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BIAF 2025 opens submissions
South Korea's premier animation festival continues to cement global standing with Academy Award qualifying status The Bucheon International Animation Festival (BIAF) has kicked off its submission period for its 27th edition, scheduled to run October 24-28. The festival is accepting works completed after Jan. 1, 2024 that haven't previously screened at BIAF. Deadlines vary by category: June 30 for shorts (including student films, TV and commissioned works and Korean shorts) and July 31 for featur
March 21, 2025 -
26th JIFF Unveils Korean Competition Lineup
LGBTQ+ themes and women's narratives dominate selection The 26th Jeonju International Film Festival, set to run April 30 to May 9, 2025, has unveiled its Korean Competition selection. Ten films — nine narrative features and one documentary — from first- and second-time directors have been selected for the Korean Competition, which has historically served as a launching pad for Korea's indie directors, with previous winners like "Kim Min-young of the Report Card" (22nd edition), "Jeong-sun" (23rd
March 20, 2025 -
Yeon Sang-ho tests faith with 'Revelations'
Director and cast discuss their upcoming Netflix thriller at a pre-release press conference in Seoul Alphonso Cuaron was following Yeon Sang-ho's career long before most film fans knew the Korean director's name. "It started when 'The King of Pigs' went to Cannes," Yeon told reporters during Tuesday's production briefing at a Seoul hotel. "That was 14 years ago." Now the Oscar-winning auteur has partnered with Yeon as an executive producer on Netflix’s "Revelations," a new film that strips away
March 18, 2025 -
CGV launches Korea's first AI film contest
Competition offers 50 million won in prizes for generative AI-produced short films CGV announced on Tuesday that it is hosting an artificial intelligence film competition, becoming the first theater chain in Korea to do so. The contest invites filmmakers to submit original, previously unpublished short films ranging from 10 to 20 minutes in length, created using generative AI technology. Entries can explore either the theme of "heroes and villains" or tackle any subject of the creator's choosing
March 18, 2025 -
Solo diner's global vision
Yutaka Matsushige, star of Japan's beloved culinary series, introduces his directorial debut to Korean fans There is a certain epicurean joy in eating alone. The right to dine without anyone bothering you applies equally to all, especially to those who work hard to make ends meet. "The Solitary Gourmet" is a work that embodies precisely that ethos. At Thursday's press conference at CGV Yongsan in Seoul, Yutaka Matsushige — star of the beloved Japanese TV franchise that has run for 11 seasons sin
March 16, 2025 -
Docu film 'Forever We Are Young' explores global impact of BTS, Army
The film premiered at the 2025 SXSW film festival A documentary film offering an in-depth analysis of Army, the dedicated fandom of BTS, has been released. The documentary “Forever We Are Young” had its world premiere at the 2025 South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) in Paramount Theater, Austin, Texas, Tuesday, according to Big Hit Music. Filmed over three years across diverse locations including Seoul, Los Angeles, Texas and Mexico City, the documentary was selected for screening in the "24
March 11, 2025 -
French Film Week to showcase award-winners in Seoul, Busan
Festival brings Berlin Golden Bear winner, Cannes laureates to Korean screens French Film Week is set to return to South Korea from April 4-13, the festival organizers announced Monday. Organized by the French Embassy's cultural service alongside Megabox's arthouse cinema Artnine and the Busan Cinema Center, the event has become a fixture for French cinema enthusiasts in Korea. The fourth annual festival brings a curated selection of recent French films to Artnine in Seoul as well as the Busan C
March 11, 2025 -
Disney taps Suzy for 'Snow White' theme song
Former Miss A singer joins Disney's lineup of Korean collaborators in $200m remake Actor-singer Suzy has been tapped to perform the Korean version of "Waiting On A Wish," the main theme song for Disney's upcoming "Snow White" remake, Walt Disney Company Korea announced Monday. A 44-second teaser video released Monday on Disney Korea's official YouTube channel shows Suzy braving a snowstorm in a red cape as she ventures into an enchanted forest setting. The song captures Snow White's (played by R
