| The film world is changing, and so is the Iowa City film scene, thanks to Kolors. In the sixties and seventies the art house movement brought Godard, Fellini, Bergman, and other European filmmakers to the downtown Iowa Theater. Before long, New German cinema and films by Japanese, East European, and Latin American filmmakers would dominate Bijou programming. And, for the last three years, Iowa City has had a chance to discover what the rest of the world increasingly recognizes: along with the film industries of Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China, the Korean film industry has taken a leadership role and produced an expanding range of entertaining and challenging films. Thanks to Kolors, the University of Iowa continues a long tradition of privileged access to the best in international filmmaking. This fourth Kolors Film Festival promises once again to get the campus buzzing about the excitement of Korean cinema. Rick Altman Professor, Department of Cinema & Comparative Literature |
| I'm very pleased to welcome the 4th Korean Film Festival to the University of Iowa.
The festival has quickly become one of the most eagerly anticipated annual events
on campus, and it has played a major role in bringing attention to Korean cinema and
culture to the campus and community. Korean cinema, once hardly known outside East
Asia, is now recognized as a vibrant and diverse cultural phenomenon that attracts
viewers around the world. I'm therefore grateful to the many students who have worked
hard in the last few years, and especially this year, to bring one of the world's most
exciting cinemas to Iowa audiences. In a period of international tension, the effort
this festival represents to bridge cultural barriers is especially important and welcome. Corey K. Creekmur Associate Professor, Departments of English and Cinema & Comparative Literature Director, Institute for Cinema and Culture |