. The three majors available include Film Directing, Cinematography, and Animation Directing. Supporting individuality and creativity, KAFA insists on small groups to allow freedom of discussion and in-depth training. New for this year, the Asia Film School is the next big project for KAFA. Aiming to start operation in 2015, the Asia Film School’s primary goal is to offer a place for Asian filmmakers to learn filmmaking in Korea. It will work alongside the Asian Film Academy (BIFF) and FLY project (Busan Film Commission) to offer a nurturing program.
Most indie and art films have difficulty securing theatrical releases. In order to change this, KOFIC operates and funds arthouse theaters. The theaters that will be supported by KOFIC include Art plus Cinema Network, Indieplus, Cine Arirang, KOFA, Indiespace, and the Cinematheque Seoul Art Cinema. Provided benefits range from covering fees for theater maintenance, producing marketing materials, programming films, and funds going towards translations and subtitling for easier distribution. A grant is also set aside for assisting the distribution of art, indie, and documentary films. Fifteen films per year will be allowed USD 30,000 each, which will make prints, digital packaging, shipping and receiving, marketing and P&A.
KOFIC takes pride in supporting the production of indie films. KOFIC believes that more unique and experimental films can be produced with financial support, diversifying the pool of films in the industry. Funds amounting to USD 1.1 million are available for filmmakers making shorts, features, and documentaries.
In terms of support for films that have already screened at theaters, there is a grant which domestic filmmakers can apply to in order to get started for their next film. However, it will depend on the box office success of their previous feature.
Moving over to the international promotion department, international film festival participation and international marketing are central areas of focus. KOFIC searches for new markets unfamiliar with Korean cinema and holds events such as retrospectives or cinematheque screenings to expose Korean films and filmmakers. KOFIC assists with the flight or accommodation fees for filmmakers and cast attending major film festivals or film markets. Alternatively, invited films can apply to get help with subtitling or making DCPs. Features can get up to USD 3,000 and shorts up to USD 600 for technical support. Sales companies attending these major festivals and markets can also get assistance from KOFIC by applying for help with producing screeners, setting up booths, printing and prepping marketing materials, and more. KOFIC also organizes networking events like ‘Korean Film Nights’ to provide a space for networking and offers legal consulting for signing with international companies. The amount of each grant and application requirements vary.
KOFIC’s Korean Open Movie Exchange/Eco-System (KOME) provides a safe marketplace where film content providers and service providers can come together to register films and make legal downloading services easy. By creating the ‘good downloader’ campaign, KOFIC markets and promotes the use of KOME and a safe downloading system to protect indie films and provide a safe place for digital content.
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