Three indie standouts of the year

For Korean cinema, 2025 has been nothing short of brutal. Not a single film cracked 10 million admissions — traditionally the threshold for mega-hit status here — with the year's top homegrown performer, the horror comedy "My Daughter is a Zombie," topping out at 5.6 million. Even much-anticipated heavyweights fell short of expectations. Bong Joon-ho's $120-million Warner Bros. production "Mickey 17" limped to just over 3 million admissions, a disappointment by any measure for the "Parasite" dir

Korea's homegrown animated gems worth seeking out

Japanese anime has been steamrolling in Korean theaters lately. As of Wednesday, "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" sits at 5.47 million admissions through a remarkably resilient two-month run, poised to overtake "Suzume" as Korea's all-time highest-grossing anime. Meanwhile, "Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc" has attracted 2.26 million viewers since its Sept. 24 release, maintaining the top spot on the charts for weeks. The numbers tell a story of complete capitulation — one that has local anima

Three films to catch at BIFF this week

The Busan International Film Festival kicked off Wednesday, running through Sept. 26 with its usual sprawl of screenings across the city. As the festival enters its third decade, it continues to bring the most talked-about works in global cinema to Korean audiences for the first time. Here are the three essential picks — tickets are available through the BIFF website. 'It Was Just an Accident' What more can be said after Panahi's latest took home the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year? The work beca

Resistance, poetry and bullets: Films for liberation day

Come Aug. 15th in South Korea, national flags flutter from apartment balconies while ceremonies fill the airwaves. It's Gwangbokjeol — Liberation Day — marking Korea's freedom from 35 years of Japanese colonial rule in 1945. For a country that endured forced labor, cultural suppression and the horrors of wartime mobilization, the day brings out a distinct national pride. So what better way to mark the occasion than with Korean cinema's take on this dark yet defiant era? These three films, spanni

Finest chillers for summer

Summer in South Korea brings a peculiar cultural tradition: Everyone heads to the cinema for a good scare. It's a seasonal ritual where horror films provide an icy jolt to counter the sweltering heat, trading a cool breeze for shivers down the spine. With scorching heat waves expected, it's the perfect time to explore some home-grown horror that will make you forget just how unbearably muggy it is outside. Korean horror has carved out a distinctive niche in the genre, favoring psychological drea

Korean cinema's political dramas

South Korea just wrapped up a snap presidential election that saw opposition candidate Lee Jae-myung claim victory after months of political turmoil sparked by his predecessor's botched martial law gambit. Which makes this the perfect moment to dive into Korean cinema's rich catalog of films about political ambition, the seductive allure of power, and the moral compromises that define public life. From smoke-filled campaign war rooms to ancient royal courts, These three standout dramas offer eng

Films worth catching at this year's Jeonju film fest

The 26th Jeonju International Film Festival, South Korea's premier showcase for independent and art-house cinema, kicked off Wednesday, bringing 224 films from 57 countries to the cozy North Jeolla Province city through May 9. This year's lineup features 80 world premieres amid a spectrum of narrative innovations and cultural perspectives. For those making the pilgrimage to Jeonju — the historic city known as much for its culinary heritage as its cultural significance — here are three standout f

Korean cinema's dust-covered dystopias

Where smog-filled cityscapes mirror the darkness within Last week's wave of yellow dust from China blanketed Seoul in a hazy shroud, turning the metropolis into something akin to a setting of a real-time apocalypse movie. As people donned masks and hurried through their daily routines, the cityscape came off as eerily familiar to fans of dystopian cinema. The annual spring ritual of constantly monitoring air quality apps while watching layers of dust settle on every surface offers a timely lens

Korean films at Berlinale

From romantic whimsy to tender coming-of-age, 3 Korean gems at previous Berlinales show festival's eye for fresh, heartfelt storytelling The Berlin International Film Festival has been a vital platform for global cinema since its inception in 1951. While, for many Koreans, the Berlinale ― as the festival is commonly known ― has become synonymous with arthouse icon Hong Sang-soo's annual premieres in recent years, Korean cinema's presence at this prestigious event spans a remarkably diverse spect

Winter's tales: Stories that bloom in the cold

From Swedish vampires to Japanese letters, these stories show how winter makes the perfect canvas for exploring love, loss and memory In cinema, winter isn't just a backdrop -- it's a character itself, shaping emotional landscapes as much as it shapes physical ones. As the freezing cold tightens its grip, here are three films that use snow-covered settings as vital elements in their storytelling, each exploring complex human emotions against a pristine white canvas. 'Let the Right One In' (2008)