Unforgettable (Korea)Romance. Directed by Lee Eun-huiOpened Feb. 24　When radio show host Hyeong-jun (Park Yong-woo/Doh Kyung-soo) receives a letter from someone with the same name as his first love, he begins to reminisce about the memories he shared with his friends and his love, 23 years ago.　　Spirits' Homecoming (Korea)　Drama. Directed by Cho Jung-lae　Opened Feb. 24　Young shaman Eun-kyung (Choi Ri) inexplicably finds herself afflicted with fainting spells, during which she has flashbacks to

Feb. 26, 2016

A government-funded organization responsible for collecting and preserving materials related to Korean cinema unveiled Thursday seven new films from the Japanese colonial era that were obtained from Russia and Germany.　The Korean Film Archive (KOFA) revealed parts of these seven new clips, which depict everyday life in Korea under Japanese rule as well as Japanese colonial economic policy, at a press conference at the Korea Press Center.From left: Professor Song Kue-jin, a historian at Korea Uni

Feb. 25, 2016

Park Chan-wook’s upcoming thriller “The Handmaiden” has sealed overseas distribution deals in 116 countries ahead of its local premiere later this year.　The film’s distributor CJ E&M on Wednesday announced the deals, selling to the U.S., France, Germany, Japan and Australia, among others, at the European Film Market during the latest Berlin International Film Festival. Amazon’s film production division Amazon Studios bought the U.S rights. 　It is the second-largest overseas sales success for CJ

Feb. 24, 2016

Boy group EXO’s leader Suho is making his big screen debut under the name Kim Joon-myun in the film “One Way Trip.”　Suho will be playing Sang-woo, one of four friends who take off on a trip together to the beach but run into difficulties and must work together.　“I play Sang-woo, a guy who is raised by his grandmother, and lives in very difficult conditions,” Kim told reporters at a press conference for “One Day Trip” on Wednesday. “Because of his hardships, he gives up going to college and decid

Feb. 24, 2016

Director Lee Dong-ha’s debut documentary film “Weekends” placed third in the Panorama Audience Award Panorama Dokumente at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival which ended Monday.　The public casts votes for the Panorama Audience Award, which has been given out since 1999. The best documentary category of the award was first established in 2011.  Kang Choe (left) and Jaewoo, two protagonists of the documentary film “Weekends,” pose at the Berlin Film Festival on Feb. 17. (Berlin Internatio

Feb. 23, 2016

China is increasing its investments in joint film productions with Hollywood studios, from 3-D animations to drama and fantasy action movies.　The world’s second largest economy, which also has the second biggest film market, has moved from being a promoter of local goods through product placements in American blockbusters to a key film investor.　Audiences can easily see the Chinese influence in recent movies such as “Kung Fu Panda 3,” “Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation,” “Transformers: Age of

Feb. 21, 2016

 BERLIN (AFP) - Italian director Gianfranco Rosi's “Fire at Sea,” a harrowing documentary about Europe’s refugee crisis, clinched the Berlin film festival's Golden Bear top prize on Saturday from a jury led by Meryl Streep.As Europe grapples with its biggest migrant influx since World War II, the picture offers an unflinching look at life on the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, where thousands of asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East have arrived trying to reach the European Union ove

Feb. 21, 2016

It's a big weekend at the box office. For those who are overwhelmed by all the choices, The Korea Herald offers a guide to the top movies playing on the big screen.DONGJU; The Portrait of a Poet (Korea)Drama. Directed by Lee Joon-ikOpened Feb. 17　Dong-ju (Kang Ha-neul) and Mong-gyu (Park Jung-min) are close friends and cousins who grew up together during the chaotic Japanese colonial era. After the two young men head to Japan to study, their relationship takes on some strain as Dong-ju becomes a

Feb. 19, 2016

Busan Mayor Suh Byung-soo stepped down Thursday as the chairman of the Busan International Film Festival organizing committee, amid calls for his resignation following the government and Busan City’s attempt to cancel the screening of a controversial documentary about the Sewol ferry disaster at the 2014 festival.　Lee Yong-kwan, coexecutive director of the BIFF secretariat, also resigned alongside Suh. Since going ahead with the screening of “Diving Bell” in 2014, Lee had been facing mounting pr

Feb. 18, 2016

BERLIN (AFP) - Never underestimate the power of playing “a rather restrained man in a suit,” Oscar winner Colin Firth said Tuesday as he presented a well-received biopic about a legendary American literary editor.　“Genius,” which drew warm applause at the Berlin film festival, tells the story of Max Perkins, who worked with some of the 20th century's greatest authors including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and Thomas Wolfe.　The picture stars British actors Firth and Jude Law playing the

Feb. 18, 2016

From fantasy, action to science fiction and adventure, 4:33 Creative Lab, a Korean mobile game publishing company, introduced a variety of mobile genre games for 2016 at its media event in Seoul on Tuesday.　With cinematic storylines and soundtracks, high-quality 3-D graphics and realistic sound effects of bullets and ancient sword fighting, a total of 18 games will be launched on a quarterly basis, starting with the long-awaited “Lost Kingdom” next week.　“Lost Kingdom” is a fantasy action role-p

Feb. 16, 2016

Two months after opening to unprecedented fanfare, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is finally winding down in theaters, leaving behind arsenals of plastic light sabers and a trail of box-office records. 　“The Force Awakens” is still playing in more than 2,000 theaters in North America and remains ranked in the top-five at the box office as it enters its ninth week of release. But the lion’s share of its theatrical revenue has been pocketed, and one thing is abundantly clear: it’s not going to tou

Feb. 16, 2016