‘Cultural discount’ is a concept used as an index for calculating the possibility of cultural exchange between regions. It is believed to indicate the rate of acceptance of a cultural product from a particular region by others. For example, pansori, a traditional Korean folk performance, has a high rate of cultural discount, which means that it is not easily translated or accepted in non-Korean territories.

The 15th PIFF (Pusan International Film Festival) is taking place from Oct. 7th to 15th. PIFF, which has emerged as the largest Asian film festival, will provide a chance to prospect the flow of not only Asian but also world film trends. The 15th PIFF is also meaningful in rounding up the growth of Korean films which is strongly rising from a slump of the industry. KIM Sang-yong, Korean cinema programmer of PIFF, talks about noteworthy Korean movies including aspects of Asian Film Market being held from October 10th to 13th.

Established in 2005, the Asian Film Market opens during the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) each year on Haeundae Beach. Industry professionals gather from around the world to show and discover Asian films, network, and do business. Asian Film Market meetings and parties – whether official or unofficial - are often accompanied by a generous dose of seafood, soju, and sea air.

In the first half of 2010 the total number of the audience was slightly decreased, while the total sales amount was skyrocketed compared to the same period of last year. The total number of the audience from Jan. to Jun. this year was 69, 447, 438 and the total amount of sales turned out 547. 2 billion won in the period.

In the history of cinema, taking material from other sources and employing it to make a film is not new. Unlike novel, painting and play, cinema has a relatively short history so that it has relied on other forms of art since the beginning. Nevertheless, the recent trend in the Korean film industry seems to be different from the past.

Surely everyone can agree that the screenplay is one of the most fundamental aspects of any film. Occasionally a director or a talented group of actors can turn a mediocre screenplay into a great film (or vice versa), but this is not the norm. The screenplay is the base material from which the director, cast and crew shape a film. In a general sense, good films require good screenplays.