adopt the styles and themes of traditional theatrical works like the masked dance plays, shaman rituals and pansori. The Korean Culture and Arts Foundation has been sponsoring an annual drama festival to encourage local theatrical performances. At present, a great number of theatrical groups are active all the year round, featuring all manner of genres from comedy to historical epics at small theaters along Daehagno in downtown Seoul. Some theatrical performances become very successful and are staged for extended runs. The first Korean-made film was shown to the public in 1919. Entitled "Righteous Revenge," it was a so-called kino-drama designed to be combined with a stage performance. The first feature film, "Oath Under the Moon," was screened in 1923. In 1926, charismatic actor-director Na Ungyu drew an enthusiastic response from the public by producing "Arirang," a cinematic protest against Japanese oppression. After the Korean War in 1953, the local film industry grew gradually and enjoyed a booming business for about a decade. But the next two decades saw a stagnation of the industry due largely to the rapid growth of television. Since the early 1980s, however, the film industry has regained some vitality thanks mainly to a few talented young directors who boldly discarded old stereotypes in movie making. Their efforts succeeded and their movies have earned recognition at various international festivals including Cannes, Chicago, Berlin, Venice, London, Tokyo, Moscow and other cities. This positive trend has been accelerating in the 1990s with more and more Korean directors producing movies that have moved the hearts of world citizens based on unique Korean experiences and sentiments. Most recently in late 1998, Director Lee Kwang-mo's art house movie "Spring in My Hometown" earned the Gold Prize at the Tokyo International Film Festival and the Grand Prize at the Hawaii International Film Festival. The film was shown with Englis...
