Most Popular
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'Super Rich in Korea' will leave viewers appreciating Korea more: producers
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Probe of first lady on Dior bag allegations set to begin
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Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations
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Indonesia’s KF-21 fighter jet deal cut back -- what’s next?
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[KH Explains] Can tech firms' AI alliances take on Nvidia?
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Police seek arrest warrant for med student who killed girlfriend
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Local filmmakers criticize ‘The Roundup: Punishment’ monopoly of screens
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[Grace Kao, Meera Choi] Has money displaced romance on dates?
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Will China's self-sufficient dream in HBM come true?
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Korean battery makers heave sigh of relief over 2-year IRA reprieve
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Ben Affleck makes his mark directing smart thrillers
The physical requirements for the scene weren’t complicated. Bryan Cranston, who plays CIA manager Jack O’Donnell in director Ben Affleck’s hostage rescue drama “Argo,” had to walk from one office to another, and as laid out in a Los Angeles set late last year, a straight line ran from point A to point B.But before Cranston took a step, Affleck pulled the actor aside and redirected him.Iranian militants had just stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran, and details about the 1979 takeover were muddled
Oct. 12, 2012
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Afghan filmmakers fear for cinematic history
BUSAN ― Afghan director Siddiq Barmak remembers watching helplessly as reel upon reel of film footage was taken outside and burned in the street after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan.He also remembers the effort it took to save other films from destruction after the extremist forces marched into Kabul in 1996.Barmak and other Afghan filmmakers this week warned that efforts to save Afghanistan’s film history were being undermined by government inaction and concerns about security ahead of a
Oct. 12, 2012
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Tom Hanks to make Broadway debut next year
NEW YORK (AP) ― Tom Hanks will play a gutsy New York City newspaper columnist when he makes his debut on Broadway in the spring. Producers of Nora Ephron’s play “Lucky Guy” announced Thursday that Hanks will play Mike McAlary in the stage biography. Hanks, a two-time Oscar winner, had been in negotiations for the role when Ephron died this summer. Previews begin March 1 at the Broadhurst Theatre and an opening night is set for April 1. McAlary, the city’s one-time dominant tabloid reporter, got
Oct. 12, 2012
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Holmes begins ‘Dead Accounts’ rehearsals
Norbert Leo Butz and Katie Holmes began rehearsals Monday for the Broadway comedy “Dead Accounts,” the show‘s producers said.Theresa Rebeck’s play is being directed by three-time Tony Award-winner Jack O‘Brien.Co-starring Judy Greer, Josh Hamilton and Jayne Houdyshell, “Dead Accounts” is to begin previews Nov. 3 in preparation for a Nov. 29 opening night at Broadway’s Music Box Theatre.“Jack‘s unexpected return throws his family into a frenzy, and his sister Lorna needs answers,” a synopsis said
Oct. 12, 2012
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Rare screening for N.K. film at Busan festival
BUSAN (AFP) ― A North Korean romantic comedy about a female coalminer who dreams of becoming a trapeze artist was given a rare screening before a South Korean audience on Wednesday.South Korea normally bans all forms of media from the North but the government made an exception for the romantic comedy “Comrade Kim Goes Flying,” screening at the 17th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).“We are proud to say that we have played our part in the cultural exchange between North and South Korea,” s
Oct. 11, 2012
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Afghan offers bounty for anti-Islam filmmaker
A religious cleric in western Afghanistan said Wednesday he is offering a $300,000 bounty to anyone who kills the maker of an anti-Islam film that has angered Muslims around the world.Mir Farooq Hussini, a cleric and the spokesman for an organization representing about 450 religious schools in Herat province, made the latest bounty offer. U.S. federal prosecutors said Mark Basseley Youssef, 55, an
Oct. 11, 2012
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[Herald Review] Jeju director’s film features 1948 Jeju Massacre
O Muel’s ‘Jiseul’ portrays tragic historical event in exquisite black-and-white cinematographyBUSAN -- Director O Muel occupies a rare place in Korean cinema, being one of the very few filmmakers creating works about Jeju Island. All of his previous films were shot on his native Jeju, in Jeju dialect, featuring the lives of people living on the island.Two previous films, “Pong Ddol” (2010) and “Nostalgia” (2009) were rather humorous accounts of ordinary Jeju residents, from a flakey filmmaker to
Oct. 10, 2012
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Korean, French, Austrian films in Oscars long-list
LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― French blockbuster “Les Intouchables” and Austrian Michael Haneke’s Palme d’Or winner “Love” are hot tips for best foreign language Oscar, from a long-list of candidates published Monday.Hong Kong movie master Johnnie To and China’s Chen Kaige ― whose “Farewell my Concubine” won the top Cannes film festival prize in 1993 ― are also among films from 71 countries which could be vying for an Academy statuette.Iran, whose “A Separation” won foreign language Oscar for Asghar Farha
Oct. 9, 2012
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Low-budget films vie for top award at Busan festival
BUSAN (AFP) ― Two low-budget productions are among those vying for the top award at Asia’s premier film festival this week, with organisers praising their creativity despite their technical limitations.The New Currents award at the Busan International Film Festival carries with it two prizes of $30,000 and is open to first- or second-time Asian filmmakers.Among the 10 entries this year are local director Lee Donku’s $3,000 “Fatal,” a coming-of-age drama, and Thai director Nawapol Thamrongrattana
Oct. 9, 2012
