'The Match' starring Lee Byung-hun, Yoo Ah-in mulls skipping theaters for Netflix release

  New drama film “The Match,” which stars big-name actors Lee Byung-hun and Yoo Ah-in as Go players, is considering skipping a theatrical release and going straight to a streaming platform. Netflix on Wednesday said they are in talks with officials of ‘The Match’ concerning its release, but "nothing has been decided yet.” The announcement denies a local news outlet’s report Tuesday that said Netflix and producers of “The Match” had agree

Oct. 12, 2022

Big-name film director Lee Joon-ik’s debut drama ‘Yonder’ premieres at BIFF

BUSAN--Big-name film director Lee Joon-ik’s debut drama “Yonder” premiered Thursday night at Sohyang Theater in Busan during the 27th Busan International Film Festival. After the first three episodes of the six-part series were screened, Lee subtly expressed his disappointment about the theater’s facilities during a guest visitor event. “We are not at a movie theater. This is actually a musical performance stage. So while I was watching the film the sound did not

Oct. 7, 2022

Jung Hae-in stars in terror master Takashi Miike's 'Connect'

Rising Korean star Jung Hae-in stars in Japanese horror master Takashi Miike’s Disney+ fantasy thriller series “Connect” as a man with special healing power. Based on the Naver webtoon of the same name by Shin Dae-sung, the series begins with Jung’s character Dong-soo (Jung) being kidnapped by organ hunters. Although he manages to escape, he is unable to retrieve his eye that was pulled out by the organ hunters. He later discovers that his eye has been transplanted to a

Oct. 7, 2022

Films about King Sejong and Hangeul

From a ruler to an academic, a musician and a linguist, King Sejong wore many hats. And the 15th-century monarch who invented Korea’s writing system Hangeul has also been an inspiration for Korean filmmakers and TV drama producers. The most recent of the big-screen attempts to convincingly depict Sejong was 2019's “The King’s Letters,” directed by Jo Chul-hyun and starring none other than “Parasite” star Song Kang-ho as King Sejong. The film follows the t

Oct. 7, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Life is Beautiful (Korea) Opened Sept. 28 Drama Directed by Choi Kook-hee Housewife Se-yeon (Yum Jung-ah) has devoted her entire life to her family, but her family does not appreciate this. One day, she finds out that she has lung cancer and only a few months left to live. As her last birthday present, she asks her husband (Ryu Seung-ryong) to help find her first high school crush. Though reluctant at first, her husband decides to go on this strange journey with Se-yeon. Honest Candidate 2 (Ko

Oct. 7, 2022

Jurors for BIFF’s New Currents Award hope to discover revolutionary work

BUSAN -- Five jurors for the Busan International Film Festival’s New Currents Award – jury president Serge Toubiana, directors Alain Guiraudie and Kamila Andini, actor Ryo Kase and producer Lee Eugene -- said they are looking forward to discovering a rookie director's revolutionary work. “The most important standard when selecting a film is whether it can shake up our existing point of view,” Toubiana said during a press conference held at the KNN Theater in Busan on Th

Oct. 7, 2022

Hong Kong movie star Tony Leung up for starring in K-drama

BUSAN--Hong Kong movie star Tony Leung Chiu-wai, attending the 27th Busan International Film Festival, said he is willing to perform in Korean drama series. “If there are roles for which I can overcome the language barrier, I would like to star in Korean drama,” the Hong Kong actor said in Cantonese during a press conference held at the KNN theater in Busan on Thursday.“I recently watched the film 'CODA.’ If there is a role that does not require me to speak like the cha

Oct. 6, 2022

BIFF holds grand opening ceremony

BUSAN -- The 27th Busan International Film Festival held its grand opening ceremony Wednesday night at the Busan Cinema Center. The film fest runs through Oct. 14 in Korea’s second-largest city. A total of 243 films from 71 countries will be screened through the course of the film festival. The festival in full will return to its pre-pandemic scale, according to the event organizer. The opening ceremony was hosted by actors Ryu Jun-yeol and Jeon Yeo-bin, who opened the ceremony by sharing

Oct. 5, 2022

27th BIFF opens with Iranian film ‘Scent of Wind’

BUSAN -- The 27th Busan International Film Festival kicked off Wednesday with the screening of Iranian director Hadi Mohaghegh's "Scent of Wind.” This is the Iranian director’s second visit to the Busan film fest, having taken part in 2015 with “Immortal,” which won both the New Currents and Fipresci prizes. During a press conference held at the Busan Cinema Center on Wednesday, the director said he was surprised to find out that his film had been selected as the o

Oct. 5, 2022

BIFF to return to pre-pandemic scale with 243 films

The 27th Busan International Film Festival, which kicks off Wednesday and runs through Oct. 14, is returning to its pre-pandemic scale. There will be no distancing in the theaters and the organizer is expecting around 170,000 total audience members this year. A total of 243 films from 71 countries will be screened during the film festival and Asian film support programs. The Asia Cinema Fund also will resume this year after a three-year hiatus, according to the BIFF organizer. Following an eve

Oct. 4, 2022

New multi-sensory webtoon experience with 4DX film ‘Moon You’

