Gu Hye Sun To Judge International Film Festival

Singer, actress composer, director and author Gu Hye Sun will serve as a judge in the Jecheon International Music and Film Festival.

It is her varied talents and interests that uniquely qualify her to serve as a judge, say festival representatives.

"Gu Hye Sun, who has expanded her areas of expertise to include acting, directing and illustrating  acting, directing and illustrating has been chosen as a judge," said a festival representative.

The panel she will serve on includes director Lee Hwan Kyung, Movie House president Lee Yujin, and Amuse CEO Osato Yokichi. They will judge the JIMFF competition "World Music Film Today." From this year's entrants, jury members will award two outstanding films with the Grand Prize and Special Jury Prize.

The annual film and music festival will show films from around the world, including the French film "Pop Redemption," the Korean film "Black Gospel," and a Canadian documentary "I'm Not A Rock Star." The event, which takes place in Jecheon, will also feature musical performances.

Gu Hye Sun is well qualified to be a judge in this competition as she has experience in music as well as acting and directing. She was originally supposed to be a member of a three-girl group with 2NE1's Park Bom and Sandara Park, but chose to act instead. She is best known for playing Geum Jan Di in "Boys Over Flowers" with Lee Min Ho, Kim Bum and Kim Hyun Joong. She went on to appear in "The Musical" with Daniel Choi." She also starred as a female pilot in "Take Care Of Us, Captain."

She wrote a novel based on her own experiences and the book, "Tango," was a bestseller. An exhibit of her illustrations, some taken from her novel, attracted 10,000 visitors.

She then turned her talents to directing and producing. Gu debuted as a director with the short film, "The Madonna" at the Puchon International Film Festival. Her first feature-length film, "Magic," was produced in 2010. She established her own production company, Ku Hye Sun Film, to produce her second feature film, "The Peach Tree." Gu Hye Sun went on to novelize "The Peach Tree."

When asked what it was like to direct, she admitted that it was often grueling.

"At times you ask yourself, why am I doing this? But movies have the ability to make you feel alive," she said.

A singer and composer, Gu Hye Sun has released several singles and contributed to a few drama OSTs. She knows firsthand how music can help make a film come alive.