Youn Yuh-jung wins Oscar

Veteran actor Youn Yuh-jung, 73, won the best supporting actress prize at the 93rd Academy Awards on Monday for her portrayal of eccentric grandmother Soon-ja in the US film “Minari.” Youn became the first Korean to win an Oscar trophy in an acting category. No other Korean actor, including those from last year’s breakthrough Oscar winner “Parasite,” had received any trophies from the Academy Awards. “Tremendous thanks to Academy members who vote for me,&rdq

April 26, 2021

'Minari’ awaits big Oscar wins

The film “Minari” is awaiting its big night at the Oscars. Directed by Korean American Lee Isaac Chung, the film has been nominated for best picture, best directing, best original screenplay, best actor, best supporting actress and best score at the 93rd Academy Awards. It has garnered the second most nominations following “Mank,” directed by David Fincher, which has been shortlisted in 10 categories, including best picture.   Actor Youn Yuh-jung has been nomina

April 26, 2021

The Oscars bring back red carpet glam in whites and gold

NEW YORK (AP) -- Red carpet glam was back Sunday at the Oscars with Andra Day and Carey Mulligan shimmering in award-worthy gold and Maria Bakalova among several stars in bright white princess gowns during the pandemic era's first big parade of fashion. Day dressed all the way up in a sexy look cut to the thigh on one side with a cutout at the waist. It was custom Vera Wang made of actual metal. Mulligan stunned in gold Valentino couture, a midriff look with a tiny metallic top and a huge

April 26, 2021

[Herald Interview] Kang Ha-neul says he enjoyed filling in blanks in ‘Rain and Your Story’ script

Actor Kang Ha-neul said he liked the script of “Rain and Your Story” because it had blanks that he could fill in. “I like that the script did not have precise directions about the character‘s emotions and reactions,” Kang told local reporters during a joint media interview Thursday via Zoom. “It only had a minimum amount of words that are required to proceed with the story.” Set mostly in 2003, “Rain and Your Story” introduces Young-ho, w

April 25, 2021

Will Youn Yuh-jung of 'Minari' become first S. Korean to win Oscars' acting trophy?

One day before the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, veteran actress Youn Yuh-jung is grabbing attention over whether she will become the first South Korean to win an acting award at the Oscars. The 73-year-old screen veteran was nominated for best supporting actress for her role in the immigration film "Minari." Youn plays Soon-ja, an eccentric grandmother who flies to rural Arkansas from South Korea to help her daughter's family striving to build a new life in America. Youn is competi

April 25, 2021

Youn Yuh-jung wins best supporting actress at Spirit Awards

With three days left before the 93rd Academy Awards, Youn Yuh-jung of “Minari” bagged another best supporting actress award at the 36th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards on Friday. The Spirits, a prelude to the Oscars, are dedicated to independent filmmakers. The event is organized by nonprofit arts organization Film Independent, which organizes the LA Film Festival. Youn is considered by many to be the favorite to win the Oscars for best supporting actress on Sunday (local t

April 23, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Recalled (Korea) Opened April 21 Thriller Directed by Seo You-min Soo-jin(Seo Yea-ji) wakes up after an accident but she lost part of her memory. Fortunately, her husband Ji-hoon (Kim Kang-woo) is there to take care of her. After returning home, Soo-Jin realized that she now has a special power to see the future of people, the moments when they are about to face dangerous situations. 　 Seobok (Korea) Opened April 15 Science fiction Directed by Lee Yong-joo Ki-hun (Gong Yoo) is a former intell

April 23, 2021

Kang Ha-neul, Chun Woo-hee team up in romance film ‘Rain and Your Story’

Kang Ha-neul is returning to the big screen for the first time in three years, teaming up with actor Chun Woo-hee in the romance film “Rain and Your Story,” directed by Jo Jin-mo. The movie begins with a narration by Young-ho (Kang Ha-neul): ”This is a story about waiting.” Set mostly in 2003, “Rain and Your Story” introduces Young-ho who is studying for his third Suneung, the national college entrance exam, in Seoul. One day, he suddenly decides to write a

April 21, 2021

Youn Yuh-jung from 'Minari' predicted to win best supporting actress in 2021 Oscars: poll

South Korean screen veteran Youn Yuh-jung has risen to become a safe front-runner in the race for the 2021 Oscars' best supporting actress for her role in the immigration film "Minari," a poll by an American awards prediction website showed Wednesday. As of 10 a.m., the 74-year-old actress garnered 4,583 votes from experts, editors and internet users to rank No. 1 in Gold Derby's Oscars race poll, greatly outpacing four other nominees in the category. Maria Bakalova from "Borat

April 21, 2021

Sci-fi blockbuster 'Seobok' tops weekend box office upon release

The homegrown blockbuster "Seobok" topped the South Korean box office over the weekend upon its release, data showed Monday. Released Thursday, "Seobok" garnered 163,000 viewers from Friday to Sunday to rank No. 1, according to the data compiled by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). As of Sunday, over 210,000 people in total visited theaters to watch the sci-fi film, directed by Lee Yong-joo and starring two of the country's heartthrobs -- Gong Yoo and Park Bo-gum. The movie

