[Herald Interview] French filmmaker Denis Dercourt not surprised to see Korean content thrive globally

French director Denis Dercourt said he is not surprised to see Korean films gain popularity worldwide. “It is no mystery that Korean films are everywhere in the world because they (Koreans) work so hard,” the director said during an interview with a group of Korean reporters Wednesday. He explained that the staff he worked with for his upcoming thriller, “Vanishing,” which was filmed entirely in Korea, had a deep understanding of cinema and also spent a lot of time wo

March 24, 2022

Han So-hee, Park Hyung-sik tell all about unrequited love in ‘Soundtrack#1’

Global streaming platform Disney+ didn’t forget the romance as it went musical with its third Korean-language series, “Soundtrack#1.” Starring Han So-hee and Park Hyung-sik, the music drama revolves around two characters who have been best friends for 20 years, as their relationship changes in a romantic way. Taking the role of songwriter Lee Eun-soo, Han, 27, said that her character is a bright, honest person who does not know much about love. “Unlike the character

March 24, 2022

[Herald Interview] Jung Woo says he was instinctively attracted to noir film ‘Hot Blooded’

Jung Woo said he was instinctively attracted to the noir film “Hot Blooded,” directed by Cheon Myoung-kwan. “My heart told me to join the project, not my head,” he said in an interview with a group of local reporters Tuesday. “The film does not have the plot of a typical commercial film, but I really wanted to do a noir film.” He hesitated a little, however, when he found out that the film was set in Busan, as he had played multiple characters already from

March 23, 2022

Seoul Independent Film Festival to hold ‘Indie Picnic 2022’ in April

Seoul Independent Film Festival on Monday announced that it will hold a screening event, “Indie Picnic 2022,” at Indie Space in Seoul starting on April 8. The screening event, which will be held from Friday to Sunday over a two-week period, will run from April 8 to 10 and also from April 15 to 17. The event organizer selected 23 short films and nine features, which include “Sinner” directed by Yang Jae-joon, the top winner of the short film section during last year&rs

March 21, 2022

Jung Woo returns to big screen as gangster in noir film ‘Hot Blooded’

Jung Woo, who rose to stardom with tvN drama “Reply 1994,” is returning to the big screen as third-rate gangster Hee-su in the noir film “Hot Blooded,” directed by Cheon Myoung-kwan. “‘Hot Blooded’ has its own unique mood. When I read the script -- it is difficult to describe it in words -- but I felt some sort of attraction,” Jung said at a press conference held at Yongsan CGV in Seoul on Wednesday. He explained that what set this new movie apar

March 19, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

In Our Prime (Korea) Opened March 9 Drama Directed by Park Dong-hoon Lee Hak-sung (Choi Min-sik) works as a school security guard, but is actually a mathematical genius who has defected from North Korea. Hak-sung meets Ji-woo (Kim Dong-hwi), a student who is having a hard time fitting in at school due to his different social background. After finding out about Hak-sung’s talent, Ji-woo asks Hak-sung to tutor him. 　 Blacklight (US) Opened March 9 Action Directed by Mark Williams

March 18, 2022

Popular Korean content remade into films, TV series globally

A lieutenant’s life is turned upside down after accidentally killing a man. He desperately hides all the pieces of evidence, including the dead man’s body. Just when he thinks he has succeeded, he receives threats from a mysterious witness. This is the plot of a recent hit French film on Netflix, “Restless,” directed by Regis Blondeau. Released on Feb. 28, the film immediately became popular globally with its fresh and tight plot, topping the streaming service platform&

March 14, 2022

Actor Kim Dong-wook makes Tving debut with mystery thriller ‘The King of Pigs’

Top movie star Kim Dong-wook will make his streaming platform debut with Tving’s upcoming series “The King of Pigs” on March 18. Kim, 38, takes on the role of Hwang Kyung-min, who was bullied in school in the past and is being investigated by police as the prime suspect in a serial murder case. Actor Kim Sung-kyu co-stars as detective Jung Jong-suk, who seeks to find the truth behind the killings. Adapted from the 90-minute animation of the same title by “Hellbound&rdq

March 11, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

In Our Prime (Korea) Opened March 9 Drama Directed by Park Dong-hoon Lee Hak-sung (Choi Min-sik) works as a school’s security guard but is actually a mathematical genius that defected from North Korea. Hak-sung meets Ji-woo (Kim Dong-hwi), a student that is having a hard time fitting in at school due to his different social background. After finding out about Hak-sung’s talent, Ji-woo asks Hak-sung to teach him math. 　 The Batman (US) Opened March 1 Action Directed by Matt Reeves

March 11, 2022

“Juvenile Justice” tops Netflix‘s non-English TV series chart

Netflix‘s original series “Juvenile Justice” topped the OTT platform’s non-English TV series chart on Thursday. The chart lists non-English TV series in an order of the number of hours that they were watched by the viewers weekly. According to the chart, Netflix subscribers in 190 different territories watched the Korean drama series “Juvenile Justice” for 45.93 million hours during the Feb. 28 to March 6 period. “Café con aroma de mujer”

