Spotlighting Films and Filmmakers from Around the World
Key Light
  • Home
  • About
  • Articles
  • Film Festivals by Region
    • Asia >
      • JIFF - Jeonju, South Korea
      • KWEB FEST 2015 Seoul, South Korea
    • Europe >
      • Bilbao Web Fest - Spain
  • Contact

KWEB FEST - Seoul, South Korea


Picture
Kahlid Elijah Tapia awarded the Kweby for Best Supporting Actor at KWEB FEST 2015 - an interview with Kahlid
Kahlid Elijah Tapia is not one to sit around waiting for someone to call. He’s out there every day letting the world of entertainment know he’s here and he’s ready! Fresh off the KWEB FEST Red Carpet Event in South Korea, Kahlid is riding the high from his  “Kweby” award for Best Supporting Actor  in the web series, The Avante Garde Goddess. He sat down with Key Light Magazine and shared his enthusiasm for his craft, his journey, and advice to those who have a dream of acting.  READ MORE


Picture
Young Man Kang brings KWEB FEST to Seoul
Interview with Young Man Kang, Director & Founder of KWeb Fest

Web Series are spreading like wildfire! As the world of entertainment shifts from television to the internet, web shows fit perfectly when faced with a busy schedule. Those craving a show, can catch one during a short break or commute. Generally episodes are only 3 – 10 minutes, so they can be watched on-the-go using smartphones. READ MORE


KWEB FEST 2015 Makes its Debut

Picture
Official Press Release                                                                                                                                                        Thursday, May 7, 2015
by 
KWeb Fest Organizing Committee
Yoo Mi Sun, Executive Office Chief


Korea will launch its first web series festival 'KWebFest' in Seoul this coming July 30 - 31. 


As the media environment shifts from television to the internet, web series are emerging as a new growing cultural content. Web tunes, web novels, and more recently web dramas, which can all be viewed online, are growing in popularity.  Web series, produced in a variety of ways and categorized in different genres, are called web drama in Korea. Web series are a series of 5~10 minute short videos, generally in episodic form, that can be viewed through mobile devices such as smartphones. 

Web series have been spreading like wildfires through social media such as YouTube ever since the media channels began shifting from television to internet-based portal sites. As online web series are leading this mobile-based viewing format, 26 professional web series festivals have been launched around the globe. The 'LAWebFest' has hosted its 6th annual festival this year with the participation of 30 countries, exhibiting a total of 500 web series.

Korea has had success with several popular web series. Love Cell is a 15 episode web series starring Korean actors Kim Woo-Bin, Kim Yoo Jeong, Park Seon Ho, Nam Ji Hyeon and Baek Seong Hyun. JYP Pictures produced Dream Knight with idol group Got7 and YG Entertainment’s web series, Sandara Park and Kim Young Kwang starred in Dr. Ian, which have all garnered much popularity. 

KBS, CJ E&M, Sidus IHQ and JYP Pictures have all produced and released a plethora of web series, from dramas, films and comedies to music and advertisements achieving great popularity with the audience. Also, Suwon and Kunsan city have produced various web series to promote local governments. Large corporations as well as the Small and Medium Business Agency (SBA) have produced promotional videos. There are also numerous product placement (PPL) web series that have succeeded in gaining popularity online.

KWebFest, the first web series festival held not only in Korea but also significantly Northeast Asia from July 30 to 31 at the KHotel in Yangjaedong, is quickly gaining attention from viewers around the world.

KWebFest (www.kwebfest.com) is hosted by JSTop Entertainment, and sponsored by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. JSTop Entertainment CEO Eun Seong Hee is the chair of the organizing committee while film director Young Man Kang is the executive chairman and the founder of this festival. JSTop Entertainment produces the weekend Korean drama Divorce Lawyers in Love on SBS, starring Jo Yeo Jeong.  

Attending KWebFest are key figures from channel officials such as foreign studio producers and YouTube to LAWebFest founder Michael Ajakwe, Spiderman and TV show writer Brooks Wachtel. Visitors can get a glimpse of web series market trends around the world by attending the various conferences and seminars offered.

KWebfest is also holding a contest designed to discover, award and invest in an outstanding Korean web series. In addition, KWebFest will screen more than 70 international web series from all around the world focusing on diverse topics, geographies and minority groups.

Given also the exciting rise of web series both here in Korea and the rest of the world and the spin off advantages these provide, KWebfest will also create networking opportunities and events to directly connect foreign buyers with Korean content producers.

Executive Director Young Man Kang notes that "web series don’t need to follow the existing distribution system. If you have a creative idea, you can produce a web series using a bottom-up structure, so anyone can create their own content. Web series can also serve as an idea testbed, when experimenting away from the traditional filming system” He also mentions that " This event will provide a venue for new digital contents business that links producers, distributors and investors.”

Organizing committee chair Eun Seong Hee states "foreign studio producers who visit the festival are expected to purchase Korean web series and turn them into TV series or feature length films, thus contributing to the export of Korean content", and “Kpop and K Dramas, Korean web series are expected to lead the new Korean Wave with their groundbreaking, novel and creative ideas.”

Key Light Magazine ~
Bringing You Stories from Around the World
A division of:  Blossom Petal Productions
Website:  www.blossompetalproductions.com


Picture
Picture