BUSAN -- Christoph Terhechte, the recipient of this year’s Korean Cinema Award, says he’s become “addicted” to the films of auteur Hong Sang-soo. “It seems like he’s making the same film over and over again, but with beautiful variations, enlarging the picture with every film he makes. You want to see more of his universe,” he tells The Korea Herald in an interview Saturday at the Busan Cinema Center.Terhechte, who since 2001 has been head of programming for the Berlin International Film Festiva

Film Oct. 16, 2017

BUSAN -- The 22nd edition of the Busan International Film Festival, running through Oct. 21, was in full swing over the weekend. Cinemagoers say the overall mood had been significantly more festive than that of the previous year, when a political struggle and boycott clouded the festival. “The programming is richer, and you can tell how much effort went into planning,” said Park Yoon-seon, 28, who worked at BIFF four years ago and attends every year. “There are more films, more guests and more i

Film Oct. 15, 2017

 BUSAN -- President Moon Jae-in on Sunday addressed the political turmoil that has shaken the Busan International Film Festival in recent years, in a surprise visit to the festival.　“No other international culture and arts event has had the success of BIFF. It’s become one of the world’s top five film festivals and Asia’s signature film festival,” Moon said at the Busan Cinema Center.　“It’s developed this much and has made Busan a city of film. But it pained me to hear that BIFF has shrunk due t

Film Oct. 15, 2017

BUSAN -- Hong Kong director John Woo and actress Ha Ji-won, who stars in Woo’s latest action thriller “Manhunt,” met with Korean reporters at the Busan International Film Festival.　“I plan to keep doing action films,” said Woo, recognized as a master of the Hong Kong action genre, at a press conference at the Busan Cinema Center on Saturday.　“I think it’s a very appealing type of movie. It makes you feel energy, you can work with lots of different people and it’s a challenge. You can also expres

Film Oct. 14, 2017

BUSAN -- A virtual reality theater is running 36 films at the Busan Cinema Center during this year’s Busan International Film Festival, running through Oct. 21.　Seven booths featuring the Galaxy Gear VR and Oculus Rift have been installed on the first floor of the center. Visitors watch films as they are seated on special chairs that allow them to freely view the films in every direction. Visitors lined up to experience the VR films, which are available for viewing every hour on the hour from 10

Film Oct. 13, 2017

BUSAN -- Director Darren Aronofsky joined the list of Hollywood figures denouncing Harvey Weinstein’s history of sexually harassing actresses at the Busan International Film Festival on Friday. “Sexual abuse of any type anywhere is unacceptable, unlawful, disgusting and needs to be battled by everyone. Men and women have to have absolutely no tolerance for it,” he told reporters at a press conference at the Busan Cinema Center. Bigwig producer Weinstein, who was exposed last week for sexually ha

Film Oct. 13, 2017

BUSAN -- Sundance Film Festival co-founder Sterling Van Wagenen joined the growing number of film industry insiders speaking out against film producer Harvey Weinstein, whose long history of sexual harassment has shaken up Hollywood.“I think it’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Sterling told The Korea Herald in Busan on Friday, addressing revelations made by the New York Times and New Yorker as well as numerous actresses. Sterling Van Wagenen speaks with The Korea Herald at Novotel Ambassador Haeu

Film Oct. 13, 2017

Since its founding in 1996, the Busan International Film Festival has marked the transition from summer to fall in Korea. Asia’s largest film festival is screening some 298 films from 75 countries from Thursday to Oct. 21 this year. The main categories are New Currents, which awards the two best feature films by up-and-coming Asian directors; Gala Presentation, the screening of works by master filmmakers; and A Window on Asian Cinema, which showcases films that push boundaries by Asian directors

Film Oct. 13, 2017

BUSAN -- The 22nd Busan International Film Festival officially opened Thursday evening at the Busan Cinema Center, the mood considerably lighter than last year, when political turmoil and a boycott by Korean filmmakers shadowed the event.Crowds filled the outdoor stage where the opening ceremony took place despite drizzle and wind. The red carpet featured a significantly busier array of celebrities than in 2016, including prominent Korean actors such as Son Ye-jin, Cho Jin-woong and Moon So-ri.

Film Oct. 12, 2017

Korean fans have pinpointed the source of K-pop celebrities’ charm: the contrast between stars’ onstage and offstage personas.Online K-pop fan communities have been recently flooded with compilations of clips featuring stars, from EXO’s Baekyun to BTS’ V, and their different attitudes on and off stage.Wanna One’s Kang Daniel, who is enjoying massive popularity after nabbing first place in the second season of the K-pop idol audition program “Produce 101,” is said to embody the epitome of such co

Performance Oct. 11, 2017

Hyun Bin and Yoo Ji-tae embark on an unusual partnership in the upcoming film “The Swindlers.” Hyun plays Hwang Ji-sung, a scam artist who only pulls tricks on other scammers. Yoo plays prosecutor Park Hee-soo, who teams up with Hwang to catch another notorious scam artist. “What I talked about the most with the director was how to express the fluidity of the character,” Hyun said at a press conference Wednesday. “The setup that he only scams other scammers was interesting. Hyun Bin (left) and Y

Film Oct. 11, 2017

A documentary that sheds light on the ardent defenders of impeached former President Park Geun-hye will hit theaters on Oct. 26 -- the date of her military dictator father’s 1979 assassination. The film’s title is “Mis-President.” When said out loud, the first syllable is intentionally meant to be mistaken for either “miss” or “myth,” director Kim Jae-hwan said a press statement issued Tuesday. 　“I explained to a foreign correspondent friend that the generation that shares the ‘myth’ of Park Chu

Film Oct. 11, 2017

Hollywood has been shaken by last week’s New York Times expose on major film producer Harvey Weinstein‘s alleged history of sexual harassment of actresses and employees spanning nearly three decades. Weinstein has since been fired from the Weinstein Company, which he cofounded, and actresses, film industry insiders and friends have been voicing their opinions on the issue, condemning or defending the film industry bigwig. The so-called “couch casting,” where actresses are forced to trade sexual

Film Oct. 10, 2017

Using Korean words has risen as a trend among K-pop and K-drama fans worldwide. Certain words and slang that recur frequently in Korean popular culture are being incorporated into the everyday language of fans. Such words include “oppa,” the term females use to affectionately call older males, and “aegyo,” which refers to a display of cuteness. Korean words are sometimes altered for an English-friendly spelling and pronunciation. “Kyeopta” (originally pronounced “gwiyeopda”) means “that’s cute,”

Culture Oct. 9, 2017

Korean director Lee Jae-gyu (also known as J. Q. Lee) will be remaking the 2016 film “Perfect Strangers” by Italian director Paolo Genovese, local media reported Monday.　Lee made his directorial debut in 2014 with the historical drama “The Fatal Encounter,” based on the assassination attempt on King Jeongjo and starring Hyun Bin. He also directed hit television drama series such as 2008’s “Beethoven Virus” and 2012’s “The King 2 Hearts.” 　“Perfect Strangers” (Medusa Film)The original “Perfect St

Film Oct. 9, 2017