SEOUL (AFP) - A film focusing on one of South Korea's most traumatic events -- the Kwangju massacre of pro-democracy protesters -- is set for release this summer, 20 years after military-backed rule finally ended. The makers of "May 18" hope it will remind a new generation of the bloody events of 1980, and help the local movie industry to better compete with Hollywood blockbusters. "May 18," which will go on nationwide release on July 26, is an action drama depicting how the lives of ordinary people were ruined by the bloodbath that lasted for 10 days from May 18, 1980. Under an operational code-name "Splendid Holiday," some 25,000 special troops were sent to the southwestern city to quell a popular uprising which followed a military coup led by Major General Chun Doo-Hwan. The revolt was crushed, leaving more than 200 dead and some 2,400 injured by official count. Activists in Kwangju, now known as Gwangju, say they believe the death toll was much higher. Chun consequently became president but the massacre fuelled pro-democracy protests throughout his tenure, resulting in the restoration of democracy in 1987. "This is the first feature film that directly focuses on the Kwangju uprising itself," said Scott Jo, a spokesman for CJ Entertainment, the firm that produced the movie. "Domestic films have been facing an uphill battle against Hollywood movies and we believe this film will provide the needed momentum for the local movie industry to stage a turnaround this summer," Jo told AFP. The film has a budget of more than 10 million dollars, a major expenditure by local standards. It is directed by Kim Ji-Hoon, 36, who made his name with a series of shorts and won the Grand Prix in Japan's Yubari Fantastic Film Festival in 2004. "This movie is not focused on politics or ideology but on people. I wanted to show how ordinary people were helplessly sucked into the whirlwind of the tragedy and how their peaceful lives were destroyed," the director said. The story revolves around nine figures including a taxi driver played by Kim Sang-Kyung, his brother and a retired army colonel, Ahn Sung-Ki, who led a group of armed civilians during the uprising. Chun's regime described the uprising as a rebellion led by communist agitators and supporters of then-opposition leader Kim Dae-Jung. At the time, censored local news media described the protesters as "pokdo (violent mobs)" and gave the impression they were led by North Korean spies. Many protesters in Kwangju took up arms in self-defence in the face of brutalities by Chun's special troops. Many others fell victim to Chun's propaganda. "I think we must realize how deeply Kwangju citizens were hurt when they were simply branded as pokdo by the rest of the people," actor Kim Sang-Kyung told journalists following a recent premiere. "I hope this movie will provide the young generation with an opportunity to look back on what happened in 1980," he said. Lee Yo-Won, who stars as the girlfriend of the taxi driver, said she was proud of her role in the film, which she found to be more moving than TV footage or photos of the actual event. "But I don't think the sorrow that I have felt about Kwangju can be compared to that of the victims' relatives," she said. Source: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/070715/entertainment/entertainment_skorea
