‘From A to B’ to open Arab film fest in June

The Arab Film Festival is set to open on June 4 under the slogan of “Journey Through the Arab.”The festival, now in its fourth year, has announced a lineup of 10 films to be screened through June 10 at the Arthouse MOMO at Ewha Womans University and the Busan Cinema Center. The list includes films from both established, award-winning Arab directors and up-and-coming new faces which show various sides of Arab society.“Since the Arab Spring, Arab films have undergone a dramatic change,” noted Kim

May 28, 2015

Film ‘Beauty Inside’ sells rights to 11 Asian countries

The upcoming fantasy romance film “Beauty Inside,” which stars 21 actors playing a single character, has sold its rights to 11 other Asian countries two months before its release.Following recent promotions at the 68th Cannes Film Festival, overseas companies expressed an interest in the film’s intriguing storyline.“Even though it was a morning screening, the theater was packed and even though there weren’t any hallyu stars (to promote the film at Cannes), many buyers were interested in the char

May 26, 2015

Box Office

Spy (U.S.)Opened May 21Comedy. Directed by Paul FeigWhen a CIA agent falls off the grid, the agency needs to send another agent out into the field. They find a volunteer in an unlikely desk analyst named Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) for an undercover track-and-report mission, but once she arrives on the scene Cooper throws herself into action to stop arms dealer Raina Boyanov (Rose Byrne). Hilarity ensues as Cooper proves that despite what others may think of her, she’s got enough fight in he

May 22, 2015

[Herald Interview] Javer discusses life directions, choices through ‘Freak Out'

Swedish director Carl Javer took home top honors at this year’s Green Film Festival in Seoul, held May 7-14, for his documentary “Freak Out.”“It’s an untold true story about how five young kids in their twenties grew up in the first consumer society,” Javer told The Korea Herald in a sit-down in Seoul on May 13. “Their reaction was to leave it, and to say they wanted something else. They revolted against a society that didn’t fulfill their needs.”“Freak Out” director Carl Javer. (Green Film Fest

May 19, 2015

Characters and story rule all

“Ice Age” and “Despicable Me” were two of the most sensational franchises in recent animation history, drawing in movie goers of all ages and racking up impressive revenues worldwide. The secret to success? Their deviously mischievous, yet ultimately golden-hearted characters, according to Illumination Entertainment CEO Chris Meledandri, the mastermind behind both series.Meledandri recently arrived in Korea to announce a new collaborative project with Korean studio Molfac & Alfred, and to promot

May 19, 2015

'Avengers' sequel tops 10 mln viewers

The Hollywood blockbuster "Avengers: Age of Ultron" has become this year's first film to surpass 10 million viewers in South Korea, data showed Monday.The superhero flick exceeded the 10-million mark in attendance Sunday, the 25th day of its run, according to the official box-office data compiled by the Korean Film Council.The film is the fourth non-Korean film to hit the milestone after "Avatar" (2009), "Frozen" (2014) and "Interstellar" (2014), as well as the first among the Marvel superhero s

May 18, 2015

[Herald Review] Jeon Do-yeon is perfection in ‘The Shameless’

Dusty, ashen and gray, the visual element in Oh Seung-uk’s “The Shameless” follows the typical formula of a crime noir film. However, it is not a crime film, or a thriller. Its genre is melodramatic romance. But love is not the core theme of the film either, according to director Oh. “It’s about a world that is rough, degenerate and horrifying, teeming with people who have no human respect,” he said at a press preview at CGV Wangsimni, Seoul, on May 13. “Through these main characters, I wanted t

May 17, 2015

Box Office

The Treacherous (Korea)Opening May 21Historical drama. Directed by Min Kyu-dongIn the reign of the tyrant Joseon king Yeonsangun (Kim Kang-woo), the throne is surrounded by treacherous advisers such as Im Sung-jae (Ju Ji-hoon) who feign loyalty while seeking to grab influence for themselves. When Yeonsangun orders that 10,000 beautiful women be brought for his pleasure, his subjects see an opportunity to wield true power. In this historical drama, Korea’s most beautiful women become trained pawn

May 15, 2015

[Herald Review] ‘Chronicles of Evil’ a study of moral boundaries

Good people do evil things. When do those actions turn them from good to evil? This is the core question asked in “The Chronicles of Evil,” a new thriller by director Baek Woon-hak. Actor Son Hyun-joo stars as Choi Chang-sik, a decorated detective who commits a murder in self-defense but covers it up for fear of spoiling his chances of a big promotion. However, things become complicated when the dead body turns up hanging from a crane in front of the station where Choi works, and he is put in ch

May 13, 2015

[Herald Interview] True devotion in ‘With or Without You’

