The Seoul Independent Film Festival will introduce Korean independent movies during the 4th Indie & Doc Korean Cinema Fest, which will be held from June 1-13 in Madrid, Spain. To mark the 10th anniversary of the Korean Cultural Center in Madrid, Spain, this year’s annual Korean indie film fest will double in size and screen 18 movies, according to the event organizer. The fourth edition of the festival will have three sections -- a short films section with the theme of people and t

Film May 24, 2021

Actor Seo In-guk is returning to the big screen as a leader of a ragtag team of oil thieves in the upcoming comedy-crime film “Pipeline,” directed by Yoo Ha. “I was surprised that a movie about this topic is being created,” Seo said during the press conference Thursday that followed a press screening. “I was not familiar with the concept of thieves that steal oil from the pipeline. I have never seen any Korean movie with a similar subject.” In the new movie

Film May 23, 2021

Fast & Furious 9 (US) Opened May 19 Action Directed by Justin Lin Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) finds out that his younger brother Jakob (John Cena), a deadly assassin, is working with Cipher (Charlize Theron) to put the world in danger. To prevent this, Dominic gathers his family once again to create an amazing plan for a counter-attack. 　 The Courier (US) Opened April 28 Thriller Directed by Dominic Cooke In 1960, Soviet agent Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze) has a letter containing imp

Film May 21, 2021

The Korean streaming platform dedicated to presenting women’s cinema, Purplay, will screen movies from the 9th Diaspora Film Festival for three days starting from Friday without charge. Eighteen movies will be streamed on Purplay, which accounts for 30 percent of the total of 58 movies that were selected for the festival this year. The streaming platform has two separate sections for this year’s Diaspora Film Festival -– Diaspora in Focus and Diaspora Shorts. This year&r

Film May 20, 2021

For actor Gong Seung-yeon, an extrovert who enjoys hanging out with different people, her character Jin-ah in “Aloners,” who tries to avoid any personal interaction with others, was not easy to understand. “I did not understand why she had to be so extreme,” Gong told local reporters during a joint media interview at the Korean Film Council’s office in Mapo, Seoul. “As the story developed I could understand her gradually. I hope audiences also experience thi

Film May 18, 2021

On the morning of May 27, 1980, Norman Knute Thorpe, a correspondent for the Asian Wall Street Journal, walked into the South Jeolla Provincial Office in South Korea. The dead bodies of young men lay on the floor, blood splattered here and there. Before the Korean military could clean up, Thorpe photographed the tragic scene. The bodies belonged to victims of military killings, following the Gwangju Democratic Uprising on May 18. Thorpe’s work is now accessible to the public through a

Culture May 17, 2021

A special pop-up store featuring traditional Korean items will open at Hyundai Department Store’s Apgujeong branch in Seoul on Monday, the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation said. The store will be a special space where visitors can view and purchase items made by those whose work have been declared as intangible cultural properties by the Korean government. “The pop-up store will catch the eyes of trendsetters who are interested in traditional items,” an official from the

Culture May 15, 2021

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Friday appointed poet Kwak Hyo-hwan as the new president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. His term will run through May 13, 2024. “With new president Kwak Hyo-hwan, we hope that LTI Korea expands its role as the key player in exporting Korean literature overseas,” a Culture Ministry official said. “The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will continue to reinforce our support for LTI Korea and boost global inte

Books May 14, 2021

Korean comedian Yoo Jae-suk and Lee Joon-ik, the director of period film “Book of Fish,” won the grand prizes in the TV and film categories respectively at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards. This year’s award ceremony took place at Kintex exhibition hall in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province on Thursday night and it was hosted by comedian Shin Dong-yup and singer-actress Suzy. Yoo, the winner of this year’s TV categories’ grand prize, was recognized for hosting multiple suc

Television May 14, 2021

Those Who Wish Me Dead (US) Opened May 5 Action Directed by Taylor Sheridan Smoke jumper Hannah Faber (Angelina Jolie) lives with trauma after failing to save three children from a wildfire. One day, in a forest, she meets Connor Casserly (Finn Little), a boy on the run from the two assassins who killed his father. Hannah has to help Connor get out of the forest safely. 　 The Courier (US) Opened April 28 Thriller Directed by Dominic Cooke In 1960, Soviet agent Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze) h

Film May 14, 2021

Actor Gong Seung-yeon says her new movie “Aloners,” directed by Hong Seung-eun, reflects the feelings of loneliness that we have all been experiencing since the COVID-19 spread started last year. “We filmed this movie before COVID-19. Now we have all become used to keeping distance from each other and this movie is about how we can live well through this situation,” Gong said during a press conference held after a screening of the film at Lotte Cinema in Gwangjin-gu, Se

Film May 13, 2021

Local multiplex operators on Wednesday urged the government to come up with more effective financial support plans for theaters that have been severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Representatives of the Korean Theater Association, as well as four local multiplex operators -- CGV, Lotte Cinema, Megabox and Cine Q -- gathered at Megabox Dongdaemun in Seoul to express their concerns about the plight they have been facing. “The movie industry is a competitive cultural business that can b

Film May 12, 2021

The Busan Cultural Foundation announced a “beachcombing project” on Tuesday to increase awareness about trash on the city’s beaches. Busan’s artists and other members of the community will pick up trash from the beaches, and will then work together to turn that trash into art. With this upcycling project, the foundation hopes to emphasize the importance of protecting the environment. Upcycling means using discarded materials to make high-value items. “As the

Culture May 11, 2021

K-pop girl group Loona will be promoting Korean culture abroad in 2021 as honorary ambassadors for the Korean Culture and Information Service. The 12 band members’ main role as honorary ambassadors is to take part in KOCIS events to promote South Korea’s global image as well as its pop culture content, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The girl group has already participated in promotional videos for the Talk Talk Korea contest organized by KOCIS. The video

K-pop May 10, 2021

The Cultural Heritage Administration appointed Choi Young-chang as the new chairman of the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation on Monday. His term of office runs through May 9, 2024. Choi succeeds Jin Ok-sub, who had served in the role since January 2018. Previously, Choi was the head of Jinju National Museum for five years. The museum conducts research, holds exhibitions and offers educational programs on East Asian societies, on the history of the 1592-1598 Imjin War between Joseon and Japa

Culture May 10, 2021