Namkoong Sun’s 'Time to Be Strong' nabs 3 prizes at Jeonju film fest

Director Ingrid Porkropek’s “The Major Tones,” director Namkoong Sun’s “Time to Be Strong” and director Gong Seon-jeong’s “Farewell” are the winners of the top prizes in the international film, Korean film and Korean short film categories, respectively, at this year's Jeonju International Film Festival. A total of 15 best films in the international competition section, the Korean competition and the Korean short film competition section

May 8, 2024

‘Moving,’ ‘12.12: The Day’ win top prizes at 60th Baeksang Arts Awards

“12.12: The Day,” also known as “Seoul’s Spring” in Korean, and Disney+ sci-fi fantasy series “Moving” won the top honors at the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards on Tuesday. Prolific actor Hwang Jung-min, who played the head of the Defense Security Command Chun Doo-gwang in “12.12: The Day,” also snatched the best actor award in the film category. He had been likened to the “Leonardo DiCaprio of Baeksang” for a long streak of missing out

May 7, 2024

Local filmmakers criticize ‘The Roundup: Punishment’ monopoly of screens

While ticket sales of the latest crime action franchise “The Roundup: Punishment” continue to climb toward the 10 million mark, filmmakers criticized the film’s monopoly of screens, occupying over 80 percent of all screens in Korea. The film is the fourth installment about hot-blooded detective Ma Seok-do (Ma Dong-seok), who this time is on a mission to nab the head of an illegal casino cartel. With no clear rivals in cinemas following its April 24 opening, the movie quickly ga

May 7, 2024

[What to Watch] Game, set, match: Three great sports films to watch

Sports films inevitably have their cliches -- underdog stories, training montages, the inspiring pep talk and, of course, ultimately reaching a satisfying conclusion regardless of the last game's outcome. But just like the sports themselves, the movies offer the audience unpredictable elements and sometimes even a twist on the big screen. A detailed replication of an actual sports scene in a cinematic way is another perk of the genre. Rivalry, adversity and masculinity are common themes to

May 4, 2024

[Herald Interview] ‘Time to Be Strong’ follows retired K-pop idols’ self-discovery

JEONJU, North Jeolla Province -- This year’s Jeonju International Film Festival saw its iconic Korean Competition section receive the highest number of submissions ever -- 134 films. While a majority of the submissions focused on female narratives, director Namkoong Sun’s “Time to Be Strong” clearly stood out among the 10 films in competition for the top three awards. The rookie director’s second feature film “Time to Be Strong” follows three retired K-p

May 3, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Challengers” (US) Opened April 24 Sports/Romance Directed by Luca Guadagnino Tennis player-turned-coach Tashi successfully makes her husband a world-famous champion. But tension soon surfaces in the couple as her ex-boyfriend Patrick, who is also her husband's former best friend, appears on the tennis court. “The Roundup: Punishment” (South Korea) Opened April 24 Crime/Action Directed by Heo Myung-haeng Detective Ma Seok-do (Ma Dong-seok) uncovers a connection bet

May 3, 2024

‘Inside Out 2’ adds four new emotions, explores teenage life

JEONJU, North Jeolla Province -- “Inside Out 2,” the sequel to the 2015 hit animation on a charming, intelligent journey through the emotions of adolescence, adds four new feelings to mix: anxiety, envy, ennui and embarrassment. Kelsey Mann, director of the film, and Mark Nielsen, a producer on “Inside Out 2,” joined a press conference following footage to introduce the new characters and messages of the upcoming movie. The event was held on the sidelines of the 25th Jeon

May 2, 2024

25th Jeonju IFF opens with Sho Miyake’s ‘All the Long Nights’

JEONJU, North Jeolla Province -- Japanese filmmaker Sho Miyake's gentle drama, “All the Long Nights,” opened the 25th Jeonju International Film Festival in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, on Wednesday. Speaking at a press conference following the screening, Miyake shared his intentions behind the film adaptation of the novel of the same title by Maiko Seo. "I was attracted to the characters in the original story, not because of the (panic disorder symptoms from which) they s

May 1, 2024

Jeonju film fest to kick off, featuring over 230 films

The Jeonju International Film Festival, South Korea's premier platform for indie and art house cinema, is scheduled to commence later in the day, showcasing 232 films from 43 countries, the organizer said Wednesday. The 25th edition of the festival will kick off with a 10-day run, with an opening ceremony at 7:30 p.m. at the Sori Arts Center in Jeonju, located about 190 kilometers south of Seoul. The Japanese film "All the Long Nights," directed and written by Miyake Sho, will ope

May 1, 2024

"The Plot," rife with unexpected twists, will showcase Gang Dong-won at his coldest

South Korean crime flick "The Plot," starring Korean heartthrob Gang Dong-won, will see the actor in his coldest persona yet, alongside a narrative rife with unexpected twists. "The Plot" follows the story of Yeong-il, (Gang Dong-won) whose job is to arrange commissioned contract killings to seem like accidents. As the story unfolds, Yeong-il is unexpectedly involved in a series of events which leads him to believe that this time, he is targeted for a murder disguised as an a

