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April Snow Charity Gala Premiere

April Snow on an October Evening

The prospect of having members of Joon’s Family liking being called “aunties” is as rare as having snowfall during spring. Curious to find out what this is all about? Read on to find out more about MovieXclusive.com’s coverage!

MovieXclusive.com was honoured to have been invited to the Charity Gala Premiere of April Snow on 5th October 2005 at Cathay Cineleisure. The event was jointly held by United International Pictures (UIP) and Encore Films in aid of the Breast Cancer Foundation. Proceeds from the gala event would be contributed to the Breast Cancer Foundation of Singapore.

The evening was an exciting one as fans of Korean drama and especially that of Bae Yong Joon turned up and as everyone crowded around Level 6 of Cathay Cineleisure, they were able to mingle with Mediacorp artistes like Priscelia Chan, Pan Ling Ling and Apple Hong. Those who turned up also received an April Snow poster and of course, the opportunity to be the first few in Singapore to watch the most promising love story of 2005.

Joon’s Family

While it was a night to support charity, it was also a big night for the Joon’s Family. What’s Joon’s Family you ask? Well, that’s what the Bae Yong Joon Fan Club of Singapore calls themselves. MovieXclusive.com caught up with Tiffany, a committee member of the two-year old club. She explained that the number of people coming out to support Bae Yong Joon has grown over the years and the club now boasts an estimated 100 official members.

The age range of the members is between those in their twenties to those in their seventies; the most ranging in their early 30s. As such, Tiffany revealed that “members of the Joon’s Family are a diverse group consisting of lawyers, teachers, accountants, doctors and a small handful of housewives.”

Thus, being a working adult, Tiffany lamented “the media has the wrong impression of Bae Yong Joon fans.” She went further by saying the club is often frustrated at being labeled “aunties” as most of them are professionals in their respective crafts and that their club consist a variety of people. While they set out to change this stigma, Tiffany was very happy to share that about thirty members of the club were at the gala premiere and that they had booked a theatre at Cathay for a special screening for their club members during the weekend. Slowly but surely, the fans are coming out in full force!

To find out more about the Bae Yong Joon Fan Club of Singapore known as Joon’s Family, you can visit www.joonsfamily.com

Why Bae?

While MovieXclusive.com managed to learn more about the fan club, we were mighty curious whether our own Mediacorp artistes are fans of Bae Yong Joon. We caught up with them and most of them were more than happy to admit that they are his fans!

The burning question we had for them was “Why [support] Bae Yong Joon?” The answers came fast and furious. There were those who felt that Bae Yong Joon’s charm is just too irresistible. Lina Ng, former Mediacorp artiste said “He is good at romance and has charming gestures which have captured the hearts of both young and old.”

J Team artiste, Margaret Lee echoed Lina Ng’s sentiments by saying that “every girl grows up dreaming of fairytales and finding their Prince Charming.” When asked if Bae Yong Joon is her Prince Charming, she gamely revealed, “Yes!”

For many, Winter Sonata remains the TV series that introduced Bae Yong Joon to the world. For Mediacorp artiste, Apple Hong, who has followed his TV serials and caught his last movie, Untold Scandal, she became a fan of Bae Yong Joon for his versatility. She said, “He can play the role of a good lover in one [movie] yet a baddie in another.” In knowing that the premise of April Snow is a very challenging one for the actors, Apple continued, “He [Bae Yong Joon] will be able to portray [the character as to] what the director wants.”

Tiffany said it best when she retorted, “Why not?” We went further by asking why she had chosen Bae Yong Joon over other Korean actors. She smiled saying that this was the kind of things that one could not explain. Later, when the club brought out their banner for a photo-taking session, we saw the phrase “Love needs no reason.”
We then understood what Tiffany had meant and we nodded in agreement.

What about the men?

While everyone seems to be talking about Bae Yong Joon, many have forgotten that his co-star, Son Ye-Jin, is a versatile actress who is able to hold her own on screen. We were curious to find out if any of the men in attendance are fans of hers.

A male audience member who was there avoided the question and explained that he was just there to accompany his partner, who is a Bae fan. We also asked Pan Ling Ling if her husband, Huang Shinan is a fan of Son Ye-Jin, to which she replied that both of them are fans of Korean dramas.

While some of our male friends out there were pretty coy when it came to revealing their liking for Son Ye-Jin, there were those who talked to us. Andy, who caught Son Ye-Jin’s last movie, A Moment to Remember, explained that she was able to carry off her character well enough to warrant his presence at the premiere.

Another male audience member who only wanted to be known as “S” proclaimed his support for the pretty Korean actress. “I first saw her [Son Ye-Jin] in The Classic and she really made me cry and cry.” He continued, “I’ve seen all her movies since then and I’ve been waiting for April Snow.”

Things may seem relatively quiet on the male front as Andy and “S” were the only two male members of the audience who were game enough to confess their support for Son Ye-Jin. The husbands, too, are not making a big deal out of things or so Tiffany said. When asked what her husband had to say about her being a fan of Bae Yong Joon, she confidently replied, “He is supportive but he thinks I’m nuts!” To which she added, “I’ve never done such a thing when I was a teenager!”

Gentlemen, beware the power of Bae perhaps?

Expectations

Knowing that they are fans of Bae Yong Joon, we naturally asked if they had any expectations for April Snow. While the general response was “not really,” Tiffany said that she “would probably see it [April Snow] again, again and again.” Pan Ling Ling confessed that April Snow is her first Korean movie and while she had no expectations of the movie, she was looking out for the cinematography as she believed the Koreans are very particular about their scenery.

April Snow has been touted as Korea’s biggest movie of 2005 and “it will be a blockbuster despite the mixed reviews it has received,” said Heartlanders actress, Priscelia Chan. She continued, “Fans from both camps [Bae’s and Son’s] will turn out in full-force to support their respective stars.”

Have you purchased your ticket for the love story that will transcend all seasons yet?

Rated NC-16, April Snow opens in theatres nationwide 13th October 2005.



Reported by
Mohamad Shaifulbahri
Photos Credit: Richard Lim Jr
and UIP
Layout by: Linus Tee

 




















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