Bong 'provides boundaries but loves you within them': Steven Yeun

'Mickey 17' cast discusses bringing humanity to Bong Joon-ho's meticulously crafted sci-fi vision "Mickey 17" rolled out its second wave of promo events at Seoul's Megabox Coex on Thursday, with director Bong Joon-ho showing up alongside Mark Ruffalo, Naomi Ackie, and Steven Yeun. Robert Pattinson had already swung through last month for his own press stint. The sci-fi tale, hitting Korean theaters Feb. 28, follows a disposable worker on a frozen planet who is freshly reprinted each time he bite

Feb. 20, 2025

MMCA Seoul screens eight-film series on creative process

From Picasso's canvas to Nam June Paik's screens, 'Moment of Creation' spotlights artists in their element The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea is screening eight documentaries that offer an intimate view of artists at work in a series entitled "Moment of Creation" at the MMCA Seoul's Film Theater through May 24. Headlining the program is "The Mystery of Picasso" (1956), in which Henri-Georges Clouzot captures the Spanish master's painting process in real-time. It is followe

Feb. 19, 2025

S. Korean box office shows mixed recovery in 2024: report

Domestic films rack up gains while foreign titles slump amid shift in audience habits South Korean theaters pulled in 1.19 trillion won ($911 million) and 123.1 million admissions in 2024, marking declines of 5.3 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively, from 2023, according to the Korean Film Council's annual industry report released Tuesday. These figures reflect an industry in a gradual recovery but still struggling to reach pre-pandemic levels, with theaters operating at roughly 60 percent of 2

Feb. 18, 2025

Actor Kim Sae-ron, 24, found dead

South Korean actor Kim Sae-ron was found dead at her home in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, police said Sunday. Kim was 24. Kim's friend discovered her body at her house and called the police at around 4:50 p.m. Sunday. The police are investigating the cause of her death, but said they had not discovered a sign of a break-in as of press time. Born in 2000, Kim debuted as a child actor in 2009. She rose to fame with her appearances in the 2010 film "The Man from Nowhere" and the 2012 thriller "The Neighbor

Feb. 16, 2025

Embattled Yang Ik-june takes stage at 'Confession' event

Movie director defends himself against last year’s assault allegations, while promoting his new thriller at pre-release event in Seoul as actor Movie director and actor Yang Ik-june showed up at Lotte Cinema in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday with an air of defiance. The "Breathless" (2008) actor-director, fresh off an investigation for allegedly assaulting a staff member in December, pulled off an almost playful swagger during his solo appearance at the pre-release screening for Nobuhiro Yamas

Feb. 12, 2025

Incheon's Diaspora Film Festival adds screening venue

Asia's only film fest dedicated to migration stories receives record number of submissions The Diaspora Film Festival, Asia's only film festival dedicated to migrant narratives, will unspool its 13th edition from May 16-20 across multiple historic venues in Incheon. The festival received a record number of submissions this year, with 790 entries competing for selection in the official program, which will screen 60-70 features and shorts across multiple genres throughout the five-day event. Organ

Feb. 12, 2025

'Even sci-fi can't match this': Bong Joon-ho on Korea's brush with martial law

Oscar winner's decades of political observations come full circle Even for auteur Bong Joon-ho, whose films have imagined everything from mutant river monsters to genetically engineered superpigs, South Korea's brush with martial law felt like science fiction run amok. When now-impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency powers on the night of Dec. 3, the Oscar-winning director found reality outpacing his wildest scenarios. "The whole thing was more surreal than any sci-fi film," Bong t

Feb. 10, 2025

Actor-director Yang Ik-june faces assault investigation

News comes just days ahead of Yang's scheduled press appearance for his upcoming thriller 'Confession' Seoul police confirmed Monday they are investigating actor-director Yang Ik-june on allegations of assault. Yang is accused of repeatedly hitting a staff member with rolled paper and making verbal threats at a bar in Seongbuk-gu on Dec. 13. The case is expected to be forwarded to prosecutors this week, according to police. The news comes ahead of Yang's scheduled appearance at a prerelease even

Feb. 10, 2025

Jeonju film fest seeks volunteers as local films pack lineup

The Jeonju International Film Festival is gearing up for its 26th edition with an annual call for volunteers. The festival, which celebrates indie and experimental film, is slated to run from April 30 to May 9 at Jeonju's Cinema Street. The festival is seeking 400 volunteers to staff 12 departments, from Korean and international film programming to marketing and technical support. The festival welcomes applications from anyone 18 or older residing in Korea, including foreign residents proficient

Feb. 10, 2025

A midwinter's sunny day

'Sunny Day' cast presents seaside tale of homecoming and second-chance romance The cast of "Sunny Day" turned Friday's press conference following the press screening of the film at Yongsan CGV into an impromptu variety show, the team's easy rapport spilling off-screen as they shared anecdotes and traded friendly jabs well past the scheduled time. The film takes this buoyant spirit as its guiding principle -- perhaps its only distinction -- to craft a narrative where life's thornier realities dis

Feb. 10, 2025

Korean theaters roll out Oscar showcase programs

Major chains offer nominees lineup ahead of March 2 ceremony Awards season is kicking into high gear as the 97th Academy Awards nominations have arrived after multiple delays due to wildfires in Los Angeles. Riding the awards season wave, South Korea's leading theater chains are treating film enthusiasts to a wide array of special screenings featuring major Oscar-nominated films. Running through February and March, these exclusive showcases offer both unreleased works and recent hits before the

Feb. 7, 2025

Bold as his film, 'The Fall' director relishes Korean revival

Director's visual odyssey found unexpected audience in Korea following Christmas rerelease Few filmmakers seem to embody their film as vividly as Tarsem Singh, who showed up at Thursday's press event with the same theatrical flair that defines his newly restored work. At Seoul's Yongsan CGV, the Indian filmmaker arrived in a pink floral jacket and yellow striped vest, kneeling amid bursts of camera flash lights. The showy gesture sums up the spirit of his 2008 extravaganza "The Fall," which has

Feb. 6, 2025

CGV unveils advanced format lineup for February

ScreenX, 4DX and IMAX screens showcase fresh titles from Marvel's latest to Oscar winner Bong Joon-ho's "Mickey 17" Multiplex cinema chain CGV has unveiled its premium and large-format slate for February. Marvel's "Captain America: Brave New World," Bong Joon-ho's "Mickey 17" and the supernatural anime "Exorcism Chronicles" are among the lineup to screen at ScreenX, 4DX and IMAX theaters. The theater chain steps up the viewer experience through ScreenX's three-wall panoramic display, 4DX's senso

Feb. 6, 2025

At CJ ENM's Visionary tribute, celebrating border tale that changed Korean cinema

Park Chan-wook, cast of 2000 film 'Joint Security Area' reunite In the fall of 2000, as South Korea and North Korea engaged in their first tentative steps toward reconciliation, a film about four soldiers from the South and the North playing cards across the world's most fortified border opened in theaters. The premise seemed improbable, even dangerous, as the South's National Security Law, more strictly enforced back then, punished any depiction of North Korea in the media in a favorable light.

Feb. 5, 2025