Megabox to look for startups’ ideas to attract more moviegoers

Megabox, a South Korean multiplex operator, on Sunday announced that it would join hands with the Korea International Trade Association to hold a startup meet up event to find a partner with fresh ideas in May. “We joined hands to respond to the industrial ecosystem, which changed after COVID-19 broke out, as well as look for a new growth engine together,” Megabox official said in a statement. The Korean multiplex operator said it will mainly look for startups with new business i

March 14, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Raya and the Last Dragon (US) Opened March 4 Animation Directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada, Donald Hall In the world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. As villainous monsters known as the Druun started attacking the land, magical dragons united their forces and sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Five hundred years later, the monsters have returned and it‘s now up to warrior Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) to save Kumandra. Minari (US) Opened March 3 Drama Directed by L

March 12, 2021

'Minari' earns 6 nominations at British Academy Film Awards

"Minari," a drama film about a Korean American immigrant family, has been nominated in six categories at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards. In the nominations for the upcoming 2021 BAFTA Film Awards announced Tuesday (British time), "Minari" directed by Korean American Lee Isaac Chung was listed in the categories of best director, best film not in the English language, best casting, best supporting actor, best supporting actress and best original

March 10, 2021

Hybrid 2021 ASEAN Cinema Week to screen 15 films starting Friday

ASEAN Culture House, run by the Korea Foundation, will host the 2021 ASEAN Cinema Week, screening 15 films from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, both in theaters and via online platforms from Friday to March 25. This is the second year that the ASEAN Culture House, located in Busan, is holding the cinema week. The event aims to present new perspectives on Southeast Asian culture through the films. The films selected this year reflect diverse cultures and traditions fr

March 9, 2021

'Minari' wins best foreign language film at Critics Choice Awards

"Minari," a drama film about a Korean American immigrant family, has won two prizes, including best foreign language film, at this year's Critics Choice Awards. In the awarding ceremony of the annual 26th Critics Choice Awards held Sunday (US time), the best foreign language film award went to "Minari," directed by Korean American Lee Isaac Chung, beating "Another Round," "Collective," "La Llorona," "The Life Ahead" and "Two Of Us

March 8, 2021

Weekend box office hits 4-month high thanks to 'Minari'

South Korea's box office hit a four-month high over the weekend on the back of upbeat performance by the award-winning US immigration film "Minari," data showed Monday. A combined 524,000 people went to theaters from Friday to Sunday, according to the data by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). It is the largest three-day weekend figure since the second weekend of November, when the box office posted a total of 580,000 moviegoers before the third wave of the novel coronavirus pandemic s

March 8, 2021

Hong Sang-soo wins third Silver Bear at Berlinale with ‘Introduction’

Director Hong Sang-soo won the Silver Bear for best screenplay at the Berlin International Film Festival for his 25th feature film, “Introduction,” on Friday. The three-part movie, starring Shin Seok-ho, Park Mi-so and Kim Min-hee, revolves around a young man named Young-ho’s journey to visit his father, his lover and his mother. “More than telling a story, or advancing a narration with efficiency, this script fabricates those momentary intervals between one action and

March 7, 2021

Hybrid JEONJU film fest to kick off April 29

The 22nd edition of the JEONJU International Film Festival will be held from April 29 to May 8, under the slogan “Film Goes On.” Last year, the 21st edition of the international film fest, which was initially scheduled to commence April 30, was pushed back once and then was forced to be held behind closed doors in May due to the spread of COVID-19. The organizer at the time held a hybrid event, going both online and offline, for 114 days. This year’s festival will also be a h

March 6, 2021

Korean director Hong Sang-soo wins best screenplay for 'Introduction' at Berlin film fest

South Korean director Hong Sang-soo on Friday won best screenplay at the Berlin International Film Festival for his latest film, "Introduction." At the announcement of this year's winners streamed online, the director's 25th feature film was awarded the Silver Bear prize for best screenplay at the 71st edition of the Berlin fest, which kicked off Monday for its five-day run in an online edition due to the pandemic. "More than telling a story, or advancing a narration with effic

March 5, 2021

Director Jero Yun comes back with indie film about North Korean defector ‘Fighter’

Director Jero Yun, who directed the film “Beautiful Days” about a mysterious North Korean woman refugee in 2017, has returned with “Fighter,” about a female North Korean defector living in South Korea. “I came up with the story for ‘Fighter,’ along with ‘Beautiful Days,’ back in 2012 when I was part of Cannes Film Festival’s residence program,” Yun said during a press conference held Thursday at Lotte Cinema in Gwangjin-gu, Seou

