From thrillers to animation: Netflix's 2025 Korean originals promise universal fun, fresh stories

Netflix, a global streaming service, plans to roll out seven Korean original films next year, responding to rapidly evolving content consumption trends as movie viewing extends beyond traditional theaters. The company prioritized "enhancing quality and expanding diversity" when selecting the films for next year, Kim Tae-won, director of the Content & Business team at Netflix Korea, said at a press conference Friday night on the sidelines of the Busan International Film Festival (BI

Oct. 5, 2024

CJ ENM vows to invest W1tr in content, maximize cross-platform synergy

BUSAN -- South Korean entertainment conglomerate CJ EJM said it would continue to invest 1 trillion won in content production and operation, its CEO Yoon Sang-hyun said Friday at the CJ Movie Forum held on the sidelines of the 29th Busan International Film Festival. “Despite the growing uncertainty in the film industry, we will continue to support creators and enable their imaginations to come to life and shine bright,” Yoon said. Yoon stressed that such investment will support its s

Oct. 4, 2024

Auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa says he hasn’t discovered his style yet

BUSAN -- Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who gained international attention with the psychological horror thriller “Cure” (1997), said he still hasn’t discovered his style or overall theme, expressing his pure interest and motivation in filmmaking. The 69-year-old veteran filmmaker was in Busan on Thursday as the recipient of the 29th Busan International Film Festival’s Asian filmmaker of the year award. “Making films for over 40 years, people in Japan call me a veteran director.

Oct. 4, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Joker: Folie a Deux” (US) Opened Oct. 1 Crime/Musical Directed by Todd Phillips Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a failed comedian, is institutionalized at Arkham, awaiting trial for his crimes as the Joker. While grappling with his dual identity, Arthur stumbles upon true love. “Love in the Big City” (South Korea) Opened Oct. 1 Drama Directed by Lee Eon-hee Jae-hee (Kim Go-eun) and Heung-soo (Noh Sang-hyun), young Seoulites who have known each other since their college

Oct. 4, 2024

Apple TV+ documentary follows vibrant, fearless lives of haenyeo

BUSAN -- While there are a number of TV shows, documentaries and even fictional movies -- “Smugglers” (2023) -- that depict the lives of “haenyeo” or women sea divers, “The Last of the Sea Women” focuses on the vibrant and fearless lives of these brave, cool women. Korean American director Sue Kim said she wanted to show the joy and strength of these haenyeo and how they are empowered by their profession, which traces its roots to more than 100 years ago. &ldq

Oct. 3, 2024

[Reporter’s Notebook] Was Netflix film opening BIFF really a bad thing?

BUSAN -- The most heatedly discussed topic at this year’s Busan International Film Festival is whether it was appropriate for a big-budget streaming platform title opening Asia’s largest film festival. BIFF has positioned itself for decades as a gateway to discover emerging filmmakers and support independent films. So many industry insiders, film journalists and critics were surprised by BIFF’s decision to open the festival with Netflix’s violent action flick “Upris

Oct. 3, 2024

[What to Watch] 3 Korean films to look out for at BIFF

The 29th Busan International Film Festival kicked off Wednesday, screening a total of 279 films from 63 countries. Though this year’s edition has taken the unusual step of opening with a Netflix movie, “Uprising,” it has also established a new competition section for documentaries. As Asia’s largest film festival, it continues to attract films from around the world, many of them Asian or Korean premieres. Here are three movies that The Korea Herald recommends. The 29th BI

Oct. 3, 2024

Netflix period flick ‘Uprising’ opens 29th BIFF, in first

BUSAN -- Netflix original Korean period film “Uprising,” opened the 29th Busan International Film Festival on Wednesday, the first time that a major streaming platform movie has opened Asia’s largest film festival. “Uprising,” directed by Kim Sang-man (“Midnight FM”), follows the story of Cheon-young (Gang Dong-won), a personal servant and member of the slave class, and his young master Jong-ryeo (Park Jung-min), set in the mid-Joseon era (1392-1910). In

Oct. 2, 2024

[New on the scene] Noh Sang-hyun says his ‘Love in the Big City’ character inspired heartful acting

After leaving a strong impression as Protestant minister Baek Isak in the Apple TV+ series “Pachinko,” Noh Sang-hyun makes his big screen debut with “Love in the Big City,” where he plays a young gay man living in Seoul. When asked if people around him ever commented on or worried about him playing an LGBTQ+ character for his first-ever movie role, Noh simply said he was determined to play Heung-soo. “I understand why people worried (about me playing Heung-soo), but

Sept. 30, 2024

Korean American documentary ‘Free Chol Soo Lee’ wins Emmy

“Free Chol Soo Lee,” a 2022 US documentary about a Korean immigrant who was wrongfully convicted in 1973 of murdering a gang leader in San Francisco, won an award at the 45th News & Documentary Emmy Awards. “Free Chol Soo Lee” won in the Outstanding Historical Documentary category during the Emmy Awards, which took place in New York on Thursday local time, according to the film's distributor, Connect Pictures. The four other contenders were: MSNBC’s “

