[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3” (US) Opened May 3 Action Directed by James Gunn The American superhero franchise concludes its trilogy by looking deeper into the story of Rocket, and showing how Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, gathers his team to defend the universe and complete the last mission to protect the Guardians. “Dream” (South Korea) Opened April 26 Drama Directed by Lee Byeong-heon Yoon Hong-dae (Park Seo-joon), a professional football play

May 5, 2023

Japanese film 'There is a Stone' wins grand prize at Jeonju IFF

The 24th Jeonju International Film Festival announced its award winners on Wednesday evening during a ceremony that took place at Jeonbuk National University's Samsung Cultural Center in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. A total of 17 awards in four categories -- international competition, Korean competition, Korean competition for shorts and special award -- were given out. Under the international competition category, Ota Tatsunari won the grand prize with his film, "There is a Stone.&q

May 3, 2023

Among Korean films at Jeonju IFF, queer films stand out

This year’s Jeonju International Film Festival, which opened on April 27, has nominated films of various genres and topics to the Korean competition, but what really stood out were the queer films that were nominated. “Of 111 Korean films that were submitted for the Korean competition section, we chose 8 feature films, two documentaries and one experimental documentary as finalists. A total of 11 films are nominated and they are either the first or second project of the filmmakers. I

May 3, 2023

[Herald Interview] Malene Choi’s ‘The Quiet Migration’ looks into adoptee’s process of individuation

Malene Choi’s “The Quiet Migration,” which is running in the international competition section at this year's Jeonju International Film Festival, along with nine other films, is the 49-year-old filmmaker’s sequel to her 2018 film “The Return.” A Danish Korean herself, Malene went to Denmark in 1974. In “The Quiet Migration,” Choi presents the story of a 19-year-old boy, Carl, who lives a quiet life in the Danish countryside with his adoptive p

May 1, 2023

Jeonju festival subverts cinematic expectations, seeks to surprise

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

May 1, 2023

Park Eun-bin, "Decision to Leave" win top honors at Baeksang Arts Awards

Park Chan-wook's romantic thriller movie "Decision to Leave" and Park Eun-bin, who starred in the drama series "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," have taken top honors at this year's Baeksang Arts Awards. "Decision to Leave" won the grand prize in the movie category at the 59th awards ceremony on Friday night. Park Chan-wook clinched best director and Chinese actress Tang Wei received best actress for her role in the movie. The period thriller "The Night O

April 29, 2023

Five films including ‘Decision to Leave’ and ‘Hunt’ to vie for Baeksang Arts Awards

South Korean hit films including the Cannes-winning “Decision to Leave” and star actor Lee Jung-jae’s directorial debut film, “Hunt,” will vie for the best film award at the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards to be held on Friday. Along with the Blue Dragon Film Awards and Daejong International Film Awards, the Baeksang Awards is one of the most prestigious ceremonies here honoring the past year’s films, TV dramas and plays. This year’s award will be led by act

April 28, 2023

24th Jeonju IFF kicks off for 10 days of indie films

One of South Korea's main indie film events, the Jeonju International Film Festival, officially kicked off Thursday evening with a star-studded list of actors and directors visiting the city for the red carpet event and opening ceremony prior to the 10-day film festival. Actors Park Hae-il, Lee Dong-hui, Lee Soo-hyuk, Shin Hyeon-joon, Ok Ja-yeon and some 170 other actors and directors appeared on the red carpet, meeting with fans. Actors Jin Goo and Gong Seung-yeon were the hosts of the ope

April 28, 2023

[Video] Park Hae-soo on life after "Squid Game"

One of the most familiar faces from a Netflix Korean original, Park Hae-soo spoke with Asia 101 about his life after "Squid Game," his journey from being a small theater actor to getting nominated for an Emmy and more. Watch until the end for an impromptu dance performance! Park Seo-hee and Park Ju-min contributed to this report.

April 28, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Ghost Station” (South Korea) Opened April 19 Mystery Directed by Jeong Yong-ki Based on 2011 webtoon “Oksu Station Ghost,” the film tells the story of a news reporter, Na-young, working an exclusive investigative story about a series of mysterious deaths happening at a subway station. She finds out that her source is already dead at the time of the scheduled interview. “John Wick: Chapter 4” (US) Opened April 12 Action Directed by Charles F. Stahelski Leg

April 28, 2023

Jeonju IFF opens with Cannes-winning ‘Tori and Lokita’

The 24th Jeonju International Film Festival kicked off on Thursday, opening the 10-day event with the Korea premiere of award-winning Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s tight, gripping moral thriller, “Tori and Lokita.” The Dardenne brothers tell the story of two underage African migrants, Tori and Lokita, who struggle to settle in Belgium. Staying at a temporary shelter for young new settlers, they work as drug dealers by night under the direction of the owner of a local pizza s