Vertically scrolling comics on smartphones are being brought to the big screen by CJ 4DPLEX, a tech subsidiary of CJ CGV, and Naver Webtoon. While retaining the webtoon format, including the typography, speech bubbles and cartoon layout, “4DX Moon You,” which opens in theaters Oct. 12, is "told" with motion seat action and environmental special effects, including wind, fog, snow and more. The result is a fully immersive experience for the upcoming 4DX webtoon’s audien

Oct. 3, 2022

Action comedy film becomes 3rd Korean flick to top 6m admissions in 2022

"Confidential Assignment 2: International," the action-comedy sequel to a 2017 hit, became the third South Korean film to top 6 million tickets sold on Sunday. According to the film's distributor, CJ ENM, the film, starring Hyun Bin and Yoo Hae-jin, reached over the 6 million mark at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, 26 days after its premiere. It joined "The Roundup" and "Hansan: Rising Dragon" in the 6-million club among South Korean flicks in 2022. "Confidential Assignme

Oct. 2, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Honest Candidate 2 (Korea) Opened Sept. 28 Comedy Directed by Jang Yoo-jung Sang-sook (Ra Mi-ran) is jobless after losing the Seoul mayoral election. One day, she accidentally saves a man in the sea and sees an opportunity to return to politics. She starts lying again for a higher approval rating. But Sang-sook soon finds out that she is once again unable to lie -- and this time, she’s not the only one suffering from this mysterious affliction. Project Wolf Hunting (Korea)　 Opened Sept.

Oct. 1, 2022

Asian stars to take part in BIFF

Star actors from Asian countries will take part in the 27th Busan International Film Festival, which will be held from Oct. 5-14. Among the actors in attendance will be Thai film star Mario Maurer, as his new film, “Six Characters” directed by M.L. Bhandevanov Devakula, is screening at the festival. Maurer is known for “Pee Mak,” the first film to attract an audience of more than 10 million in Thailand. Along with Maurer, three other actors from “Six Characters&r

Sept. 30, 2022

[Newsmaker] ‘Squid Game’ Jung Ho-yeon makes '100 Next' list

“Squid Game” star Jung Ho-yeon has been listed in the phenoms category of Time magazine's "100 Next." Launched in 2019, Time 100 Next is the youthful version of its more prominent "Time 100" list and was created to spotlight 100 rising stars shaping the future of business, entertainment, sports, politics, science, health and more. “I often joke around and call her a ‘warrior.’ There’s no doubt that she has the skill and courage to fight h

Sept. 30, 2022

Comedy film ‘Daemuga’ blends Korean shamanism, rap battles

After a beat drops, three participants in colorful clothing begin delivering a rhythmic speech about their lives while breaking out in dance. The crowd surrounding them erupts into cheers when they spit out punchlines. What looks like an ordinary hip-hop rap battle scene in the upcoming comedy film “Daemuga” is a reinterpretation of “gut,” a special performance by a Korean modern-day shaman to bring back spirits. “It (shamanism) is a surreal topic and I wanted to d

Sept. 28, 2022

Netflix hopes for turnaround with Korean original ‘20th Century Girl’

At the beginning of this year, global streaming giant Netflix, which had not produced films here since its arrival in 2016, announced a plan to release five original Korean-language movies. The list included the romance film "Moral Sense," action film "Carter," action blockbuster "Seoul Vibe," sci-fi film "Jung_E" and romance film "20th Century Girl." So far, the streaming platform has released three films that were on the list and an additio

Sept. 27, 2022

Song Joong-ki's gangster film 'Hwaran' starts shooting

Korean heartthrob Song Joong-ki’s new crime movie "Hwaran" -- meaning disaster or chaos -- started shooting on Sept. 13 at a site in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, according to the film’s distributor Megabox Joongang Plus M. Directed by Kim Chang-hoon, the film revolves around Yun-kyu, who wants to escape from his everyday struggles. One day, Yun-kyu meets a crime organization’s underboss Chi-gun (Song) and becomes involved in risky situations. “I am glad to b

Sept. 26, 2022

Yum Jung-ah on learning new things for musical film ‘Life is Beautiful’

Actor Yum Jung-ah's new project has left her covered in bruises from practicing action sequences until they are perfect, but it is a badge she proudly wears. “For good projects, I have to learn new things. There is no other way of doing it,” Yum told a group of reporters on Wednesday. Such outlook on life is what has guided her throughout her career. Recalling the first time that she read the script of “Life is Beautiful,” Yum said she instantly got the feeling that

Sept. 25, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Project Wolf Hunting (Korea)　 Opened Sept. 21 Crime Directed by Kim Hong-sun A team of Korean police officers are on a mission to bring heinous criminals to South Korea from the Philippines via ship. Looking for an opportunity to escape are Jong-du (Seo In-guk), a cold-blooded killer, and Do-il (Jang Dong-yoon), who has an Interpol red notice on him. Meanwhile, a mysterious presence created in a secret lab onboard puts everyone's lives at risk. Confidential Assignment 2: International (Ko

Sept. 23, 2022