| Forever the Moment | |||||||||
| Native Name: |
| ||||||||
| Director: | Yim Soon-rye | ||||||||
| Producer: | Shim Jae-myung Kim Hyeon-cheol Kim Kyun-hee | ||||||||
| Starring: | Moon So-ri Kim Jung-eun Uhm Tae-woong | ||||||||
| Music: | Yoon Min-hwa | ||||||||
| Cinematography: | Hwang Ki-seok | ||||||||
| Editing: | Moon In-dae | ||||||||
| Studio: | Myung Films MK Pictures KD Media Pancinema OCN | ||||||||
| Distributor: | Sidus FNH | ||||||||
| Runtime: | 124 minutes | ||||||||
| Country: | South Korea | ||||||||
| Language: | Korean | ||||||||
Forever the Moment is a 2008 South Korean drama film. It is a fictionalized account of the South Korea women's handball team which competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics. The Korean title translates as "The Best Moment in Our Lives," and it is believed to be the first film that revolves around the sport of handball.[1]
Kim Hye-kyeong is a retired handball player who has been successfully coaching in the Japan Handball League. When the coach of South Korea's women's national team suddenly quits, she is asked to fill in, but is faced with an undisciplined squad of players. Hye-kyeong tries to improve the team by recruiting some of her old teammates, including two-time Olympic gold medalist Han Mi-sook. However, Hye-kyeong's aggressiveness causes friction amongst the players, and she is replaced by former men's handball star Ahn Seung-pil, though she decides to stay with the team as a player. Seung-pil introduces modern European training methods which brings him into conflict with the older players, and things get worse when they lose a game against a high school boys' team.
See also: Handball at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's handball. South Korea won the silver medal in women's handball at the 2004 Summer Olympics, following a close game against Denmark which was decided by a penalty shootout. The Koreans had lost a three-point lead in the second half,[2] and at the end of normal time both sides were level at 25–25, taking the game into overtime. After the first overtime the score was still locked at 29–29,[3] but South Korea were leading 34–33 in second overtime, until a late equaliser by Katrine Fruelund in the final ten seconds forced the game into a shootout, which Denmark won 4–2.[4] In a poll conducted by Gallup Korea, 50.2% of respondents said that the women's handball finals was their favourite event of the 2004 Summer Olympics.[5]
Forever the Moment was released in South Korea on January 10, 2008.[6] It topped the box office on its opening weekend, grossing $4,407,643,[7] and remained at the top for a further two weeks, ahead of Hollywood films Enchanted, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and Cloverfield, all released during the same period.[8] By March 23 the film had grossed a total of $27,258,370,[9] and as of July 13 the total number of admissions was 4,043,293.
| Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd Asian Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Kim Ji-young | |
| 44th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Film | Forever the Moment | |
| Best Director (film) | Yim Soon-rye | ||
| Best Actress (film) | Kim Jung-eun | ||
| Best Screenplay (film) | Na Hyun | ||
| Most Popular Actress (film) | Kim Jung-eun | ||
| 29th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Film | Forever the Moment | |
| Best Director | Yim Soon-rye | ||
| Best Actress | Moon So-ri | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Uhm Tae-woong | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Kim Ji-young | ||
| Best Screenplay | Na Hyun | ||
| 17th Buil Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Kim Ji-young | |
| Best Screenplay | Na Hyun | ||
| Buil Readers' Jury Award | Forever the Moment | ||
| 9th Busan Film Critics Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Kim Ji-young | |
| Special Jury Prize | Yim Soon-rye | ||
| 16th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actress | Moon So-ri | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Kim Ji-young | ||
| Best New Actress | Jo Eun-ji | ||
| 45th Grand Bell Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Kim Ji-young | |
| Best Editing | Moon In-dae | ||
| Best Planning | Shim Jae-myung, Kim Hyeon-cheol and Kim Kyun-hee | ||
| 7th Korean Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Kim Ji-young | |
| 2008 Seoul International Women's Film Festival | Park Namok Award | Forever the Moment | |
| 2008 Women in Film Korea Festival | Woman in Film of the Year | Yim Soon-rye | |
| PR and Marketing Award | Forever the Moment |