April 27, 2023

Disney Korea to hold Star Wars Day events at Jeonju IFF

Walt Disney Co. Korea will celebrate the annual Star Wars Day during the 24th edition of the Jeonju International Film Festival on May 4 in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. The US media giant fetes its beloved franchise on May the Fourth, referencing the popular “Star Wars” phrase “May the force be with you.” Following the Jeonju IFF opening ceremony on Friday, “Star Wars: A New Hope” (1977), “Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi” (1983), “Star Wars:

April 27, 2023

[Herald Interview] IU learns to let go for ‘Dream’

Though singer and actor IU made her silver screen debut in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s award-winning “Broker” last year, she said she considers Lee Byeong-heon’s sports comedy “Dream,” which opened in local theaters this week, to be her long feature film debut. “It was so fortunate for me to debut in a long feature film with such a kind cast and nice fellow actors. It was so meaningful for me, allowing me to work with a beginner’s mindset on the movie set,

April 26, 2023

Korean film 'Project Silence' additionally invited to Cannes

South Korean director Kim Tae-gon's "Project Silence" has been officially invited to this year's Cannes Film Festival. The festival on Monday announced that the Korean horror "Project Silence" will be shown at the Midnight Screening section as it released a raft of new additions to the Official Selection of its 76th edition on its homepage. Starring Lee Sun-kyun and Ju Ji-hoon, the flick tells the story of people struggling to survive on a collapsing bridge shrouded

April 25, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Killing Romance” (South Korea) Opened April 14 Comedy Directed by Lee Won-seok A former superstar, Yeo-rae (Lee Ha-nee) abandons her acting career after receiving bad reviews for her acting. She leaves Korea to go on vacation and lands on Quala Island, where Jonathan Na, a chaebol scion, is waiting to save her life -- and her heart. “John Wick: Chapter 4” (US) Opened April 12 Action Directed by Charles F. Stahelski Legendary hit man John Wick embarks on a journey to de

April 21, 2023

Seo Se-won dies in Cambodia at age 67

Comedian-turned-pastor Seo Se-won passed away at a hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia at age 67 on Thursday. According to reports, the veteran comedian was announced dead at around 3 p.m. after experiencing cardiac arrest at around 1 p.m. He was reportedly getting an IV at a Korean hospital there. He reportedly moved to the country for business. Seo debuted on a program that aired on the local radio station TBC in 1979. He became famous for hosting several hit talk shows including the "Seo Se

April 20, 2023

[Herald Review] ‘Dream,’ yet another ‘we did it’ sports film that lacks Lee Byeong-heon’s true colors

“Dream,” the country’s third sports comedy film this year, was expected to be different for many reasons. For one, it was director Lee Byeong-heon’s return after helming the country’s highest-grossing comedy, “Extreme Job” (2019). And the star-studded cast including Park Seo-joon and IU and approachable plot based on the real-life event 2012 World Homeless World cup added expectations for a strong comeback. The plot rolls along quickly for the first 20 m

April 20, 2023

[Herald Interview] Why director Jang Hang-jun tried to make ‘Rebound’ 99% realistic

Director Jang Hang-jun, better known for his wit and being the husband of the country’s top-paid drama writer Kim Eun-hee, has returned to his directing roots with sports comedy “Rebound,” which opened on April 5. After the 2017 mystery thriller “Forgotten,” Jang decided to try his hand at a comedy film, with the aim of building up characters and a storyline in a more exciting way, he said. “I did not want to make this sports comedy into something that was &ls

April 19, 2023

Director, cast of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ embark on world tour in Seoul

Marvel Studios’ superhero franchise “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” began its world tour for film promotions in Seoul on Tuesday. Director James Gunn said the film will end the trilogy by looking deeper into the story of Rocket. “We chose to kick off our tour in Korea because I’ve never been to Korea and I wanted to come to Korea,” director James Gunn told reporters at the press conference held at the Conrad Seoul in Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday. Gunn said he is w

April 18, 2023

[New on the Scene] For Choi Seung-yoon, ‘Riceboy Sleeps’ is about strength of mothers

There are many stories and films that depict the lives of immigrants, struggling to adapt to family life in a new country with an uncooperative child. Canadian actor and filmmaker Anthony Shim’s “Riceboy Sleeps” (2022) is about So-young, a single mother from Korea who settles in the suburbs of Canada in the 1990s with her son, Dong-hyun. Soon after the film's March 17 release in Canada, it swept the global film awards, with the actors and director being invited to numerous

April 17, 2023