Youn Yuh-jung bags 20th trophy in US for her role in ‘Minari’

Youn Yuh-jung bags 20th trophy in US for her role in ‘Minari’ Veteran actor Youn Yuh-jung took home her 20th best supporting actress trophy in the US for her performance in “Minari,” an American film written and directed by Korean American filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung. She was recognized by the National Board of Review on Wednesday for the realistic portrayal of a Korean grandmother who comes to a farm in rural Arkansas to babysit her two grandchildren, while her daughte

Jan. 27, 2021

COVID-19 deals blow to S. Korea's indie, arthouse film scene

As the protracted novel coronavirus pandemic has affected every cultural sector in South Korea, the independent and arthouse film circle is on the verge of losing ground amid closures of festivals and corporate restructuring. Organizers of the Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival (MSFF) announced that it will no longer hold the annual festival starting this year, saying that it is the time to seek ways to navigate the fast-changing media industry. The 19th edition of MSFF was held online in June

Jan. 26, 2021

Pixar's animated film 'Soul' brings moviegoers back to theaters

Pixar's latest animated film "Soul" has been jazzing up South Korean movie theaters, which have been nearly empty for months due to the resurgence of the novel coronavirus, data showed Monday. Released last Wednesday, "Soul" attracted 303,000 people over the Friday-Sunday period, raising its total admissions to 400,000, according to box office data by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). Directed by Pete Docter, the fantasy comedy drama is a story about Joe Gardner, a middle sc

Jan. 25, 2021

Hyun Bin to return as North Korean agent in ‘Confidential Assignment’ sequel

CJ ENM on Friday announced that Hyun Bin will join the sequel of the Korean comedy-action film “Confidential Assignment” and play North Korean agent Lim Cheol-ryeong again. Released in January 2017, the original “Confidential Assignment” was a movie about an inter-Korean secret police mission. The film at the time garnered more than 7.81 million viewers. Hyun Bin’s character Lim in the previous film was dispatched to South Korea to capture his superior Cha Ki-se

Jan. 22, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Soul (US) Opened Jan. 20 Animation Directed by Pete Docter Joe Gardner, a middle school music teacher, dreams of becoming a jazz musician. One day, Joe auditions for the band of jazz legend Dorothea Williams. Impressed with Joe’s piano playing, Dorothea offers him a chance to perform later that night. As Joe heads off to prepare for the show, he falls down a manhole and ends up in the “Great Before.”  Iamhere (France) Opened Jan. 14 Drama Directed by Eric Lartigau Ste

Jan. 22, 2021

Blue Dragon Film Awards to be held on Feb. 9

The 42nd Blue Dragon Film Awards, which were postponed last year due to the spread of COVID-19, will be held on Feb. 9, the awards’ organizers said Tuesday. The awards ceremony, one of the most prestigious film events here, was to have been held on Dec. 11 but it was postponed indefinitely due to the spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in late 2020. “The Man Standing Next” has been nominated for 10 awards, followed by “Deliver Us from Evil” for eight awards,

Jan. 19, 2021

KOFIC to launch English website promoting Korean actors

The Korean Film Council on Tuesday announced that it will start the “Korean Actor 200” global campaign to promote Korean actors overseas. A total of 200 actors -- 100 women and 100 men — have been selected for the campaign based on such criteria as domestic and international film awards received. An English-language website featuring the selected actors will launch in March, the state-run film organization said, and will include 200 videos that show the actors’ careers

Jan. 19, 2021

Moon So-ri to return to big screen as eager-to-please middle child

Veteran actor Moon So-ri is returning to the big screen as a middle child of three sisters, a devout Christian who always tries to please the pastor, in the upcoming movie “Three Sisters.” During a press conference held at the CGV Yongsan movie theater in Seoul on Monday, Moon said she had some difficulty understanding her character Mi-yeon at first. “I have one younger brother and no sisters. I never attended church either,” Moon said. She added that she attended chur

Jan. 19, 2021

CJ CGV hopes to attract video gamers to theaters

  Are you tired of playing video games on your small TV screen? CJ CGV, the country‘s largest cinema chain, on Saturday officially launched its console game platform business AzitX, which will allow video gamers to play at 34 local movie theaters, including CGV Yongsan in central Seoul. CGV said it launched an AzitX pilot service for five days at four local theaters, including CGV Ilsan, and received positive feedback. “We saw that AzitX was popular among many people who wa

Jan. 17, 2021

'Parasite' director Bong Joon-ho to head Venice Film Fest jury

  Bong Joon-ho, writer-director of Oscar-winning South Korean film "Parasite," will preside over the main jury of this year's Venice International Film Festival, according to the festival's website Friday. Bong will serve as the president of the International Jury of the Competition at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, scheduled to take place from Sept. 1-11 at Venice Lido in Italy, the website of La Biennale di Venezia, the festival's organizing body, said. Bong was

