BLACKPINK's Jennie invited to Cannes Film Festival BLACKPINK member Jennie / Korea Times fileBy Kwak Yeon-sooJennie, a member of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, has been invited to this year's Cannes Film Festival, which will run from May 16 to 27. The HBO series “The Idol,” which marks Jennie's acting debut, was selected for the out-of-competition section at Cannes 2023, according to the full lineup unveiled by the festival's organizers on Thursday (local time). “Jennie has been invited to the festival, but she has not yet decided whether to attend the ceremony or not,” her agency YG Entertainment said Friday.Co-created by Abel Tesfaye, the Canadian pop star known by his stage name The Weeknd, Sam Levison and Reza Fahim, the series is set against the backdrop of the music industry and centers on a self-help guru and leader of a cult who develops a complicated relationship with a rising pop idol. It also stars Tesfaye, Lily-Rose Depp and Troye Sivan.This year, no Korean films will compete for the Palme d'Or, or the main prize, at the festival. However, director Kim Jee-woon's “Cobweb,” starring Song KaApr 14, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
INTERVIEW Lee Sun-kyun says he's never encountered film like 'Killing Romance' Actor Lee Sun-kyun / Courtesy of Lotte EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-sooLee Sun-kyun, known for his intensity in “My Mister” (2018) and “Parasite” (2019), has made his biggest transformation in “Killing Romance,” an absurdist film blending fantasy, comedy, family drama and musicals.“Killing Romance” follows the story of actress Hwang Yeo-rae (Lee Ha-nee) who marries a self-obsessed chaebol executive named Jonathan Na (Lee Sun-kyun) and retires from acting. During her seven-year marriage, Hwang experiences physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her manipulative husband who controls her eating habits and forces her to “just smile” all the time. After he blocks her attempt to return to acting, she decides to kill him with the help of her next-door neighbor Beom-woo (Gong Myung), who happens to be her hardcore fan. Lee recalled the script for “Killing Romance” was so weird that he initially wanted to turn down the role.“The script was funny, silly and experimental. I was curious how director Lee Won-suk wouldApr 14, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Kim Jee-woon's 'Cobweb,' