[Herald Interview] Role in ‘D.P.’ was an amazing experience: Koo Kyo-hwan

Actor Koo Kyo-hwan believes he still has long way to go. While moviegoers are mesmerized by his performances in the films “Penninsula,” “Kingdom: Ashin of the North,” “Escape from Morgadishu” and the recently released Netflix original series “D.P,” Koo has yet to start feeling comfortable with fame and recognition. “I am grateful that the fans liked how I played my characters in the series, but I still feel uneasy when people refer to me a

Sept. 6, 2021

Park Seo-joon to star in Marvel film

Park Seo-joon, 32, left South Korea on Friday afternoon to star in Marvel Studios’ new superhero film, according to agency Awesome ENT. The announcement was long anticipated by movie fans as there had been rumors about Park appearing in the sequel to “Captain Marvel,” officially titled “The Marvels,” after online film database platform IMDb posted his profile and photo in July identifying him as part of the cast. The sequel to “Captain Marvel” is ex

Sept. 3, 2021

‘Miracle: Letters to the President’ director ready to surprise audience

Director Lee Jang-hoon said his upcoming film “Miracle: Letters to the President” will exceed the audience’s expectations, during an online press conference held Wednesday after the press screening. “If I compare my movie to a food it would be the one that seems to have a predictable taste, but when you actually eat it is unexpected,” Lee said. “So please do not judge it beforehand and come to the theater.” “Miracle: Letters to the President&rd

Sept. 3, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

CODA (US) Opened Aug. 31 Drama Directed by Sian Heder Ruby (Emilia Jones) is the only hearing member of her family. Her parents Frank (Troy Kotsur) and Jackie (Marlee Matlin) and older brother Leo (Daniel Durant) are all deaf. Ruby is with her family 24/7 to assist them and help them connect with the world. One day, Ruby auditions for the school choir and discovers her talent. However, she is worried about leaving her family to pursue her singing career. 　 Hostage: Missing Celebrity (Korea)

Sept. 3, 2021

Bidding farewell to storied cinema

The Seoul Cinema in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, which opened in 1979, closed its doors for good on Tuesday. Even after weathering decades of hardships, the weight of the severe financial difficulties brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic last year was too much to bear for the cinema. Despite the gloomy weather and oncoming downpour, it did not stop movie lovers from gathering in front of the Seoul Cinema building to take pictures of the theater’s sign at 9:30 a.m. “To be honest, I

Sept. 1, 2021

Promotional videos of Korean food screened in London

Two promotional videos of Korean cuisine titled “Korea in Food” are being screened at Westfield shopping center in London, the Cultural Heritage Administration  and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation announced Tuesday. The promotional project is organized as part of the administration and foundation’s joint “Visit Korea Heritage” campaign. The videos, co-created by Michelin-star chef Yoo Hyun-soo and Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor at Sungshin Women’s

Aug. 31, 2021

‘The Jump’ and ‘Me and the Cult Leader’ win Grand Prix at EIDF 2021

Lithuanian director Giedre Zickyte’s “The Jump” won the Grand Prix in the global category at the 18th EBS International Documentary Festival, the broadcaster announced Tuesday. Twenty-one films vied for prizes in the three competitive categories -- Festival Choice in Global, Festival Choice in Asia and a mobile shorts competition. “The Jump” centers around a Lithuanian sailor, Simas Kudirka, who jumped from a Soviet fishing boat and swam to a US vessel in the Atla

Aug. 31, 2021

Homegrown action film ‘Escape from Mogadishu’ sells more than 3m tickets

“Escape from Mogadishu” directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, which was released on July 28, has sold more than 3 million tickets, according to film distributor Lotte Entertainment Sunday. The action film overtook Marvel Studios’ superhero movie “Black Widow,” which sold over 2.95 million tickets, to be the most-watched film of 2021. The release of “Escape from Mogadishu” was possible with support from the Korean Theater Association, which includes among its mem

Aug. 30, 2021

BIFF to screen streaming platform originals

Busan International Film Festival will launch the “On Screen” program this year, moving streaming content to the big screen during the festival. The 26th BIFF will be held from Oct. 6 to 15. The new section was added to reflect the expansion of streaming platforms and their content’s influence in the global market. A number of international film festivals, including Venice International Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival, have created similar sections to i

Aug. 29, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Hostage: Missing Celebrity (Korea) Opened Aug. 18 Thriller, Action Directed by Pil Gam-seong Famous actor Hwang Jung-min, played by himself, is kidnapped in Seoul without any witnesses or evidence left behind. At first, the actor thinks it is a prank, but he soon realizes the seriousness of the situation. He tries to escape from the kidnappers who demand a huge ransom within 24 hours. Sinkhole (Korea) Opened Aug. 11 Comedy Directed by Kim Ji-hoon Although he has an annoying neighbor (Cha Se

