Uchida Eiji, the Japanese filmmaker who helmed the award-winning “Midnight Swan” (2020), visited this year’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, which kicked off June 29, with the crime black comedy flick, “Life of Mariko in Kabukicho.” The movie's plot follows Mariko, a private investigator who runs a small bar in Shinjuku’s red-light district. One day, she receives a request to find an alien living among the people in Kabukicho. With the help

Film July 8, 2023

Sangdo-dong, a neighborhood of Dongjak-gu in Seoul, is a mostly quiet residential area with a mix of apartment complexes, houses and schools. It is not known as a cool or Instagrammable area, that's for sure. Amid such an ordinary area, a three-story red brick building located just a five-minute walk from Sangdo Station on Subway Line No. 7, stands out. It’s Bugangtang, or "Bugang public bathhouse" in Korean, which transformed into a bakery cafe last year. “The buildin

Food July 8, 2023

“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (US) Opened June 28 Adventure/Action Directed by Danial Rifky The legendary archaeologist Indiana Jones returns, and welcoming him back are his goddaughter Helena and Jurgen Voller, a former Nazi who now works for NASA. Jones heads for another adventure to retrieve a dial that can change history. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (US) Opened June 21 Animation Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos The Multiverse opens up in front of S

Film July 7, 2023

Set in 1996, director Lee Ji-eun’s feature debut film “The Hill of Secrets” follows 12-year-old Myung-eun’s growing pains through her relationships with her family, teacher and friends. Starring actors Moon Seung-a, Kang Gil-woo, Im Seon-woo and Jang Sun, the film vividly depicts the adolescent life of Myung-eun (Moon), who compares her ill-fated family to those of her friends and feels an attachment with her homeroom teacher Ae-ran (Im). She pours all her secrets into he

Film July 5, 2023

A decade after Taiwanese acting heartthrob Kai Ko, also known as Ko Chen-tung, attended Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival for the first time, he is returning this year not as an actor, but for his directorial debut. “I’ve been to various film festivals around the world but I really like Bifan’s vibrant and dynamic mood as well as its concertlike opening ceremony. As I have visited this time as a director, I feel like I’m showing my baby to the world,” Ko

Film July 4, 2023

Award-winning filmmaker Greta Gerwig, along with actor and producer Margot Robbie and actor America Ferrera of American film “Barbie” held a press conference in Seoul to promote their film, which will be released in Korea on July 19. Director Gerwig, who starred in “Frances Ha,” (2012) and won a Golden Globe as producer of her debut film, “Lady Bird,” (2017) returned as a screenwriter and the producer of “Barbie,” after Robbie suggested the two wor

Film July 3, 2023

South Korean crime action franchise “The Roundup: No Way Out” starring Don Lee, also known as Ma Dong-seok, has attracted a record-setting 10.9 million moviegoers as of Saturday, according to the movie’s distributor ABO Entertainment. "The Roundup: No Way Out" is the 21st local film and the 30th film released in South Korea to reach the milestone. It is also the first film this year to set such a record. The film opened on May 31. This comes as a significant feat amid

Film July 2, 2023

Louis Max-Starkman, the sixth-generation chairman of Louis Pere & Fils to succeed the family's winery business, said he takes prides in Louis Pere & Fils’ unique method of wine production, which he described as a combination of tradition and modern transformation. Established in 1859 in Beaune, a small town in the center of the French winemaking Burgundy region, Louis Pere & Fils follows just one rule, according to Max-Starkman. “We have focused on producing high qua

Food July 1, 2023

The 27th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival that kicked off Thursday for an 11 day-run is holding a special exhibition on celebrated South Korean veteran actor Choi Min-sik called “I Saw Choi Min Sik” in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. Choi said he is grateful but also feels embarrassed to be featured in the exhibition. “This special exhibition comes at a pivotal time for me, as I had wished to take time off after my latest work ‘Big Bet.’ Since I do not belo

Film June 30, 2023

Knot tying at hanok on a rainy day Donglim Knot Workshop, a small hanok situated just a five-minute stroll away from Anguk Station and near the Bukchon Hanok village, showcases the traditional art of Korean knot tying called "maedeup." This enchanting space, led by Shim Young-mi, who hails from a family with a four-generation legacy in Korean knot craftsmanship, has been in operation since 2004. The workshop proudly displays a wide array of ornamental knots passed down through generati

Food June 30, 2023

“The Childe” (South Korea) Opened June 21 Adventure Directed by Park Hoon-jung Gwi Gong-ja (Kim Seon-ho) -- a name that roughly means "the nobleman" -- goes on a mysterious, mad chase after a boxer, Marco, from the Philippines to Seoul. Rookie actor Kang Tae-joo plays Marco, a Kopino -- mixed Korean Filipino -- in search of his father. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (US) Opened June 21 Animation Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos The Multiverse opens up i

Film June 30, 2023

Tom Cruise, the “Mission Impossible” franchise star, urged fans to watch the seventh installment of the world famous spy series in the cinema for a “shared experience.” “I love cinema. I love the people and people from all cultures and walks of life. We sit down at cinemas and share community experience. I think it’s one of the joys in the life for me,” Cruise told reporters during a press conference in Lotte Cinema World Tower on Thursday. “I don&

Film June 29, 2023

The masterful filmmaker behind hit horror films “Hereditary” (2018) and “Midsommar” (2019) arrived in South Korea on Tuesday for the release of “Beau Is Afraid,” another film that deals with the protagonist’s darkest fear becoming a great adventure. Written and directed by Ari Aster, the American surrealist tragicomedy horror film starring Joaquin Phoenix revolves around Beau, a paranoia-ridden middle-aged man. His epic journey begins as he heads home to

Film June 28, 2023

Director Kim Yong-hwa, whose two movies “Along with the Gods” in 2017 and 2018 notched up more than 10 million admissions each, returns with sci-fi film “The Moon.” Starring actors Sol Kyung-gu, Do Kyung-soo and Kim Hee-ae, the movie was motivated by director Kim’s long-yearning to set story around the moon and backed by Korea’s sophisticated visual effects. “While I was shooting the ‘Along With the Gods,’ I thought that even a fantasy story

Film June 27, 2023

Director Ka Sung-moon described the four years he spent working on his debut feature film, “Dream Palace,” as a time of breaking barriers in the indie film scene. “For short, indie films, (I tend to work with) people who know me well, so communication is easy and the staff all understand who I am and what kind of life I have lived. But working on a long feature film required me to communicate with a variety of people and meant that I often had to persuade them (of my vision),&r

Film June 27, 2023