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Busan International Short Film Festival returns with sound-focused theme
South Korea's oldest and longest-running short film festival returns Thursday for its 42nd edition, featuring 157 films from 41 countries at Busan Cinema Center and BNK Busan Bank Art Cinema through April 29. This year's edition explores cinema's sonic elements under the theme "Cinema & Sound," focusing on dialogue, sound effects and music as core components of short films. The competitive lineup features two main categories: the International Competition with 40 entries from overseas and the Ko
April 21, 2025 -
Interview: Director Jang Seong-ho's leap of faith
While Hollywood executives fret over underperforming franchises, an unassuming animated film from Korea has quietly stormed the American box office. "The King of Kings," written and directed by Jang Seong-ho, pulled in $19 million in its first week after its April 11 release, claiming second place only behind "A Minecraft Movie" and outpacing several major studio releases. The biblical tale maintained an impressive box office footing heading into Easter weekend, dropping only 9 percent in revenu
April 20, 2025 -
Why actor Park Jeong-min became a publisher and put audiobook first
Actor Park Jeong-min has introduced a new initiative as the head of his publishing company Muze, aiming to make literature more accessible to readers with visual impairments. The project, titled the “Listening Novel Project,” launched with the release of Kim Keum-hee’s new full-length novel "First Summer, Wanju" as an audiobook. Departing from the conventional practice of releasing print editions first, the audiobook version was completed and distributed ahead of the print release. On April 4, c
April 18, 2025 -
Director Joung Yu-mi's 'Glasses' invited to Cannes Film Festival
Director Joung Yu-mi’s short animated film “Glasses” has been invited to compete in the short film category at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, making it the only South Korean work selected for this year’s prestigious event so far. “Glasses” will be showcased in the Critics’ Week short film competition, a parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival dedicated to highlighting emerging voices in global cinema. The 15-minute animation follows Yu-jin, who, after breaking her glasses, visits an opticia
April 18, 2025 -
Movies in theaters this week
"Yadang: The Snitch" (South Korea) Opened April 16 Crime/Thriller Directed by Hwang Byung-guk A falsely imprisoned survivor (Kang Ha-Neul) strikes a deal with an ambitious prosecutor (Yoo Hae-jin) to serve as an informant between police and drug cartels, only to discover he's a pawn in a deadly game of betrayal and corruption. "Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy" (US/UK/France) Opened April 16 Romance/Comedy Directed by Michael Morris Widowed, Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) returns to the dating
April 18, 2025 -
Youn Yuh-jung owns it: 'I’ve been in this job too long'
"Korean feels best," Youn Yuh-jung says with a sense of relief. "English is torture for me." The 78-year-old actress and her co-star Han Gi-chan have just endured a four-hour marathon of back-to-back interviews in English when we connect over Zoom for our conversation about "The Wedding Banquet," director Andrew Ahn's remake of Ang Lee's 1993 classic. Han nods in agreement. "Hearing Korean after speaking English all day feels so different," he says. "It has more authenticity somehow." Hitting US
April 17, 2025 -
Interview: Yoo Hae-jin and weight of familiar faces
Yoo Hae-jin sits at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, his face settling into the thoughtful creases familiar to Korean audiences. "I just hope it goes well," he tells a group of reporters of his new film "Yadang: The Snitch." "Though when the weather's this nice, people might skip theaters altogether." This self-effacing wit typifies Yoo, who, at 55, has transcended mere ubiquity to become something of Korean cinema's connective tissue. Since his film debut in 1997, he has amassed a filmography o
April 16, 2025 -
DMZ Docs, Seoul Art Cinema to present 1960s-70s docu retrospective
The DMZ International Documentary Film Festival (DMZ Docs) announced Tuesday it is teaming up with Seoul Art Cinema to present "Museum of Reality: Innovations in Documentary of the 1960s-70s," a special screening series running Friday to May 4. Held on weekends at Seoul Art Cinema in Jung-gu, Seoul, the three-week program will feature 10 feature-length documentaries rooted in direct cinema and cinema verite — landmark movements that helped reshape the genre through their emphasis on spontaneity
April 15, 2025 -
Korean films absent from Cannes' official selection for first time in 12 years
For the first time in 12 years, no South Korean films have been included in the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival. According to the festival’s organizing committee, which announced the lineup for the 78th Cannes Film Festival on Thursday evening, no Korean films were named among the invited works. Korean films were not only excluded from the main competition section, where the Palme d’Or and other top honors are awarded, but also from out of competition categories and sidebars such
April 11, 2025 -
Movies in theaters this week
"The Amateur" (US) Opened April 9 Thriller/Action Directed by James Hawes After his wife is killed in a terrorist attack, cryptographer Charles Heller (Rami Malek) blackmails the CIA to transform him into a field operative, before going rogue to track down and eliminate his wife's killers. "Lobby" (South Korea) Opened April 2 Drama/Comedy Directed by Ha Jung-Woo Desperate tech CEO Yoon Chang-Wook (Ha Jung-Woo) enters the cutthroat world of golf networking to secure crucial funding for his strugg
April 11, 2025 -
Jeonju film fest announces ticket sales timeline
Festival offers priority booking for Jeonju locals and accessibility options ahead of April 30 opening The 26th Jeonju International Film Festival has announced a timeline for ticket sales ahead of its April 30 opening. The festival, running through May 9 under the slogan "Beyond the Frame," will screen 224 films from 57 countries across Jeonju's cinema district. Tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies will go on sale April 16 at 2 p.m. via the festival's official website. General screeni
April 10, 2025 -
KOFA presents nature-focused film series for Earth Day
Program features documentary, art films that examine humanity's relationship with natural world The Korean Film Archive, a state-run institution dedicated to preserving and researching film heritage, will present "Perspectives on Nature," a lineup of documentary and experimental films focused on the natural world, from April 22 to May 8 at its Mapo-gu, Seoul headquarters. Timed for Earth Day, the program features works by contemporary filmmakers who explore landscapes and environments through di
April 10, 2025 -
Actor Kim Min-hee and director Hong Sang-soo welcome son
After nine years together, the couple has a child Actor Kim Min-hee has given birth to a son with South Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo. According to a report by entertainment outlet Dispatch, Kim is staying at a postpartum care center in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, following the birth. Kim reportedly learned she was expecting a child with Hong last summer. The couple met while working together on Hong’s 2015 film "Right Now, Wrong Then" and publicly confirmed their relationship in 2017. The couple li
April 9, 2025 -
'Mickey 17' crosses 3 million mark in Korea in underwhelming theatrical run
Bong Joon-ho's sci-fi gamble heads to streaming in North American markets after falling short of commercial expectations Director Bong Joon-ho's big-budget sci-fi venture "Mickey 17" officially crossed the 3 million admissions mark in Korea Tuesday, a milestone that comes as little consolation for a production struggling to meet financial expectations. According to the latest data from the Korean Film Council, the film reached 3,000,592 viewers after 39 days in theaters as of Tuesday. Daily tick
April 8, 2025 -
61st Baeksang Arts Awards announces nominees
Global hits such as ‘Lovely Runner,’ ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ among top contenders Global hits such as “When Life Gives You Tangerines” and “Lovely Runner” are among the top contenders for the 61st Baeksang Arts Awards, one of the country's most prestigious annual entertainment ceremonies . The 61st Baeksang Arts Awards recognize and honor the best content broadcast on terrestrial channels, cable networks and streaming platforms from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025, as well as Korean fea
April 8, 2025