Actor Kim Min-hee is listed as a line producer. Hong, who is still married to another woman, has been in a relationship with Kim since at least 2015 by some accounts. Kim and Hong officially went public with their relationship in 2017. Kim has starred in nine films by the prolific director. “Hong Sang-soo needs no introduction. … This time with ‘In Water,’ it is minimal as usual but (in an) even...

“The First Slam Dunk” (Japan) Opened Jan. 4 Adventure/Comedy Directed by Takehiko Inoue Based on the "Slam Dunk" manga series written and illustrated by Takehiko Inoue, this animated sports film follows Ryota Miyagi, a high school student who plays as a point guard on his school’s basketball team. It follows his journey of winning the championship at a nationwide basketball competition. “Pu...

Netflix original film “Jung_E,” which depicts a dystopian society through director Yeon Sang-ho’s iconic dark, futuristic setting, has topped the Netflix global chart only a day after the film has been released on Friday. According to an OTT content streaming ranking site Patrol, “Jung_E” ranked No.1 in the Netflix film category as of Saturday. This cyberpunk flick, set on Earth in the year 219...

Watching movies at theaters during the Seollal holiday is a rite of sorts for South Korean moviegoers, as more people spend time at home rather than traveling outside the city over the extended holiday period. It is also an important season for filmmakers and distributors, as the country's box office hits prove that films opening during the family holiday season record relatively higher ticket s...

Yoon Jeong-hee, a South Korean cinema icon and beloved actor, passed away at the age of 79 in Paris, according to a movie industry official on Friday. She had long suffered Alzheimer's disease. She had been staying in Paris since 2010 with her violinist daughter Paik Jin-hee. "Yoon Jeong-hee, my wife and beloved actress, left the world peacefully, as if she was dreaming, listening to the sound ...

Although director Park Chan-wook left this year’s Golden Globe Awards and Critics Choice Awards empty handed, now all eyes are on whether he will be given a trophy at the 2023 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), whose finalists were announced Thursday night. According to BAFTA, Cannes-winning romance-thriller “Decision to Leave” has been nominated in two categories: Best directo...

“The Point Men” is based on the real-life hostage crisis in 2007 when 23 South Korean churchgoers were kidnapped while visiting Afghanistan on missionary activities. Two of the hostages were killed and the South Korean government's response to the crisis came under criticism. Saying that covering a controversial topic did not feel easy, Yim said she tried to focus on the chemistry between the tw...

The 2023 Berlin International Film Festival has added Netflix' film "Kill Boksoon" at its Berlinale Special program, according to Netflix on Saturday. Selections for the Berlinale Special include documentary, feature and short films that elevate and explore cinema as an art form. The special films also try to reconnect the audience with beloved characters or people while reflecting upon current ...

Forecasts for the domestic film industry's sales are pessimistic, amid a weaker than expected recovery at the box office. The number of moviegoers reached 112.8 million in 2022, according to the 2022 Korean film industry's sales report released by the Korean Film Council on Thursday. That was more than double the 52.28 million of the year before, but still sharply down from 226.68 million in the...

“Mother Land,” South Korea’s first major stop-motion animated film in 45 years, did not use 3D effects in the film to better portray the mother nature story, the film’s director Park Jae-beom told reporters Tuesday. “When I first thought about the storyline of ‘Mother Land,’ it was obvious for me to turn it into a stop-motion animation. Not only because I’m a huge fan of stop-motion animation, b...

“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” (United States) Opened Jan. 4 Adventure/Comedy Directed by Joel Crawford Puss in Boots decides to live a life as a pet cat instead of a hero, after discovering that he has burnt through eight of his nine lives. Knowing that an adventure will take its toll, Puss departs for a legendary journey to find the mythical Last Wish for the Wishing Star and restore the r...

The film also sheds light on the cross-culture friendship of its Singaporean ajumma and a Korean security guard played by Jung Dong-hwan, telling a story of two seniors’ understated closeness. “I wanted to show the possibility of friendship even later in life. Making new friends can be scary for people like ajumma. I think the film shows an experience that anyone can go through in one’s life, an...