March 10, 2022

Three Korean drama series to screen at Cannes International Series Festival in April

Three Korean drama series — “Work Later, Drink Now,” “Monstrous” and “Damn Good Company” -- will be screened at the Cannes International Series Festival Season 5’s non-competition section of South Korea fiction on April 6. Established in 2018, the Cannes International Series Festival is an event that aims to highlight drama series from all over the world and to give them an international voice. The festival will be held from April 1 to 6 in Cannes

March 9, 2022

When you want something different from standard multiplex experience

Why should viewers watch your film in movie theaters? This is a common question that is asked to actors during promotional press conferences, especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which significantly hindered moviegoers from heading to theaters. Oscar-winning “Parasite” star Choi Woo-shik answered the question by emphasizing special experiences that only theaters offer. “I think movie theaters have everything that can help maximize the films’ different e

March 9, 2022

‘Incredible chance’: French director on working with Korean actors, staff

When French director Denis Dercourt was asked to make “Vanishing” in Korea by producer Alexis Dantec around three years ago, he accepted it without any hesitation, the filmmaker said. “It is an incredible chance to shoot in Korea now. You might not know how loved Korean contents are around the world. Korea is like a model to the world,” Dercourt said during an online press conference held on Tuesday. The director added that he was excited to find out how staff and actor

March 8, 2022

[Herald Interview] Kim Hye-soo believes charts ranking not the only success in ‘Juvenile Justice’

For top actor Kim Hye-soo, 51, her Netflix debut series “Juvenile Justice” holds special meaning. “While I was grateful to hear that ‘Juvenile Justice’ ranked in the Netflix’s global top 10 chart, I was more satisfied to see the active debate and online exchanges about the issues (of juvenile delinquency),” Kim said during an online press interview with a group of reporters Friday. The actor explained that everyone who worked on the project was focused

March 6, 2022

‘Minari’ star Youn Yuh-jung to present at upcoming Oscars

Youn Yuh-jung, the 93rd Oscar-winning actress of US film “Minari,” will return to the Academy Awards later this month. Youn, who won the best supporting actress award in 2021 for her portrayal of an eccentric grandmother in “Minari,” will join former winners and nominees to present at the 94th Academy Awards ceremony slated for March 27. The first slate of presenters includes American actors Kevin Costner, Zoe Kravitz, Rosie Perez, comedian and actor Chris Rock and sing

March 6, 2022

Indie Space reopens in Hongdae

Indie Space, operator of Korea’s first independent film screening theater, Thursday announced opening of a new facility at Lotte Cinema’s Hongik Univ. location to resume its business beginning Monday. Indie Space has been providing support for producing and releasing Korean independent films, sponsoring independent film festivals such as the Seoul Independent Film Festival, Seoul Independent Documentary Film Festival, and Indie Forum, as well as assisting DVD productions of indie fi

March 5, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

The Batman (US) Opened March 1 Action Directed by Matt Reeves Ahead of the election for mayor of Gotham, sadistic serial killer the Riddler (Paul Dano) begins murdering key political figures. Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson), as Batman, investigates the case with clues at the scene left behind directly for him. As he investigates the mystery of the psycho criminal, he begins to unravel the message being laid out. Serve the People (Korea) Opened Feb. 23 Romance Directed by Jang Cheol-soo

March 4, 2022

[Herald Interview] Ana Ruggiero says ‘Sophie’s World’ brought outside perspective on Korea

Actor Ana Ruggiero said she was a little skeptical when director Lee Jea-han offered her the role of Sophie, the protagonist in his indie film “Sophie’s World.” The Brazilian actor, 27, who first came to Korea as an exchange student, explained during her interview with The Korea Herald that it was because he proposed the role via an Instagram message. “I was like, what is this?” she said. “I do receive a lot of messages on Instagram and half of them are scam

March 3, 2022

'The Batman' scores biggest opening of the year to date in South Korea

"The Batman" has set the best opening-day record for this year to date at the South Korean box office with more than 190,000 people, data showed Wednesday. The Hollywood action blockbuster sold 192,000 tickets, which is 74 percent of all tickets sold at movie theaters nationwide, on Tuesday and topped the box office the following day, according to the data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). Two blockbuster films released earlier this year -- "The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasur

March 2, 2022

[URGENT] Lee Jung-jae bags trophy at SAG Awards

Lee Jung-jae took home the best actor award at Screen Actors Guild Awards for his performance in Netflix’s global hit “Squid Game” on Monday. Lee was named the winner of the outstanding performance by a male actor in a drama series award for playing debt-ridden divorcee Seong Gi-hun. Billy Crudup of Apple TV+’s “The Morning Show,” as well as Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin of HBO’s “Succession” were also nominated for the award.

Feb. 28, 2022