High heels and high-end perfume dominated the past Friday and Wednesday nights at the Hawaii International Film Festival, as throngs of passionate fans out-screamed and out-elbowed one another to see their Korean idols
Lee Jun Ki and
Ju Jin Mo in person at the American and international premieres of their respective films,
May 18th and
A Love . In the high-brow realm of the international film festival, where cinematic conversations are about as loud as an NPR radio booth, the passions on display at the Hawaii festival stand out. Screaming fans, a fainter or two, and other obsessives stand in line for hours to see the objects of their affections, and when they finally appear, watch out: all decorum flees for cover as panic hits the pavement, and what was once a simple movie theater becomes an insane throb of squeals and "I Love You's!!," all illuminated by the constant fires of digital camera flashes.
What's even odder about this fandom, at least here in Hawaii, is the age group. Think of screaming fans, and one usually images a flock of teenage girls or guys. Here, though, it's their mothers, or grandmothers: most of the women screaming "I Love You!" at the finely cheekboned, 20-something stars, are actually in their 50's. It's been triggered by the massive popularity of Korean soap operas in Japan and the US (primarily in Hawaii and the West Coast). For the Hawaii festival, Japanese tour groups regularly sponsor special tours for middle-aged Japanese women; they fly out just to see the Korean stars, chase their limos in and out of hotel driveways, and see their films.
One woman I spoke with in line on Friday night had a shrine in her second bedroom in Osaka, which she had built in honor of Lee Jun Ki (after her son moved out to college, of course). Other women in the Osaka suburbs would travel to the shrine, just to pray for Lee's "good health and success." She was, needless to say, pretty pumped up about finally "meeting" him in person.
On Wednesday, I stood behind a group of maternal grandmother-types with matching black shirts. When they turned around, I realized that all the shirts had the face of Lee Jun Ki. Their cute homemade tees, which could have put any teenager into a fit of jealousy, were all underneath grandmother scarves. They turned to say hello, adjusted their bifocals, and walked away, a couple of them leaning against their walking canes, tired from the fun of their own private film festival. I wish they would have adopted me, as the film festival they were experiencing sure looked like a great time.
Comments (1)
I was actually at the premiere of, May 18, but with the fans in the other line. Yes, there is a difference between older fans and younger fans. I've been to several events like these, and this is probably the first time ever, fans were NOT elbowing and screaming in my ear. The "mature" fans are very nice and sweet.
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posted by @ 10/31/2007 3:15 PM