April 29, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“The Roundup: Punishment” (South Korea) Opened April 24 Crime/Action Directed by Heo Myung-haeng Detective Ma Seok-do (Ma Dong-seok) uncovers a connection between a drug trafficking app’s developer and an illegal casino cartel, which is all under the control of an alliance of Former special forces agent Chang-gi (Kim Moo-yul) and genius IT CEO Dong-chul (Lee Dong-hwi). “Kung Fu Panda 4” (US) Opened April 10 Comedy Adventure Directed by Mike Mitchell Po becomes t

April 26, 2024

Lim Yoo-ri’s ‘Forest of Echoes’ invited to Cannes’ La Cinef section

South Korean rookie director Lim Yoo-ri’s short film, “Forest of Echoes,” has been invited to the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Her 22-minute-long movie will compete in the La Cinef section, which awards three prizes among 18 movies selected by the jury for the 27th edition of La Cinef. The winner will be announced on May 23. This particular section discovers the works of film students. This year saw 2,263 works submitted by students of film schools all over the world. “This

April 25, 2024

[Herald Interview] 2 new villains in ‘The Roundup: Punishment’ differentiate themselves in the details

“The Roundup: Punishment,” the fourth installment of the country’s most successful crime action franchise, features two new villains. Because the audience still remains captivated by the first installment’s Jang Chen (Yoon Kye-sang), an ethnic Korean gangster from Harbin who collects debts, and the second installment’s psychopathic serial killer, Kang Hae-sang (Son Suk-ku), many moviegoers are anticipating something new from the new villains, hoping perhaps they&#

April 24, 2024

[Herald Interview] 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' features even more advanced VFX techniques: producers

Since its first outing in 2011, Planet of Apes reboot has demonstrated the pinnacle of visual effects in its realistic depiction of primates. The series has earned global recognition for its VFX techniques, including visual effects nominations at both the BAFTAs and the Academy Awards. Now, a fourth installment, "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," is in cinemas, seven years after the previous one. According to the producers, the movie showcases even more advanced visual effects, a cul

April 24, 2024

'The Roundup: Punishment' breaks all-time ticket reservation record for Korean films: distributor

"The Roundup: Punishment" set a ticket reservation record for Korean films of all time on its opening day, Wednesday, its distributor said, signaling a robust start for the highly anticipated film. The latest installment in "The Roundup" crime-action franchise starring Ma Dong-seok amassed over 830,000 presold tickets at theaters nationwide, accounting for a whopping 95.5 percent of all box-office ticket reservations as of 8 a.m., ABO Entertainment said, citing figures from t

April 24, 2024

[New on the scene] Director protests middle-aged women's loss of name

Director Jeong Ji-hye, 29, depicts in great detail an ordinary woman in her 50s in her feature film debut “Jeong-sun.” The concept was based on Jeong's year-long experience working part-time at a food packaging factory -- the same setting where the protagonist Jeong-sun works and faces an unexpected event. “While working at the factory, I became close with many middle-aged women who worked there. I could hear their life stories and about the environment they were in,&rdquo

April 23, 2024

Movie on Fu Bao set for fall release

A South Korean movie depicting the interaction between Fu Bao, the beloved giant panda born here in July 2020, and her zookeepers will be released in the fall. Tentatively titled "Hello, Grandpa," the movie is currently under production by Korean animation production company Accomz, in collaboration with Everland, the Korean theme park and zoo where Fu Bao lived before departing for China. "Hello, Grandpa" is to be an animated documentary based on interviews with zookeepers S

April 22, 2024

Gang Dong-won masterminds plots to seem like accidents

Actor Gang Dong-won turns a meticulous mastermind behind plots that appear to be accidents in his upcoming crime drama flick, “The Plot.” “The Plot” follows Young-il, played by Gang, who believes that all kinds of accidents can be manipulated. Next to him are his security master, Jackie (Lee Mi-sook), disguise master, Wol-cheon (Lee Hyun-wook) and youngest teammate, Jeom-man (Tang Joon-sang), who sincerely support Young-il’s plotting the scheme. But their solidity a

April 22, 2024

‘Goodbye Earth’ director never doubted revealing the series despite Yoo’s drug scandal

The director of the Netflix series “Goodbye Earth,” which was put in the middle of controversy ahead of its release after actor Yoo Ah-in was indicted on drug charges in October, said he never doubted the series would make it to screens. “Although there was a significant amount of time for waiting, I never doubted that this series would not be revealed. It was fate to come out to the world and meet the audience,” director Kim Jin-min told reporters during a press conferen

April 19, 2024

Bae Doo-na shares portraying Korean identity in Hollywood's 'Rebel Moon'

Actor Bae Doo-na, who stars as sword master Nemesis in Netflix original “Rebel Moon -- Part Two: The Scargiver,” said she suggested costume and makeup ideas for this mega-scale Hollywood project. Director Zack Snyder, who has also helmed “Justice League” and “300,” has stressed several times before that Bae’s character, Nemesis, is rooted in Korean identity. “In the original script, Nemesis didn’t wear anything particularly Korean, such as a

April 19, 2024