Ghost on baduk board

Troubled production heads to cinemas after co-star's fall from grace The press conference for "The Match" at Seoul's CGV Yongsan Friday convened with a conspicuous absence. The film's co-lead, Yoo Ah-in, was nowhere to be found — not in the posters decorating the venue, not in the carefully edited trailer shown to reporters, not on the stage alongside director Kim Hyung-ju and the cast. The erasure wasn't unexpected. Yoo, who was sentenced to one year in prison last September for drug use, was g

March 7, 2025

Landmark Korean blockbuster 'Shiri' gets 4K remaster

1999 spy thriller that sparked Korean cinema's blockbuster era returns to theaters March 19 "Shiri," the 1999 spy thriller that marked a watershed in Korean cinema, is set to return to theaters on March 19 in a 4K remastered version, distributor CJ ENM announced Thursday. Directed by Kang Je-kyu, "Shiri" follows South Korean intelligence agents Yu Jung-won (Han Suk-kyu) and Lee Jang-gil (Song Kang-ho) as they track North Korean operatives led by commander Park Mu-young (Choi Min-sik). The film b

March 7, 2025

Jun Ji-hyun returns to film after 10 years with Yeon Sang-ho’s new movie

Ji Chang-wook joins star-studded cast of 'Gunche' Actress Jun Ji-hyun is making her long-awaited return to the big screen after a decade, starring in Yeon Sang-ho’s latest film, “Gunche,” which recently began filming. The movie, titled after a Korean word for “colony,” is expected to premiere next year, according to its distributor ShowBox, Friday. This is Jun’s first collaboration with Yeon and her first film appearance since the 2015 blockbuster "Assassination," directed by Choi Dong-hoon. “Gu

March 7, 2025

Selling sex, selling dreams: Sex workers in Korean cinema

From "Western princesses" to hostesses — trace Korea's turbulent modern history through the stories of those who bore its heaviest costs When Sean Baker took home four statuettes at this year's Oscars—a feat unmatched since Walt Disney in 1954 —it cemented the director's reputation as cinema's preeminent chronicler of the sex worker community. His film "Anora," about a Brooklyn stripper whose fairy-tale marriage to a Russian oligarch's son unravels spectacularly, won five Oscars, with four going

March 6, 2025

Rising talents get spotlight at Korean Academy of Film Arts graduation film fest

38 works by academy graduates to be screened March 7-15 in Seoul and Busan The Korean Academy of Film Arts will host its annual Graduation Film Festival March 7-9 at Megabox Seongsu in Seoul, with an additional screening day on March 15 at the Korean Film Council's headquarters in Busan, organizers announced Tuesday. Under the slogan "Like a Movie," this year's festival will present 38 films from KAFA's latest graduates, offering audiences a first glimpse at Korea's emerging cinematic talents. T

March 4, 2025

Chanel X BIFF Asian Film Academy opens applications

Film training program seeks 24 emerging Asian filmmakers for collaboration during Busan International Film Festival Applications are now open for the 2025 Chanel X BIFF Asian Film Academy, a cornerstone educational program designed to nurture Asia's next generation of cinematic talent. Running Sept. 7-26, the initiative invites aspiring filmmakers from across Asia to apply before April 4. This year's program will welcome 24 participants from across Asia who will collaborate on short films slated

March 4, 2025

'Mickey 17' dominates Korea's holiday box office, topping 1 m admissions

Director Bong Joon-ho's "Mickey 17" dominated the South Korean box office over the extended March 1 Independence Movement Day holiday, drawing over 1 million viewers nationwide, according to data released Tuesday. The computerized box-office tally from the Korean Film Council showed that the Hollywood sci-fi black comedy attracted 1.04 million moviegoers from Friday to Monday. South Koreans enjoyed a three-day break, as Monday was designated an alternative holiday for the March 1 Independence Mo

