Indian film star Rajshri Deshpande had a rough time getting to Korea for the world premiere of “Privacy” at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival earlier this summer. “It was chaos,” she said. Her flight from Delhi had been delayed six hours, meaning she would land at Incheon Airport just as she should be at the festival’s opening ceremony. The film’s director, Sudeep Kanwal, was doing everything he could. “I was holding ground,” he sai

Film Aug. 7, 2023

A blistering 80-minute comedy made for the digital age, in which there seems to be no greater goal than going viral, “I Haven’t Done Anything” comes to the big screen this week after premiering at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival on June 30. The film begins with a YouTube-style video documentary about former child actor Oh Tae-kyung, better known as “Little Oh Dae-su” for his role as the younger version of Choi Min-sik‘s character in “Ol

Film July 11, 2023

BUCHEON, Gyeonggi Province – Now in its 27th year, the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival has long held a special place in the hearts of film buffs for the unique experiences it provides – sometimes gruesome, sometimes strange, always different. This year’s festival opened June 29 with Ari Aster’s “Beau is Not Afraid,” and runs for 11 days, presenting 262 films from 51 countries – 109 of which are making their world or international premiere a

Film July 5, 2023

JEONJU, North Jeolla Province – "Almost Entirely a Slight Disaster" is a "film about unhappy people, but not in a dark way," Turkish director Umut Subasi told the audience at its Asian premiere at the Jeonju International Film Festival in North Jeolla Province on April 28. The festival had described it as a “depression comedy.” "Humor is a survival tool," Subasi explained. Set in Istanbul, "Almost Entirely a Slight Disaster" revolves arou

Culture May 9, 2023

JEONJU, North Jeolla Province -- For those who enjoy the cinematic experience without such stringent requirements as a discernible plot, for those who relish artful ambiguity and tightly framed shots awash in rising natural sounds, the ongoing film festival in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, beckons once again as a reprieve in a moviegoing world defined by blockbusters and safe formulas. Jeonju International Film Festival opened its 24th iteration on Thursday and runs through May 6. The film fest

Film May 1, 2023

John Cho’s recently released “Troublemaker,” co-written with Sarah Suk, is a coming-of-age story that takes place on the single, infamous night of “Sa-I-Gu,” or April 29, 1992. As the world is changing around him on the first night of the Los Angeles riots that followed the acquittal of four police officers who had brutally beat Rodney King, a Black man, in an incident caught on video, Korean American boy Jordan’s own world -- his central identity -- is expe

Books April 11, 2022

While other metropolises around the world and similar cities in East Asia have staked out their places in the international literary scene, Seoul has left its potential largely untapped. So contends Sollee Bae, who organizes the “Fiction Writers in Seoul” workshop. With a small collection of short fiction spanning just over 100 pages, Bae seeks to explore Seoul’s potential from an expat’s perspective in “A City of Han.”  The anthology begins strongly w

Books April 27, 2020

BUCHEON, Gyeonggi Province -- When director Mirrah Foulkes finished her first feature film, “Judy and Punch,” just before it was due to premiere at Sundance Film Festival in January, she put together a small screening in Sydney for the cast, “just so they could make sure they liked it -- decide whether or not to go to Sundance.”After a pause and moment of relief, “They all went,” Foulkes said. The premise of the Australian flick from Vice Films -- a relat

Film Nov. 7, 2019

　BUSAN -- “The Cave” debuted at the Busan International Film Festival on Oct. 5, becoming the first feature film released to portray the awe-inspiring events that had taken place just some 15 months prior in Chiang Rai, Thailand. 　The world watched on and was ultimately uplifted by the story of a soccer team of a dozen teenage boys and their 25-year-old coach surviving in a flooded cave for 18 days, before all were rescued alive and well through a complicated scuba relay extraction.&

Film Oct. 31, 2019

The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Korea organized its first True Italian Taste event at Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Wednesday, seeking to better acquaint the Korean market with flavors of the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy.The lunchtime demonstration was hosted by the organization’s Secretary-General Jacopo Giuman and featured a masterclass with chef Roberto Carcangiu from Italy.“We want to (make) aware the people about what is real, authentic Italian,” Giuman said,

Diplomatic Circuit Oct. 21, 2019

Shotgun blasts rip through the tranquil scene of a coffeehouse to open “Daniel Isn’t Real,” a psychological horror film that recently debuted at the genre-focused Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. The portrayal is horrific in its intensity and brevity, cutting away quickly and returning moments later with police tape up and haphazard sheets unable to contain the crimson carnage draining down the floor. From the other side of the tape, an 8-year-old Luke who has jus

Film July 7, 2019

It is undeniable that many things in life are determined by the circumstances of one’s birth -- nationality, genetics and socioeconomic class not least of all. Added to that list, it was the three-hour window in which I was born in June 1985 that determined I’d be focused on justice and live a life defined by wanderlust. Similarly, the time of my partner’s birth almost exactly a year later decided she would be a “straightforward and simple” person who speaks her mind with a strong will. Moto Saj

Culture Jan. 17, 2019

For Philippine director Treb Monteras II, hip-hop has always been about politics and social issues, and no situation is more pressing today for the country than that of de facto martial law under authoritarian President Rodrigo Duterte.Director Treb Monteras II (Treb Monteras II)“Respeto” -- “respect” in both Tagalog and Spanish -- is the director’s first feature film, after helming more than 300 music videos since 2004. The main role of aspiring street rapper Hendrix is played by Abra, while th

Film Jan. 17, 2019

“The Secret of a Leader” (BIFF)Written and directed by Farkhat Sharipov of Kazakhstan, “The Secret of a Leader” screened its world premiere Oct. 6 at the Busan International Film Festival. There it competes in a field of nine for the newly created Kim Jiseok Award, honoring the director who passed away last year and remembering his passion to discover new talent across Asian cinema.In its 23rd year, the Busan film fest has grown to take on many roles, and it takes its responsibility of being the

Film Oct. 11, 2018

“Don’t Go Too Far” (BIFF)The biggest film event of the year is upon us in Busan, with numbers as astounding as ever: 324 films from 79 countries across 30 screens, including 140 world and international premieres. And for all its international flavor, some of the tastiest treats are in what’s down the pike for Korean cinema.  Over the 10 days of the fest until Oct. 13, the Korean Cinema Today program will show 17 of the year’s highlights in local mainstream products, such as top ticket-seller “Al

Film Oct. 4, 2018