Sept. 29, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Transformers One” (US) Opened Sept. 25 Animation/Science fiction Directed by Josh Cooley Set on Cybertron, the home planet of the Transformers, future sworn enemies Optimus Prime and Megatron are friends who have bonded like brothers. “I, the Executioner” (South Korea) Opened Sept. 24 Crime/Action Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan Veteran detective Seo Do-cheol (Hwang Jung-min) teams up with rookie cop Park Sun-woo (Jung Hae-in) to track down a serial killer taunting police b

Sept. 27, 2024

‘Dirty Money’ follows ironic situation of detectives on the run

Kim Min-soo, one of the writers behind crime noir films “The Merciless” (2017) and “Kingmaker” (2022), will release his debut crime flick “Dirty Money” on Oct. 17. “Dirty Money” revolves around detectives Myung-deuk (Jung Woo) and Dong-hyuk (Kim Dae-myung), who become involved with tainted money and make the choice to run away with it, dreaming of committing a perfect crime. Seung-chan (Park Byung-eun), a cynical team leader of an investigative squ

Sept. 26, 2024

CJ ENM seeks to diversify its presence at 29th BIFF with TV series, K-pop documentary

South Korean entertainment conglomerate CJ EJM, a leading movie distributor as well as the operator of the country’s largest multiplex chain CJ CGV, is seeking to diversify its presence at the 29th Busan International Film Festival by showcasing its series and a documentary. According to CJ ENM subsidiary Tving, a leading domestic streaming platform, two of its original series “Dongjae, the Good or the Bastard” and “Way Back Love” are screening at the BIFF’s O

Sept. 24, 2024

[Herald Review] Two misfits’ evolving friendship, chemistry spice up ‘Love in the Big City’

“Why it doesn’t make sense that we live together? I mean, the house price in Seoul is so damn expensive!” In a conservative country like South Korea, it’s hard to imagine two friends -- man and woman -- living under the same roof. If that line were from a typical K-rom-com, the next scene would show two friends found in the same bed and falling in love, almost inevitably. But in director Lee Eon-hie’s “Love in the Big City,” they get to know and understa

Sept. 24, 2024

[Herald Interview] Kim Woo-bin grew to appreciate ‘unseen’ heroes with ‘Officer Black Belt’

Through Netflix action comedy “Officer Black Belt,” Kim Woo-bin said he became appreciative of the “unseen” heroes ensuring people’s safety every day. In this coming-of-age film, Kim plays Jung-do, a young man gradually exposed to the world of martial arts officers and probation officers. He accidently bumps into a probation officer chasing after a criminal wearing an ankle monitor on the run. Before shooting began, Kim said he had no idea what the job was about. Bu

Sept. 20, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“I, the Executioner” (South Korea) Opened Sept. 24 Crime/Action Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan Veteran detective Seo Do-cheol (Hwang Jung-min) teams up with rookie cop Park Sun-woo (Jung Hae-in) to track down a serial killer who taunts the police by announcing his next victim before committing each crime. “Jung Kook: I Am Still” (South Korea) Opened Sept. 18 Documentary Directed by Park Jun-su Follow K-pop phenomenon BTS member Jung-kook and his performance in New York, Lon

Sept. 20, 2024

[New on the scene] ‘House of the Seasons’ delves into love, hatred and generational differences

For “House of the Seasons” director Oh Jung-min, a family is like tofu. “The process of making tofu is quite arduous. You have to soak beans for a long time, boil them, grind them and filter until they become softer, but only a small amount of tofu is made at the end. Plus, you have to be careful not to put too much salt,” director Oh told The Korea Herald in an interview in Seoul on Sept. 12. The 35-year-old director said that’s why he made the characters in his de

Sept. 19, 2024

[Herald Review] Ryoo Seung-wan asks what justice is in “I, the Executioner”

Ryoo Seung-wan, an established filmmaker in Korea known for bringing witty, high-adrenaline action to the big screen, has returned with “I, the Executioner,” a sequel to the 2015 mega-hit cop movie “Veteran.” The first film in the series follows veteran detective Seo Do-cheol (Hwang Jung-min) as he takes down corrupt chaebol heir Jo Tae-oh (Yoo Ah-in). “I, the Executioner” – known as “Veteran 2” here -- follows Do-Cheol, as he teams up with r

Sept. 13, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“My Dearest Fu Bao” (South Korea) Opened Documentary Directed by Shim Hyung-joon Follow Fu Bao on the big screen in her last three months in Korea and see her interactions with the “Fu Bao grandpa” zookeepers, as well as the heart-touching moment when Kang Cheol-won reunites with Fu Bao three months after she is sent to China. “Alien: Romulus” (US) Opened Aug. 14 Horror/Sci-fi Directed by Fede Alvarez In 2142, a group of young space colonizers go on an

Sept. 13, 2024

Hyeri’s teen flick ‘Victory’ embroiled in ‘ticket hoarding’ rumor

Singer-turned-actor Hyeri’s latest teen cheerleading flick “Victory” was embroiled in a rumor that people related to the movie have hoarded tickets to increase sales, causing production firm Mind Mark to release a statement. According to the Korea Film Council data, “Victory,” which opened in local theaters on Aug. 14, has topped the box office as of Thursday. On Tuesday and Wednesday, more than 26,000 moviegoers watched the film, placing the movie at the top of the

Sept. 12, 2024