Jan. 15, 2021

‘Minari’ to hit local screens in March

Multiple-award winning film “Minari” will be released in Korea in March, the film‘s distributor Pancinema announced Friday. The first official Korean poster for “Minari” was posted on social media with a hashtag confirming the March release. No specific has been announced, however. “Minari,” directed by Korean American Lee Isaac Chung, is a semiautobiographical film showing the life of first-generation immigrant Koreans pursuing the American dream. Th

Jan. 15, 2021

Short film festival folds in its 20th year

The Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival has announced that this year will be its last, with no competition to be held this year, to the surprise of many preparing for the festival. “In the drastically changing movie industry because of COVID-19 that has continued since last year and changes to the theater and media environment, short films and the festival are contemplating what role they should play,” the MSFF executive committee said in a statement on social media on Wednesday. &l

Jan. 15, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Wonder Woman 1984 (US) Opened Dec. 23 Action Directed by Patty Jenkins In 1984, the title character Diana (Gal Gadot) works at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington while performing heroic deeds. One day, Diana unknowingly uses a stone to wish her deceased lover Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) back to life. However, new enemies also emerge, preying on humanity’s desires. Diana is now the only hope of saving the world.　  In the Mood for Love　 (China) Reopened Dec. 24 Romance Directed

Jan. 15, 2021

Director Chung says theme of universal humanity in 'Minari' resonates with American audience

Korean American director Lee Isaac Chung said the growing compliments showered on his latest immigrant film "Minari" represents people's faith in humanity that everyone harbors deeply in mind. In an online conversation hosted by Korean American actress Sandra Oh as part of the Korean American Day celebration Wednesday (US time), he said the movie was not just a tale of a Korean immigrant family based on his childhood experience but also a story of an individual struggling with everyda

Jan. 14, 2021

Kim Young-jin selected as new head of KOFIC

Kim Young-jin selected new head of KOFIC Kim Young-jin, former vice director of the Korean Film Council, has been selected as the new chairman of the state-funded film organization. Kim was chosen through a vote by the nine KOFIC committee members during the committee‘s first regular meeting Monday. His term of office runs through Jan. 3, 2022. “We will seek a practical support plan to overcome the difficult times of COVID-19, and also focus on presenting a blueprint for respon

Jan. 13, 2021

Youn Yuh-jung continues to capture US film critics’ heart

Veteran actor Youn Yuh-jung won three more best supporting actress trophies from US film critic circles -- the San Diego Film Critics Society, Music City Film Critics Association and the DiscussingFilm Critic Awards -- for her role in “Minari.” So far, Youn has won a total of 11 best supporting actress awards given by US film critics circles and festivals, including the Columbus Film Critics, Oklahoma Film Critics Circle and the North Carolina Film Critics. Drama film’s dire

Jan. 13, 2021

‘Wonder Woman’ fails to save Korean movie theaters

  The number of moviegoers over the weekend dropped to a new record low last week, according to data from the Korean Film Council. A total of 80,735 people went to theaters from Friday to Sunday last week, a deep plunge from 149,000 a week earlier. Over the three days, “Wonder Woman 1984,” directed by Patty Jenkins, topped the local box office with attendance of just 26,000. The Hollywood superhero movie has been dominating the local box office, with the accumulated number

Jan. 11, 2021

Korean director Im Sang-soo to make Hollywood debut

South Korean director Im Sang-soo, whose latest feature "Heaven: To The Land of Happiness" was selected by Cannes last year, will make his directorial debut in Hollywood, a production company here said Monday. He will take the helm of "Soho Sins," co-produced by US production studio 2W Network Entertainment, according to Yeolmae Entertainment. The film is based on the novel of the same title written by Richard Vine, the managing editor of the magazine Art in America. It fea

Jan. 11, 2021

Could S. Korean actress Youn receive Oscar nod for supporting role in 'Minari'?

As the immigration film "Minari," directed by Korean American Lee Isaac Chung, has been on a roll in the award season, hopes are high that its supporting South Korean actress Youn Yuh-jung could get an Oscar nod. Youn, who took the role of the eccentric grandmother in Chung's semi-autobiographical film, has won a total of seven best supporting actress trophies in US film critics circles and festivals including the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle, the North Carolina Film Critics and the B

Jan. 8, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Wonder Woman 1984 (US) Opened Dec. 23 Action Directed by Patty Jenkins In 1984, title character Diana (Gal Gadot) works at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington while performing heroic deeds. One day Diana unknowingly uses a stone to wish her deceased lover Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) back to life. However, her enemies also appear, and they want to destroy humanity. Diana is now the only hope of saving the world. In the Mood for Love　 (China) Reopened Dec. 24 Romance Directed by Wong Kar-w

Jan. 8, 2021