The 29th Annual Hawaii International Film Festival, which runs Thursday to Oct. 25, features 10 Korean films, many of them starring Korean-drama celebrities. General admission tickets are available now, at $10 ($9 for students, seniors, children and military). Get them at HIFF's box office, 650 Iwilei Road, Suite 101, across from the Regal Dole Cannery Stadium 18 Cinemas or by phone at 548-5905. Find out more at www.hiff.org.

We ran down my favorite films, "Mother," "Scandal Makers," and "Home from Home," last week. Three more synopses, as the festival approaches:

'OLD PARTNER'

Director: Chung-ryoul Lee

In a remote, verdant valley in South Korea, old Mr. and Mrs. Lee live on a farm with their rickety ox. For 40 years, the animal has served them faithfully — hauling untold firewood loads and dragging the plow through fertile fields. The film playfully tells the story of the bond between Mr. Lee and his ox as their lives wind down in tandem. Meanwhile, the cheeky Greek chorus, Mrs. Lee, complains incessantly from the peanut gallery. A charming, existential buddy tale.

'ANTIQUE'

Director: Min Kyu-dong

Director Min ("Memento Mori") follows a recipe consisting of one part quirky comedy, one part suspenseful mystery, and a sprinkling of imaginative musical numbers to create a visually delicious adaptation of the best-selling Japanese manga, "Antique Bakery." Previously a TV drama and anime in Japan, this Korean interpretation stars heartthrob Joo Ji-hoon ("Princess Hours," HIFF 2008) as the pampered and overprotected Jin-hyuk, who opens a small neighborhood cake shop named Antique despite his violent dislike of desserts. Success depends in large part on Sun-woo (Kim Jae-wook), a charismatic genius pastry chef who once had an unrequited crush on Jin-hyuk in high school.

'A FROZEN FLOWER'

Director: Ha Yoo

Set in Korea during the Yuan dynasty, this visually stunning epic concerns the battle between emotions within our control and those we are powerless against. The King of Goryeo (Ju Jin-mo, "A Love," "Fashion 70's," "Dream") lives a blissful "don't ask, don't tell" existence, sharing his bed with handsome Chief Guard Hong Lim (Jo In-sung, "Dirty Carnival," "Something Happened in Bali"). Their idyllic life comes to an end when the king, unwilling to consummate with his queen (Song Ji-hyo), is pressured to produce an heir or consign the throne to his cousin. Choosing duty over love, the king orders Hong Lim to impregnate the queen, leading to a king/queen/ servant love triangle juxtaposed against the backdrop of the country's political turmoil.

THIS WEEK’S K-DRAMA SYNOPSES

'STYLE'

Episodes 7 and 8
Tonight at 7:45: Suhjung and Gija are both shocked when Suhjung is voted best-dressed at Style's 200th issue party. Woojin is outraged when he finds out Gija invited him to the party only to use him to land a client. Gija tells Woojin she only wanted to help him break out of his mother's scandal, but her plea falls on deaf ears.

Tomorrow at 7:45 p.m.: Gija ponders a way for both Choi Ahyoung and her to survive. Suhjung apologizes to Gija and asks for a second chance. Gija tells Suhjung to make a stylebook for Choi Ahyoung. Gija takes Ahyoung to Woojin's restaurant.

'DARE TO LOVE'

Episodes 37 and 38
Sunday at 6:45 p.m.: Poong-ran and Sae-dol look for a place to live, but there is an unexpected twist. Bong-sun's parents and Denny's dad finally meet. After the meeting, Bong-sun's mom is against the wedding. Chan overhears the way Sul-ran and Tae-woo address each other and confronts them.

Sunday at 7:45 p.m.: It seems to Poong-ran that her mother is never happy with her. Gum-ran digs deeper into her mother's past once she finds out that her mom was Denny's father's first love. She feels that she's very close to the truth. Denny and Bong-sun find out that Bong-sun's mom is his dad's first love. Good things happen to Sae-dol while Soo-nam is having a very hard time.

'DREAM'

Episodes 7 and 8
Monday at 7:45 p.m.: When Do-pil says at the pre-fight press conference that he will win with a knockout in the first round, Jang-seok loses his temper. Byung-sam pleads with Je-il to throw in the towel if Jang-seok is in any danger of getting a career-ending blow. The fight starts with Do-pil taking complete control with his combinations and low kick.

Tuesday at 7:45 p.m.: Even after a losing effort, Jang-seok garners some positive press for putting up a valiant fight against the national champion. And Je-il capitalizes on the moment by persuading Su-jin to feature Jang-seok on a show that profiles top rookie athletes. When Je-il goes to visit his sick mother, So-yeon makes a homemade meal and joins him.

'SWALLOW THE SUN'

Episodes 12 and 13
Wednesday at 7:45 p.m.: Jung-woo finds out that President Jang is his father. He can't help but resent him more when he sees his paintings. Soo-hyun hears from Gi-sang that President Jang might have been involved in the death of Soo-hyun's parents. Jung-woo insists on seeing Mr. Baik for some reason.

Thursday at 7:45 p.m.: Everyone is shocked when they see Jung-woo and President Jang walking in together. Tae-hyuk asks President Jang why he accepted Jung-woo when he knows that Jung-woo probably has other motives. President Jang says that he is rewarding Jung-woo for his great work and that it is OK even if he came with other motives. Jung-woo tells Soo-hyun to forget about the time they spent together in Africa, including the things he said to her.

Jeff Chung is the general manager of KBFD-TV, which televises Korean dramas with English subtitles in Hawai'i. Contact him at 521-8066 or jeffchung@kbfd.com.