March 4, 2025

Strip club Cinderella story 'Anora' wins best picture at 97th Academy Awards

Adrien Brody wins second best actor for 'Pianist,' Mikey Madison wins best actress for 'Anora' "Anora,” a strip club Cinderella story without the fairy tale ending, was crowned best picture at the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday, handing Sean Baker’s gritty, Brooklyn-set screwball farce Hollywood’s top prize. In a stubbornly fluctuating Oscar season, “Anora,” the Palme d’Or-winner at the Cannes Film Festival, emerged as the unlikely frontrunner. Baker’s tale of an erotic dancer who elopes with the

March 3, 2025

'Mickey 17' secures 68% of advance ticket sales on opening day

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's "Mickey 17" dominated advance ticket sales on the day of its premiere Friday, data showed. According to the Korean Film Council, the Hollywood sci-fi black comedy secured 319,000 reservations, capturing 68.5 percent of total bookings. Bong's latest film led by a wide margin, followed by the Korean animation "Exorcism Chronicles: The Beginning" at 5 percent and "Captain America: Brave New World" at 4.8 percent. "Mickey 17" is Bong's adaption of Edward Ashton's

Feb. 28, 2025

'Squid Game' season 2 most watched show in latter half of 2024 : Netflix

Netflix's engagement report shows latest viewership trend includes watching animated films, non-English content Netflix announced Thursday that the second season of "Squid Game" dominated global viewership in the latter half of 2024, despite premiering just six days before the year ended. According to Netflix’s latest engagement report, which tracks member viewership from July to December 2024, subscribers watched over 94 billion hours of content during this period — marking a 5 percent year-ove

Feb. 27, 2025

DMZ Docs showcases Park Soo-nam's unflinching lens

Zainichi filmmaker's lifetime documenting Japanese wartime atrocities takes center stage The DMZ International Documentary Film Festival (DMZ Docs) will mark the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule with a retrospective of Zainichi Korean filmmaker Park Soo-nam's complete works. This first-ever comprehensive showcase runs online Feb. 28-March 28 and will make all five of her documentaries freely accessible via the docuVoDA platform. A second-generation Korean Japane

Feb. 26, 2025

Yeon Sang-ho's 'Revelations' to be released on Netflix

'Train to Busan' director's latest supernatural thriller explores collision of faith, justice Director Yeon Sang-ho's new film "Revelations" will be released globally March 21 on Netflix. The supernatural thriller brings together Yeon and writer Choi Gyu-seok, who previously teamed up on "Hellbound." Drawn from the duo's 2022 webtoon of the same title, "Revelations" follows two characters pursuing truths through parallel investigations. Pastor Min-chan (Ryu Jun-yeol) believes he has tapped into

Feb. 25, 2025

Hong Sang-soo fails to clinch Golden Bear at 75th Berlinale

Pregnant Kim Min-hee seen accompanying Hong to Berlinale Renowned Korean filmmaker and Berlinale regular Hong Sang-soo fell short of winning the Golden Bear at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival on Saturday. Hong’s latest drama, "What Does That Nature Say to You," competed for the event's top honor. The film follows a young poet who takes his girlfriend to visit her parents, setting the stage for an intimate family encounter. The Golden Bear was awarded to Dag Johan Haugerud for "Dreams

Feb. 23, 2025

Kim Sae-ron's final film set for release

Kim Sae-ron's posthumous film "Everyday We Are" will premiere later this year, the film's director has confirmed to local media, following the actor's untimely death on Sunday. She was 24. Kim Min-jae, the film's director, is editing footage for the romance drama adapted from a webtoon of the same name, according to local media reports Thursday. No specific release date has been set, though the film is expected in the second half of 2025. The story follows Yeo-ul, a basketball-loving high school

Feb. 21, 2025

Bong Joon-ho still keen on human stories

'Parasite' director discusses 'Mickey 17,' his first film in six years, starring Robert Pattinson as expendable clones "I've never been freeloading," Bong Joon-ho quips with a mischievous glint. The Oscar-winning director is speaking to reporters at a hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday, discussing his first film in six years. "People might think I've been out of work, but I've been working on Mickey 17 and an animation project that's still in production. The studio keeps calling." The film "Mick

Feb. 21, 2025