March 10, 2025 -
Bong Joon-ho's 'Mickey 17' tops North American box office but falls short of expectations
Bong Joon-ho's latest film, "Mickey 17," debuted at No. 1 at the North American box office over the weekend, making history as the first film by a Korean director to debut in the top spot. However, its opening-weekend earnings fell short of industry projections, raising concerns over its ability to recoup its substantial production and marketing costs. According to Box Office Mojo, a U.S.-based online tracker of box-office revenue, on Sunday, "Mickey 17" earned $19.1 million from 3,807 theaters
March 10, 2025 -
Ghost on baduk board
Troubled production heads to cinemas after co-star's fall from grace The press conference for "The Match" at Seoul's CGV Yongsan Friday convened with a conspicuous absence. The film's co-lead, Yoo Ah-in, was nowhere to be found — not in the posters decorating the venue, not in the carefully edited trailer shown to reporters, not on the stage alongside director Kim Hyung-ju and the cast. The erasure wasn't unexpected. Yoo, who was sentenced to one year in prison last September for drug use, was g
March 7, 2025 -
Landmark Korean blockbuster 'Shiri' gets 4K remaster
1999 spy thriller that sparked Korean cinema's blockbuster era returns to theaters March 19 "Shiri," the 1999 spy thriller that marked a watershed in Korean cinema, is set to return to theaters on March 19 in a 4K remastered version, distributor CJ ENM announced Thursday. Directed by Kang Je-kyu, "Shiri" follows South Korean intelligence agents Yu Jung-won (Han Suk-kyu) and Lee Jang-gil (Song Kang-ho) as they track North Korean operatives led by commander Park Mu-young (Choi Min-sik). The film b
March 7, 2025 -
Jun Ji-hyun returns to film after 10 years with Yeon Sang-ho’s new movie
Ji Chang-wook joins star-studded cast of 'Gunche' Actress Jun Ji-hyun is making her long-awaited return to the big screen after a decade, starring in Yeon Sang-ho’s latest film, “Gunche,” which recently began filming. The movie, titled after a Korean word for “colony,” is expected to premiere next year, according to its distributor ShowBox, Friday. This is Jun’s first collaboration with Yeon and her first film appearance since the 2015 blockbuster "Assassination," directed by Choi Dong-hoon. “Gu
March 7, 2025 -
Selling sex, selling dreams: Sex workers in Korean cinema
From "Western princesses" to hostesses — trace Korea's turbulent modern history through the stories of those who bore its heaviest costs When Sean Baker took home four statuettes at this year's Oscars—a feat unmatched since Walt Disney in 1954 —it cemented the director's reputation as cinema's preeminent chronicler of the sex worker community. His film "Anora," about a Brooklyn stripper whose fairy-tale marriage to a Russian oligarch's son unravels spectacularly, won five Oscars, with four going
March 6, 2025 -
Rising talents get spotlight at Korean Academy of Film Arts graduation film fest
38 works by academy graduates to be screened March 7-15 in Seoul and Busan The Korean Academy of Film Arts will host its annual Graduation Film Festival March 7-9 at Megabox Seongsu in Seoul, with an additional screening day on March 15 at the Korean Film Council's headquarters in Busan, organizers announced Tuesday. Under the slogan "Like a Movie," this year's festival will present 38 films from KAFA's latest graduates, offering audiences a first glimpse at Korea's emerging cinematic talents. T
March 4, 2025 -
Chanel X BIFF Asian Film Academy opens applications
Film training program seeks 24 emerging Asian filmmakers for collaboration during Busan International Film Festival Applications are now open for the 2025 Chanel X BIFF Asian Film Academy, a cornerstone educational program designed to nurture Asia's next generation of cinematic talent. Running Sept. 7-26, the initiative invites aspiring filmmakers from across Asia to apply before April 4. This year's program will welcome 24 participants from across Asia who will collaborate on short films slated
March 4, 2025