March 5, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Raya and the Last Dragon (US) Opened March 4 Animation Directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada, Donald Hall In the world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. As villainous monsters known as the Druun started attacking the land, magical dragons united their forces and sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Five hundred years later, the monsters have returned and it‘s now up to a warrior Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) to save Kumandra. Minari (US) Opened March 3 Drama Directed

March 5, 2021

‘Seobok’ to be released simultaneously on Tving, in theaters in April

A film about the first human clone “Seobok,” starring actors Gong Yoo and Park Bo-gum, will be released simultaneously on Korean streaming platform Tving and in theaters on April 15. The upcoming film was initially set to be released in theaters last December but the film’s distributor CJ Entertainment had to delay the release due to COVID-19. “Seobok” depicts the story of Ki-hun (Gong Yoo), an ex-intelligence agent, who receives a mission from the director of t

March 3, 2021

Top movie stars choose small screen amid COVID-19

More and more top Korean movie stars are opting for TV dramas mainly due to the prolonged difficult situation the local film industry has been going through since COVID-19 broke out early last year. Not only movie stars that occasionally have been making the switch to TV shows, but also those who had been appearing only on the big screen for years are making the switch. In December last year, veteran actor Hwang Jung-min, star of multiple megahit films like “Ode to My Father” and

March 2, 2021

Local comedy 'Mission: Possible' thrives at Feb. box office

The homegrown action comedy "Mission: Possible" thrived at the South Korean box office last month amid a monthlong drought of new releases, data showed Tuesday. Released on Feb. 17, the comedy film starring Lee Sun-bin and Kim Young-kwang garnered a total of 331,000 attendees in February alone, according to the data by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). It ranked third at the monthly box office, following the Disney-Pixar drama "Soul" with more than 1.8 million attendees and

March 2, 2021

‘Minari’ wins best foreign film at Golden Globes

Following the epic win of “Parasite” last year, “Minari,” a film by a Korean American director, won for best foreign-language film at the Golden Globe Awards on Monday. A semi-autobiographical story by auteur Lee Isaac Chung, the film tells the story of a Korean American family seeking the American dream in rural Arkansas in the 1980s, featuring actors Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Youn Yuh-Jung and more. In a virtual ceremony held in Los Angeles and New York on Sunday even

March 1, 2021

'Minari', meeting ground between Korean immigrant story, American farming story

Ahead of the March 3 theatrical release of Lee Isaac Chung’s “Minari,” the cast and director shared the joy and surprise at the reception of the film. The movie won 74 awards in film festivals around the world, and Youn has won 26 awards for best supporting actress so far. “Minari” depicts the story of an immigrant family of four from Korea who move to the middle of the US in Arkansas. Jacob, played by Yeun, and Monica, played by Han Ye-ri, pursue their American d

Feb. 26, 2021

Master of period films returns with ‘Book of Fish’

Director Lee Joon-ik, a master of period films who directed “Dong-ju: The Portrait of a Poet,” “Anarchist from Colony” and more, is back with his latest work “The Book of Fish.” The film centers around the real-life character of Jeong Yak-jeon, the brother of scholar Jeong Yak-yong. Both brothers were leading scholars from the Joseon era. While living in exile on the remote southern Heuksan Island in South Jeolla Province, Jeong Yak-jeon meets a young fishe

Feb. 26, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Chaos Walking (US) Opened Feb. 24 Action Directed by Doug Liman In a not-too-distant future, there is a planet called “New World” where only men live and all living creatures can hear each other‘s thoughts in a stream of images, words and sounds called Noise. One day, Todd Hewitt (Tom Holland) discovers Viola (Daisy Ridley), who crashed into the planet. The two start questioning the dystopian world and make plans to escape from it. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (UK) Re

Feb. 26, 2021

Actor Han Ye-ri says ‘Minari’ did not take the easy way

South Korean actor Han Ye-ri said she feels a bit nervous hearing Korean audiences’ response to her upcoming US film “Minari” as it does not have a clear plot sequence consisting of a beginning, a middle and an end. “This movie did not take the easy way of making a provocative story,” Han told reporters during a joint media interview on Tuesday, conducted via Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather, “Minari” calmly presents a universal and relatable

Feb. 24, 2021

Berlinale-bound ‘Fighter’ set for release next month

Film director Jero Yun’s “Fighter”, which has been invited to compete at the 71st Berlin Film Festival, will be released in local theaters on March 18. “Fighter” depicts the story of North Korean refugee Jin-ah (Lim Seong-mi) who is always exhausted from her part-time jobs. One day, Jin-ah discovers boxing and finds meaning to her life through the sport. Yun’s new movie was invited to compete in the Generation 14plus category at the Berlinale, which is a c

Feb. 22, 2021