‘Squid Game’ lead Lee Jung-jae’s ‘Hunt’ stars best friend Jung Woo-sung

Not many people were surprised when it was announced that top Korean actor Jung Woo-sung would star in “Squid Game” lead actor Lee Jung-jae’s directorial debut feature. The two top movie stars, who became close while filming “City of the Rising Sun” (1999), directed by Kim Sung-soo, have long been showing off their friendship on and off the screen. At a press conference to introduce his upcoming “Hunt” at Megabox Seongsu in Seoul on Tuesday, Lee said

July 5, 2022

‘Next Sohee’ starring Bae Doo-na to screen at Fantasia International Film Festival

Korean director July Jung’s second feature film, “Next Sohee” starring movie star Bae Doo-na, has been invited to the 26th Fantasia International Film Festival, which will be held from July 14 to Aug. 3 in Montreal. Jung’s feminist police thriller will get its North American premiere on Fantasia’s closing night. The Korean director is known for creating movies that realistically portray social issues in Korea. The Canadian film festival organizer announced t

July 4, 2022

S. Korea box office tops 15m admissions in June

South Korea's box office reported 15 million admissions for June, marking the largest monthly tally for over two years, data showed Monday. A total of 15.5 million people went to theaters last month, up 6.3 percent from 14.6 million a month earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korean Film Council. It is the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic that the monthly audience numbers topped the 10 million level for two straight months. And the June figure marked the highest since 16.84 mill

July 4, 2022

‘Broker’ wins top prize at Munich International Film Festival

“Broker,” the first Korean-language film project by Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda, on Sunday won the top award at the 39th Munich International Film Festival. According to the festival organizer, the ARRI award, established in 2008, is given to the filmmakers of the best international film in the CineMasters competition section. An independent three-member jury decides who shall receive the award, worth 50,000 euros ($52,000). Kore-eda’s “Broker” centers

July 3, 2022

Sequels in cinemas bolster streaming popularity of original films

With three sequels -- “Top Gun: Maverick,” “The Roundup” and “The Witch: Part 2. The Other One” -- currently bringing back moviegoers to local theaters, the original movies that preceded these second installments are also grabbing viewers’ attention. Hollywood blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick,” which opened here June 22, has sold more than 3 million tickets locally in under two weeks, according to Lotte Entertainment. The original Tom Crui

July 3, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Decision to Leave (Korea) Opened June 29 Romance Directed by Park Chan-wook Hae-jun (Park Hae-il) is a hardworking detective who carries everything he needs in a specially tailored suit with extra pockets. One day, he looks into a suspicious death that occurred on a mountain. Hae-jun comes to suspect the dead man’s wife, the mysterious Seo-rae (Tang Wei), is involved in the crime. As he investigates Seo-rae, the detective becomes drawn to her. Top Gun: Maverick (US) Opened June 22

July 1, 2022

[Herald Interview] Park Chan-wook creates romance film ‘Decision to Leave’ without those three little words

Cannes-winner Park Chan-wook’s movie “Decision to Leave” is a romance film. However, the protagonists never utter those three little words: I love you. “I wanted to create a quiet movie. I don’t mean that there are few lines. In fact, the lines are quite long. They just don’t directly say ‘I love you’ and express their feelings,” Park said during an interview with a group of reporters via Zoom on Monday. Although we live in an era where pe

June 29, 2022

Kim Han-min to return with another Adm. Yi Sun-sin film, ‘Hansan’

Kim Han-min, who directed the 2014 box office megahit about Adm. Yi Sun-sin “Roaring Currents,” is returning with another movie about the historic figure titled “Hansan.” The new film is the second in the Adm. Yi trilogy that the director aims to complete. The plan is to present three different battles led by Yi during the Japanese invasions of Korea in the late 16th century. “Roaring Currents,” the first in the planned trilogy, holds the record for the mos

June 28, 2022

[Herald Interview] Park Hye-il still attached to character in ‘Decision to Leave’

When Korean actor Park Hye-il, 45, entered the cafe in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul, where an interview with a group of reporters was to take place Thursday, he immediately started wiping the table with a tissue, although it was perfectly clean. When reporters pointed out that it seems like something that his detective character, Hye-jun, in Park Chan-wook’s “Decision to Leave” would do, the actor smiled shyly and agreed. “It seems like some of the character remains (

June 27, 2022

Korean hitmaker combines sci-fi with Korean folklore in new film ‘Alienoid’

Director Choi Dong-hoon, known for “The Thieves” (2012) and “Assassination” (2015), which attracted over 10 million viewers, is returning this summer after a seven-year break from the industry with “Alienoid,” an extraordinary film that combines science fiction with Korean folklore. “When I was a kid, I used to wonder about the existence of aliens. It made me excited and, at times, also frightened. Imagining aliens made my childhood more entertaining. I