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'Jack died for nothing in Titanic’
A television show in the United States conducted an intriguing experiment to check how realistic the movie “Titanic” was in depicting the death of its central character Jack played Leonardo DiCaprio in the freezing ocean.“Mythbusters" on the Discovery Channel set out to carry out the test as there is lingering doubt about whether Jack really had no choice but to die in the cold water. The cable channel set a simulated environment and implemented the experiment with a dummy. In the movie, Jack wa
Oct. 9, 2012
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Asian indie films need more support: director
BUSAN (AFP) ― Asian Filmmaker of the Year Koji Wakamatsu has said a lack of government support for young directors in the region is stifling artistic freedom.“Only commercial films are being supported by government funds in Asia so young filmmakers are only making commercial films,” said Wakamatsu, who received the Busan International Film Festival honor for his contribution to independent cinema.“It comes back to the power of the multiplexes which will not screen smaller films,” the Japanese di
Oct. 8, 2012
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Director brings her unusual family reunion to screen
Japanese-born director’s ‘Our Homeland’ delves into hardships of ethnic Koreans in JapanBUSAN ― Japanese-born director Yang Yong-hi, who was in Korea last year with her personal documentary “Goodbye Pyongyang”― a cinematic account of her young niece who lives in Pyongyang, North Korea ― visited Busan with her first feature-length feature film, also based on her personal story of her unusual family. Yang, who was born and grew up in Osaka and obtained her South Korean citizenship in 2004, says sh
Oct. 8, 2012
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Hidden face behind the glamour
Make-up artist shares her six years’ experience working for BIFFBUSAN ― BIFF is one of the biggest fashion events in the country, on top of being the biggest film bash.And every actress needs perfect make-up to go with her stunning dress. Pro make-up artist Kim Eun-ji is one of the hidden faces behind the glamour; she has been working for BIFF’s opening ceremonies for the last six years, and experienced the highs and lows of the exciting event. On the morning after BIFF’s opening, the lobby of H
Oct. 7, 2012
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KOFIC to hold international movie forum at BIFF
BUSAN ― Korea Film Council announced on Sunday that it will hold a special forum about Asian cinema on Tuesday as a side event for the Busan Film Festival.The forum, which will take place at BEXCO in Busan, will be attended by Sanford Panitch, president of Fox International Productions; Hengameh Panahi, president of Celluloid Dreams; and Terence Chang, producer for Lion Rock Productions. The three panelists will discuss potential ways to launch joint film projects between Asian and non-Asian cou
Oct. 7, 2012
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Director Chung returns with graphic torture drama
‘Unbowed’ director says he wants presidential candidates to see his latest work, which recounts torture suffered by late democracy activist Kim Geun-taeBUSAN ― After highly controversial courtroom drama “Unbowed,” director Chung Ji-young has returned with another socially conscious, politically themed drama inspired by the true story of late politician and democracy activist Kim Geun-tae.In spite of its serious subject matter, last year’s “Unbowed” was often comical and humorous. Yet Chung’s lat
Oct. 7, 2012
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Pieta to compete in Moscow independent film festival:
Director Kim Ki-duk looks to add to his international acclaimFilmmaker Kim Ki-duk and his most recent film Pieta has been invited to the International Festival of Independent Films “2morrow/Zavtra” that will begin on Tuesday in Moscow. This festival presents a number of selected feature films, documentaries and video, art and experimental works by prominent directors. This year marks the sixth year of the independent film festival and ten films from all over the world including as Russia, France
Oct. 7, 2012
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Box Office
Ghost Sweepers (Korea)Opened Oct. 3Comedy. Horror. Supernatural. Directed by Shin Jeong-won. Chan-young (Kang Ye-won), a young, reckless newspaper reporter, investigates a village called Uljinri that is reportedly cursed by evil spirits. She realizes that even local shamans and religious leaders have abandoned the town. While exploring the village, Chan-young encounters a group of top shamans united by the common goal of eliminating the evil: exorcist Park (Kim soo-ro), Monk Shim-in (Kwak Do-Won
Oct. 5, 2012
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‘Wallflower’ lets us relish even the ugly side of high school
“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is wistful, witty, romantic and sentimental, a “Breakfast Club” for the new millennium. It’s not high school as it really was and remains today. It is high school as it really should be.Writer-director Stephen Chbosky, adapting his own novel, presents a version of those years that is equal parts hopeful and cruel, with complicated, fragile kids with deep dark secrets and great, unrequited loves. The unpopular are protected from bullies by kind strangers, their p
Oct. 5, 2012
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Zhang, Cheung touched by Jang Dong-gun’s professionalism
Chinese actresses share their experience making Korean-Chinese production “Dangerous Liaisons”BUSAN -- Stars of one of the most anticipated films at this year’s BIFF shared thoughts on making of the film on the second day of the festival in Busan. China’s top actress Zhang Ziyi and Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung together praised Korean actor Jang Dong-gun, whom they co-starred with in Korean director Hur Jin-ho’s latest drama “Dangerous Liaisons” -- for his professionalism and looks. “I’ve bee
Oct. 5, 2012
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Busan film fest closes with fanfare
The 10-day Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) closed Saturday after demonstrating its growing stature as Asia's largest film event.The curtains came down with the screening of "Television," a family-focused movie directed by Mostafa Farooki from Bangladesh. In a departure from previous events that mostly opened or closed with Korean films, Hong Kong crime thriller "Cold War" featuring some big-name Chinese stars such as Aaron Kwok, Leung Tony Ka-fai and Andy Lau opened this year's festiva
Oct. 5, 2012