'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

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

The Witch: Part 2. The Other One (Korea) Opened June 15 Action Directed by Park Hoon-jung So-nyeo (Shin Shi-a), who possesses special powers, is the lone survivor of a secret laboratory that was attacked by intruders. After she escapes from the lab, So-nyeo meets Kyung-hee (Park Eun-bin) and saves her life. Guided by her new friend, So-nyeo learns about life outside of the lab. Meanwhile, the chase is on to capture So-nyeon. Among those hunting her are Dr. Baek (Jo Min-soo), who returns to

June 17, 2022

Our goal is to remove ‘K’ from ‘K- content’: MCG founder Brian Koo

Showbox CEO Kim Do-soo held a media day event at Seoul Dragon City in Yongsan-gu, Seoul to share the company’s vision for global expansion with Silicon Valley-based investment company Maum Capital Group on Wednesday. The event came after Showbox -- one of the “big four” Korean film investment distributors -- in April announced that it had secured a 140 billion won ($108 million) in funding from MCG. The US investment firm was established last year by Koo Bon-woong, also know

June 16, 2022

‘Please Make Me Look Pretty’ shows bright side of woman with Down syndrome

Some viewers may criticize documentary film “Please Make Me Look Pretty” for failing to give the whole picture, but that was the intention of the film’s director and Seo Dong-il. Seo, the father of the protagonist Jung Eun-hye, said he intended to only feature the bright side of his daughter’s life. Jung has Down syndrome. “There are many documentary films about people with disabilities. They usually feature them with their parents and describe them as people who

June 15, 2022

[Herald Interview] Shin Si-a competed against more than 1,400 actors for role in ‘The Witch: Part 2’

Ordinary Hanyang University student Shin Si-a’s world was turned upside down when she was selected out of 1,408 actors to play protagonist So-nyeo in “The Witch: Part 2. The Other One.” The film is the sequel to Park Hoon-jung’s hit “The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion,” released in 2018. In her very first group interview with local reporters, the 25-year-old actor recalled the moment she heard from director Park after the audition. “I knew that if I go

June 13, 2022

Choi Min-sik, Son Suk-ku to star in Disney+ series ‘Casino’

Disney+ on Monday announced that “Oldboy” actor Choi Min-sik and rising star Son Suk-ku will star in the upcoming drama “Casino.” According to Disney+, this is Choi’s first performance in a drama series in 24 years, when he appeared on MBC‘s “Love and Farewell” (1997-1998). Since then he has only worked on big-screen projects, including “Oldboy” directed by Park Chan-wook, “Nameless Gangster” directed by Yoon Jong-bin and &

June 13, 2022

CGV to focus more on high-tech screens, premium theaters to brace for post-pandemic

CJ CGV, South Korea's largest multiplex cinema chain, said Sunday that it will expand investment in high-technology, multi-projection screens and premium theaters to meet changing customer demand in the post-pandemic era. "We will focus more on expanding high-tech screens in a bid to help movie fans not only watch content but also experience something more special at theaters," said Cho Jin-ho, who is in charge of content programming in CGV. "We are also adding more small pri

June 12, 2022

'The Roundup' tops 10 mln admissions in S. Korea

The Korean action comedy "The Roundup" topped 10 million admissions in local theaters on Saturday. The sequel to the 2017 hit movie "The Outlaws" had set the record by 1:50 p.m., according to its local distributor, ABO Entertainment Co., based on a real-time box-office tally from the Korean Film Council. It exceeded the mark on the 25th day since its release on May 18 and became the 28th film to reach the milestone of 10 million ticket sales in South Korea. The 27th film w

June 11, 2022

Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival’s in-person events return after two years

Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival on Friday announced that it will hold in-person events at the festival year, slated to take place from July 7 to 17. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the fest had been holding opening and closing ceremonies, as well as a red carpet event at various locations in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, such as Bucheon City Hall and Bucheon Gymnasium. During the last two years, the fest had been downsized with all in-person events without audiences, and the openin