Choi Mag-gi and Kim Chun-hee are two old ladies living together in Yeongdeok-gun, North Gyeongsang Province. Their relationship is difficult to explain at first. After Mag-gi lost her two sons to a typhoon and measles, respectively, she and her husband brought in Chun-hee, who has a slight mental impairment, to live with them and to bear them a son. Although Mag-gi’s husband died decades ago, the two women ― the wife and the concubine ― still live together and look after each other.They are the

May 11, 2015

[Herald Interview] Pushing emotional extremes with a story of urban hell

A young mother with an autistic child is chased by a loan shark who demands that she pay off her husband’s gambling debt. She is beautiful and doting; her husband is well-meaning but plagued by his addiction; the loan shark is ruthless and psychotic. “Coin Locker,” which made its world premiere in the Korean Competition section of this year’s Jeonju International Film Festival, is a parade of cliches and extremes. That was what director Kim Tae-kyung intended. “I began with the thought that toda

May 11, 2015

[Newsmaker] Im wins highest honor for Korean in Venice

Im Heung-soon, the winner of the Silver Lion award at this year’s Venice Biennale for his documentary “Factory Complex,” has gained recognition for entwining art and film in his documentaries that reflect on society, its people and their histories.The artist goes by a number of titles ― cinematographer, director and scriptwriter. With a bachelor’s and master’s degree in painting from Kyungwon University (now Gachon University), Im has straddled the boundaries of art, photography and media while

May 10, 2015

Box Office

The Chronicles of Evil (Korea)Opening May 14Thriller. Directed by Baek Woon-hakA police officer named Chang-sik (Son Hyun-ju) is kidnapped by a taxi driver late at night. They get into a fight, and Chang-sik kills the driver. He cleans up the scene and returns home, but the next day the body is found hanging from a crane in front of the police station where Chang-sik works. Chang-sik is put in charge of the investigation, and he nervously watches his own team close in on him as he tries to find

May 8, 2015

Themed film festivals in May

The mild weather in May makes it a great month to get out and enjoy Seoul’s vibrant cultural scene. This year, that culture comes with a dash of awareness about the world around us at three film festivals themed around social issues such as the environment, animals and gender equality. First up is the Green Film Festival in Seoul, which kicked off its 12th year on May 7. The festival was established by environmental activist Choi Yul and is now hosted by the Korea Green Foundation. This year, th

May 8, 2015

Jeonju film fest announces winners

“Poet on a Business Trip” by Chinese director Ju Anqi won the grand prize in the International Competition of the 16th Jeonju International Film Festival, while the top honor in the Korean competition section went to “Alice in Earnestland” from Ahn Gooc-jin, it was announced Wednesday. “Blossom” by Han In-mi took the trophy in Korean Competition for Shorts category. “Poet on a Business Trip,” which made its Asian premiere in Jeonju, follows a poet named Xiou as he travels through the mountains,

May 7, 2015

Film council slashes funding for Busan fest

The Korean Film Council’s decision to cut funding for the Busan International Film Festival by nearly half in 2015 has led to speculation that the quasi-governmental agency is trying to punish the festival for screening a politically controversial documentary last year.On April 30, the agency announced its 2015 funding decisions for six festivals as part of its international film festival development program. The BIFF was awarded a total of 800 million won ($740,000), down nearly half from 1.46

May 5, 2015

Seoul shots from ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ revealed

Scenes shot at a public parking lot in southern Seoul Marvel StudiosImages from scenes of the hit movie “Avengers: Age of Ultron” shot in Seoul were revealed for the first time on Monday. Film shoot in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province Marvel StudiosIn the behind-the-scenes images, “Avengers” heroes Captain America and Black Widow can be seen filming stunt scenes against the backdrop of familiar landmarks of Seoul such as Mapo Bridge and the back allies of the Gangnam area.Film shoot in Uiwang, Gyeonggi

May 4, 2015

'Avengers' sequel tops 6 mln viewers in S. Korea

The Hollywood blockbuster "Avengers:Age of Ultron" has become the fastest foreign film to surpass 6 million viewers in South Korea, the film's distributor said Saturday. (Avengers:Age of Ultron)The superhero flick exceeded the 6 million mark in attendance on Saturday, the 10th day of its run, according to the Walt Disney Co. Korea.The film, the sequel to the 2012 work "The Avengers," has also grossed more than 51.2 billion won ($47.66 million).The Avengers 2 reached the 6 million milestone, just

May 3, 2015

Jeonju International Film Festival gets rolling with ‘Partisan’

The 16th year of the nation’s second-largest film festival kicked off Thursday at Jeonju Sports Stadium.The outdoor stadium was packed with fans as stars lined the red carpet and opening ceremony cohosts Kim Dong-wan and Im Sung-min took the stage to officially begin the Jeonju International Film Festival. Kim Dong-wan is a member of boy band Shinhwa, while Lim Sung-min is an anchorwoman-turned-actress.  Lim Sung-min and Kim Dong-wan host the opening ceremony of the JIFF at Jeonju Sports Stadium

April 30, 2015