April 19, 2021

'Minari' leads 77.5% jump at S. Korean box office in March

The South Korean box office jumped nearly 78 percent in March from a year earlier on the back of the strong performance of Oscar-nominated "Minari," data showed Friday. The number of moviegoers reached 3.26 million last month, up 77.5 percent from 1.83 million tallied in the same month last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the film industry at its early stage, according to the data compiled by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). From a month earlier, the March figure gained 4.7 perc

April 16, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Seobok (Korea) Opened April 15 Science fiction Directed by Lee Yong-joo Ki-hun (Gong Yoo) is a former intelligence agent. One day, he receives his last mission from the director of the intelligence agency (Cho Woo-jin), to move Seo-bok (Park Bo-gum) -- the first-ever human clone, who possesses the secret to eternal life -- to a safe location. Seo-bok has never known life outside of the laboratory and was raised by Lim Se-eun (Jang Young-nam). Nobody (US) Opened April 7 Comedy Directed by Ilya

April 16, 2021

[Herald Interview] Eom Tae-goo curious about global audience’s response to ‘Night in Paradise’

Many local movies since last year have decided to skip theaters to release on Netflix due to the spread of COVID-19, which has kept moviegoers away from theaters. “Night in Paradise”also took this path, being released in 190 countries through Netflix on April 9. Five days after its release, lead actor Eom Tae-goo said he is curious about the response from global viewers, during a joint media interview held via Zoom on Wednesday. “To me, it is amazing that the movie is bein

April 15, 2021

[Herald Interview] Gong Yoo says ‘Seobok’ is thought-provoking film about purpose of life

When actor Gong Yoo first read the script for his upcoming film “Seobok,” he felt like it was asking him a question. “I felt like it was asking me ‘So, what is the purpose of your life?’,” Gong Yoo told local reporters during a joint media interview Tuesday via Zoom. “I could not give an answer to that question. This experience stunned and interested me.” He explained that he decided to perform for “Seobok” because it was not only wri

April 14, 2021

Hit romance film director returns with sci-fi flick about first human clone ‘Seobok’

Director Lee Yong-joo, who is known for “Architecture 101,” a hit romance film that came out in 2012, has returned with a science fiction film about the first human clone “Seobok.” “I changed the genre of movie that I make, and this was not done on purpose,” Lee said during a press conference held at CGV Yongsan in central Seoul. “My first film was the horror film ‘Living Death,’ and it was about human fears. After that, I have always wante

April 13, 2021

[Newsmaker] 'Parasite' director Bong Joon-ho to present at upcoming Oscars

Bong Joon-ho, the Oscar-winning director of South Korean black comedy "Parasite," will be part of a 15-member "ensemble cast" that will present at the Academy Awards later this month. Bong, who directed the 2019 film that fetched four Oscars, including best picture and best director, will join former winners and nominees to present at the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony slated for April 25 (US time). The list of the first round of presenters, released on the Academy of Motion

April 13, 2021

[Newsmaker] Youn Yuh-jung bags another trophy at BAFTAs

In the film “Minari,” Korean grandmother Soon-ja, played by Youn Yuh-jung, arrives in the US with her luggage packed with seeds for Korean vegetables and other home goods for her daughter. Youn’s own bag has been overflowing with trophies from the US for her acting in “Minari” alone, and on Monday, she added another feather to her cap with one from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards. At the BAFTA ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall, Yo

April 12, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Nobody (US) Opened April 7 Comedy Directed by Ilya Naishuller Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) is a seemingly ordinary man. Hutch does his best both at work and home, but he and his wife Becca (Connie Nielsen) have not been intimate in years, and his son Blake has no respect for him as a father. One night, a man and woman break into his house. Instead of stopping the burglars, Hutch lets them get away, worsening his relationship with his family. Book of Fish (Korea) Opened March 31 Drama Direc

April 9, 2021

Culture minister pledges support for pandemic-hit film industry

After watching Lee Joon-ik’s “Book of Fish” along with only a couple of other moviegoers at Dongdaemun Megabox in Seoul on Tuesday, Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Hwang Hee promised to support the local film industry, which is suffering financially due to COVID-19. “This film is directed by a renowned movie director, who made films ‘The King and the Clown’ and ‘The Throne,’ but there are not many in the audience. This weighs on me,” H

April 7, 2021

Jeonju film fest looks at pandemic, female directors

JEONJU, North Jeolla Province -- The pandemic and female directors are the focus of this year’s Jeonju International Film Festival, which announced its lineup at a press conference at the Jeonju Digital Independent Cinema on Tuesday. Under the slogan “Film Goes On,” the 22nd Jeonju International Film Festival will be a hybrid event screening 186 movies -- 116 features and 70 shorts -- from 48 countries. A total of 45 films are competing in the international competition, the

April 6, 2021