Aug. 27, 2021

‘D.P.’ to present unfamiliar side of Korean Army

“D.P.,” directed by Han Jun-hee, will be released Aug. 27 starring Jung Hae-in as a young private assigned to capture Army deserters. Short for “Deserter Pursuit,” the upcoming Netflix original series shows the life of Pvt. Jun-ho (played by Jung) and Cpl. Ho-yeol (played by Koo Kyo-hwan) and reveals the reasons some soldiers try to escape the Army. “For Koreans, the Army is a place with a lot of meaning, so I was focused on making the audience feel empathy while

Aug. 26, 2021

Bang Min-ah wins rising star award at NY film fest

Actor Bang Min-ah, widely known as Minah of K-pop girl group Girl’s Day, has won an award at the New York Asian Film Festival 2021. The 20th edition of NYAFF was held virtually and in-person at the Lincoln Center, New York, from Aug. 6-22. Bang won the Rising Star Asia Award for her role as Kang-yi in the Korean film “Snowball,” directed by Lee Woo-jung. The film, an adaptation of the award-winning novel “The Best Life” by Lim Sol-ah, revolves around three teena

Aug. 25, 2021

Netflix released films to be screened in local CGV theaters

Due to the COVID-19 situation, some Korean movies have chosen to skip their theatrical release and gone straight to Netflix. But now, these movies will be screened in local CGV theaters, according to Netflix on Wednesday. Last year amid the pandemic, the number of people who visited local theaters plunged 74 percent from the previous year. It was the greatest decline since the Korean Film Council started compiling box office data in 2004. This drop led thriller “Time to Hunt,” direc

Aug. 25, 2021

EBS doc festival showcases daily life around the world

Selected documentaries from around the world are being presented at the 18th EBS International Documentary Festival 2021 until Sunday on public broadcaster EBS. EBS International Documentary Festival, which began Monday, is Korea’s only documentary festival that combines TV broadcasting with online and theater screenings. Under the slogan “normal is now special,” the EIDF seeks to send a hopeful message of overcoming the pandemic and documenting the slowly vanishing moments o

Aug. 24, 2021

Selections from 22nd Jeonju International Film Festival to be rescreened

The Jeonju International Film Festival will hold a special event, “ Falling in Jeonju,” from Sept. 9 to 12 to screen a selection of films that drew great attention during the film festival that was held from April 29 to May 8. Thirty movies -- 16 features and 14 short films -- that were screened during this year’s film fest will be presented. The opening film of the 22nd Jeonju IFF, “Father” directed by Srdan Golubovic, is included in the list of films to be scr

Aug. 24, 2021

[Herald Interview] Film on film: ‘The Rain Comes Soon’ is comedy about releasing movie during pandemic

It was a hot summer day last year when director Ko Bong-soo decided to start making his new comedy film, “The Rain Comes Soon,” about a director who releases a film during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Since the virus outbreak, many people had been saying that they felt depressed. As a filmmaker, I thought about what I could do to make the situation better. Since my specialty is making comedy films, I decided to make people laugh,” Ko said during an interview with The Korea H

Aug. 23, 2021

Action thriller 'Hostage' tops S. Korean box office over weekend

The South Korean action thriller "Hostage: Missing Celebrity" topped the local weekend box office in its first week of release, data showed Monday. The movie about the kidnapping of star Hwang Jung-min garnered a combined 454,000 ticket sales over the Friday to Saturday period, bringing its combined total to over 638,000 since its release last Wednesday, according to data from the Korean Film Council. The disaster comedy film "Sinkhole" dropped to second place with 326,000

Aug. 23, 2021

[Herald Interview] ‘Sinkhole,’ disaster movie with comedy twist: Cha Seung-won

Veteran actor Cha Seung-won, 51, is not afraid of challenges. When choosing movies, he tries to pick something out of the ordinary. “I don’t like films that have a single genre. I am into stories with twists. I liked ‘Sinkhole’ because it is a movie about the disaster, but there are comedy elements to it. I love how humor is being used in an extreme situation,” Cha emphasized during an interview via Zoom with a group of local reporters. “It was really funny

Aug. 20, 2021

Politically censored S. Korean films to be released online

The Korean Film Archive announced that it will sequentially post a collection of South Korea’s earlier films censored by the state through the Korean Movie Database online history archive center, starting Thursday. The KOFA received donations and preserved some 10,000 materials regarding censorship from the Korea Council for Performing Arts Promotion, the predecessor of the current Korea Media Rating Board, from the mid-1950s to the mid-1990s. In the past, the materials had only been avai

Aug. 20, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Sinkhole (Korea) Opened Aug. 11 Comedy Directed by Kim Ji-hoon Although he has an annoying neighbor (Cha Seung-won), office worker Dong-won (Kim Sung-kyun) is very happy that he finally has become a homeowner after saving up for more than 10 years. Dong-won invites his co-workers over to his new place for a housewarming party, but the next morning the building falls into a giant sinkhole. The Suicide Squad (US) Opened Aug. 4 Action Directed by James Gunn Intelligence officer Amanda Waller (Vi

Aug. 20, 2021