The director of the upcoming Korean action film “Tomb of the River” Yoon Young-bin said he got the idea for the film’s script from the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The movie’s Korean title, “Gangneung,” is the name of a city in Gangwon Province, on South Korea’s east coast. The city is also adjacent to PyeongChang. “After Korea was liberated, Gangneung never received any development assistance,” Yoon said during a brief press confere

Film Nov. 1, 2021

“Neighbours,” a film by Kurdish Swiss director Mano Khalil, won the Best Picture Award at the Gangneung International Film Festival, which ended Sunday. During the 10-day festival, which kicked off Oct. 22 with Albert Birney’s “Strawberry Mansion,” 116 films from 42 countries were screened at five theaters in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on South Korea’s east coast.   The winners of the International Narrative Competition Awards, created last year, wer

Film Nov. 1, 2021

Pope Francis appointed Bishop Peter Chung Soon-taek as the new Catholic archbishop for Seoul on Thursday. Chung, 60, was also appointed as apostolic administrator of Pyongyang. “God is truly ‘beyond.’ He acts far beyond our human thoughts, so we cannot predict or estimate his plans or thoughts in advance,” Chung said. “I ask for many people to pray for me so that I can follow the path of the wonderful former archbishops and spread pastoral care.” He was

Culture Oct. 29, 2021

Halloween dessert at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul In the spirit of Halloween, Four Seasons Hotel Seoul is offering Halloween desserts and children’s programs in October. A Halloween dessert made by executive pastry chef Alexandre Chersouly is available until Sunday at the hotel’s lobby lounge, Maru, and at the cafe Confections by Four Seasons. The eye-catching bat-shaped dessert features crunchy hazelnut, smooth chocolate sponge cake, and creamy pumpkin and chocolate mousse. It fill

Travel Oct. 29, 2021

Dune (US) Opened Oct. 20 Science fiction Directed by Denis Villeneuve In the year 10191, Paul Atreides (Timothy Chalamet) is born into a great destiny beyond his understanding. In his dream, he meets a strange woman from the dangerous desert planet Arrakis. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over Arrakis’ exclusive supply of precious resources that could unlock humanity’s great potential, Paul and his family receive an order to head to the planet.  Venom: Let There Be C

Film Oct. 29, 2021

The winners of this year’s TV Movie Golden Bird Prize at the Seoul International Drama Awards talked about the main topic of their film, “Federica Montseny, the Woman Who Speaks”: compromising one’s ideology to achieve a bigger goal. The Spanish film, co-written by Russo Felsen Rafael Eduardo and Mireia Llinas Ventura, is based on a true story. It depicts the life of Spanish anarchist leader Federica Montseny (played by Marcia Cistero), who went on to serve as the countr

Film Oct. 24, 2021

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (US) Opened Oct. 13 Action Directed by Andy Serkis Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) struggles to adjust to life as the host of the alien Venom. One day, serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) escapes from prison after becoming the host of Carnage, a chaotic spawn of Venom. With Kasady and Carnage on the loose, the city turns to chaos. Stillwater (US) Opened Oct. 6 Thriller Directed by Tom McCarthy  Bill (Matt Damon) visits France to meet his daughter Allison (A

Film Oct. 22, 2021

For those who were disappointed by the cancellation of regional festivals amid COVID-19, this weekend will be a great opportunity to experience South Korea’s regional specialties while walking through Seoul’s Gyeongbokgung. As part of the Royal Culture Festival, an exhibition consisting of seven special zones on the palace grounds showcases products from different regions of the country. Visitors can take Instagramable photos while enjoying 2,142 art pieces from 27 teams of artists

Travel Oct. 21, 2021

A special exhibition “Remembering Lee Hong-kun in the Autumn of 2021” is being held at the Lee Hong-kun Gallery of the National Museum of Korea. The exhibition, which will run through the end of this year, is being held to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of donator Lee Hong-kun’s exhibition hall at NMK back in 1981. “At the time, 4,941 artworks were thought to have been donated,” NMK curator Lee Su-kyung said. After receiving them, the museum sort

Arts & Design Oct. 20, 2021

The 13th Seoul International Music Festival will be held from Oct. 23 to 30 with the theme “Amusement Park.” The festival will take place across Seoul, including the Seoul Arts Center and the Lotte Concert Hall. During the press conference held on Wednesday in Gangnam, SIMF artistic director Ryu Jae-joon explained that the theme of the festival was decided when the pandemic just broke out last year. “We selected our theme last year, thinking that things would be back to no

Performance Oct. 17, 2021

The 26th Busan International Film Festival wrapped up its 10-day run on Friday at the Busan Cinema Center, with the closing ceremony hosted by two Korean rookie actors -- Lee Jun-hyuk and Lee Joo-young. This year‘s BIFF, which opened Oct. 6, screened 223 films from 70 countries offline at six selected theaters in Busan. This change was significant as the BIFF organizer held a much scaled-down event last year in light of COVID protocols. Each film was also screened only once at the Busan

Film Oct. 15, 2021

Stillwater (US) Opened Oct. 6 Thriller Directed by Tom McCarthy Bill (Matt Damon) visits France to meet his daughter Allison (Abigail Breslin), who is five years into serving a nine-year prison sentence. She is in prison for killing her roommate and unfaithful lover Lina while attending university in France. When Bill meets his daughter he discovers that she could be innocent and tries to find a way to prove it with a French woman named Virginie (Camille Cottin). No Time To Die (US) Opened Sept

Film Oct. 15, 2021

Disney+, which will launch its service in Korea on Nov. 12, on Thursday revealed seven new Korean shows that will be available on its platform. The lineup is part of Disney’s plan to create over 50 Asia Pacific original contents by 2023. “For many decades, the Walt Disney Company has been entertaining consumers and has been an integral part of the local creative ecosystem,” Luke Kang, president of the Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific, said at the start of the press event. &l

Television Oct. 14, 2021

Director Longman Leung said he hopes to shed light on legendary Hong Kong singer and actor Anita Mui through his film “Anita,” which closes the 26th Busan International Film Festival on Friday. “First of all, I hope that people who grew up with Anita Mui don’t criticize me (after watching the film). Also, I hope that people who are around my age start to miss her,” the director said during an online press conference, organized by BIFF, Wednesday. “Lastly, I h

Film Oct. 14, 2021

With the global success of Korean content such as Netflix’s “Squid Game,” streaming companies are expressing heightened interest in working with content creators here. Disney+, which will launch its streaming platform service in Korea on Nov. 12, also said it is ready to expand its partnership with Korean content makers. “Disney is a global entertainment company that has been playing an important role in many regional markets including Korea. Based on this experience,

Film Oct. 14, 2021