June 25, 2022

[Weekender] Korean War as seen through films

The Korean War, which broke out 72 years ago on June 25, 1950, is a tragedy that divided the Korean Peninsula into South and North Korea, a division that remains to this day with the two countries still technically at war. It is no surprise that the war and postwar situation of Korea have become common subject matters for numerous films of various genres. Most Korean War-related movies tend to be serious and aim at showing the difficulties that people faced during and after the war. The amb

June 25, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Lightyear (US) Opened June 15 Drama Directed by Angus MacLane While spending years attempting to return home, legendary Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear encounters an army of ruthless robots commanded by Zurg, who aims to steal his fuel source. To fight against Zurg, Buzz Lightyear embarks on an adventure alongside ambitious recruits Izzy, Mo, Darby and his robot companion Sox.  The Witch: Part 2. The Other One (Korea) Opened June 15 Action Directed by Park Hoon-jung So-nyeo (Shin Shi

June 24, 2022

PyeongChang International Peace Film Fest to open with film on Ukraine

The PyeongChang International Peace Film Festival is to begin its six-day run on Thursday in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province. It is the fourth iteration of the annual film festival since being founded in 2019, based on the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics’ primary aim of building world peace. “Olga,” by French director Elie Grappe, will open the film festival. The story revolves around a Ukrainian gymnast after the 2014 Maidan Uprising, a series of protests in Ukraine that e

June 22, 2022

'Decision to Leave,' Cannes-winner Park Chan-wook‘s version of mature love

Cannes-winning director Park Chan-wook said his new film “Decision to Love” shows what he considers to be mature love between two adults. “I started the movie thinking I would like to tell a story that only experienced people will understand,” the director said during a press conference at Yongsan CGV on Tuesday. “When we are young, we show all our emotions and express them, but as we get older, due to different situations and circumstances, it is difficult to b

June 22, 2022

Gangneung film fest’s Kim Dong-ho to receive Lifetime Achievement Award from Malaysian International Film Festival

Kim Dong-ho, the chairperson of the Gangneung International Film Festival, is to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Malaysia International Film Festival. Kim and co-recipient Hou Hsiao-hsien, a China-born director, will receive the award at the Malaysia Golden Global Awards 2022 ceremony to be held July 16. The award is given to members of the international film community with significant contributions to film festivals and the film industry. Kim has been the honorary president

June 21, 2022

‘Top Gun’ Tom Cruise tells long-waiting Korean fans ‘it is OK to cry’

Hollywood star Tom Cruise on Monday said he hopes long-waiting Korean fans of “Top Gun” who watched the action film as kids back in 1986 will fully enjoy the new sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick.” “Grown-up man, you can enjoy that film, and you can cry  in that movie, and that‘s OK. It’s for you and it’s for everybody, so enjoy,” Cruise said during a press conference held at Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Monday. Along with Cruise, four of the sta

June 20, 2022

Cannes-winning stars return with air disaster film ‘Emergency Declaration’

Two Cannes-winning movie stars -- Song Kang-ho and Jeon Do-yeon -- are returning to the big screen in the highly anticipated aviation disaster flick “Emergency Declaration,” directed by Han Jae-rim. Song became the first Korean male actor to win an acting prize at the 75th Cannes Film Festival this year for his role in “Broker,” directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda. In 2007, Jeon won the award for best actress at Cannes for her performance in “Secret Sunshine,” d

June 20, 2022

'Chun Tae-il,' 'Persona' win at Annecy animation film fest

Two South Korean animated films, "Chun Tae-il: A Flame That Lives On" and "Persona," have been awarded at this year's Annecy International Animation Film Festival. According to the winner's list Monday (Korean time), "Chun Tae-il," a biopic on the Korean workers' rights activist directed by Hong Jun-pyo, received the Contrechamp Jury Distinction prize at the 46th edition of the festival that kicked off June 13 and ran through Saturday. The 109-minute

June 20, 2022

‘My Perfect Roommate’ director inspired by cohousing experiment, homeless grandma

An idea of two total strangers -- a grandmother with a spare room and a college student -- becoming a “family” might be as novel as it sounds, but it is an actual experimental room-sharing program that inspired director Lee Soon-sung for his upcoming film “My Perfect Roommate.” The room-sharing project has been running since 2013 in the northwest district of Nowon in Seoul and connects university students that are looking for a place to stay with elderly people who li

June 19, 2022

'Broker' tops 1 mln admissions

"Broker," the first Korean-language film project by Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda, surpassed 1 million admissions Saturday, the movie's local distributor said. The film hit the milestone at 8:30 a.m., becoming Kore-eda's first film to reach 1 million in South Korea, CJ ENM said. Released June 8, the flick was at No. 3 after "The Witch: Part 2. The Other One" and "The Roundup" at the daily box office in the country Friday. Starring Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won

June 18, 2022