June 10, 2022

Cannes-winning Park Chan-wook, Song Kang-ho movies to get special screenings

South Korea’s biggest cinema chain CJ CGV will hold special screenings of seven movies with Cannes-winning director Park Chan-wook and actor Song Kang-ho, from Thursday to June 29. “To celebrate director Park Chan-wook and actor Song Kang-ho winning the awards, we created this special screening event to share a meaningful achievement of Korean cinema which raised its reputation,” CGV official Yeo Kwang-jin said in a statement released Thursday. “I hope audiences can take

June 10, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Broker (Korea) Opened June 8 Drama Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda So-young (IU) leaves her child in a baby box in front of a church. Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho) and Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won) secretly steal the baby to sell him to a family who cannot legally adopt. So-young returns to the church the next day to retrieve the baby and finds out that Sang-hyun and Dong-soo have taken the child. Soon, So-young and the two men agree to look for the right parents for the baby together. After Yang (Ko

June 10, 2022

[Video] Meet the son of Parasite director Bong Joon-ho, Korea's up-and-coming filmmaker Hyomin

“I don’t know why I was kind of mean to my dad,” says Bong Hyo-min, recalling his childhood. Growing up under two filmmakers, film has always been part of his life. But it wasn’t until he became a director himself that he started understanding his dad, Bong Joon-ho, a little more. Now a rising director himself, working under the mononym Hyomin, he is on his journey to discovering how he can make an impact through his film and creativity. Check out Hyomin’s first

June 9, 2022

[Herald Interview] I will not perform overseas: Cannes-winning actor Song Kang-ho

After appearing in Oscar-winning “Parasite” (2019), as well as becoming the first Korean to win best actor award at the 75th Cannes Film Festival for his role in “Broker” (2022) in May, Song Kang-ho is now at the center of global attention. Song, however, said he does not have any plans to do projects overseas, adding that he decided to perform in “Broker” because it is being produced in his home country. “After ‘Parasite’ I got lots of o

June 9, 2022

[Herald Interview] Bae Doo-na regrets not taking part in Cannes

Korean actor Bae Doo-na, 42, expressed regret over not being able to take part in promotional events for “Broker,” as she is currently filming Zack Snyder’s new sci-fi saga for Netflix, “Rebel Moon,” during an interview with local reporters via Zoom on Wednesday. Bae also could not be present at the 75th Cannes Film Festival where Song won the award for best actor for his role in “Broker.” “It is too bad that I could not make it to Cannes this

June 8, 2022

[Herald Interview] Actor Gang Dong-won wants to see more ‘touching’ films succeed

Actor Gang Dong-won was skeptical at first as to whether the sentiment that flows in the heartwarming film “Broker” would come across well to Western audiences, although the film touches on the universal subject of abandoned children. “I was surprised to see audiences at Cannes Film Festival crying while watching the movie. I was relieved that the film received recognition,” the veteran actor said Wednesday during the interview held in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul. G

June 8, 2022

[Herald Interview] Why Lee Ji-eun agonized over single mother role in ‘Broker’

When singer-actress Lee Ji-eun played single mother So-young in “Broker,” she constantly thought about a special viewer she has known since filming at an orphanage when she was a teenager. “I met many children there, but there is a friend who is especially close to me. I had to think if any line or acting in the film could hurt that friend’s feelings,“ Lee said during a press interview Tuesday at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul. Some trepidation remain

June 8, 2022

Director Park Hoon-jung’s ‘The Witch’ universe expands with sequel

Director Park Hoon-jung’s “The Witch” universe is expanding further with new characters, upgraded special powers and storyline in “The Witch: Part 2. The Other One.” Park’s “The Witch”, released in 2018, features the story of a seemingly ordinary girl named Ja-yoon (Kim Da-mi) who wins top prize on a TV audition program. After her victory, a series of unusual people enter Ja-yoon’s life, including the mysterious scientist, Dr. Baek. The s

June 8, 2022

Seoul Independent Film Festival to introduce movies in Spain, Hong Kong

Seoul Independent Film Festival will take part in film screening events to introduce Korean independent movies in Spain and Hong Kong. The SIFF will introduce selected independent Korean films at Korea Fest BCN 2022, held at Cinemes Boliche in Barcelona, Spain for five days from June 15 to 19. There will be an Indie Seoul section during the film festival in Spain, which will screen five selected works among films that were screened at the SIFF, including “Fighter,” directed by J

June 7, 2022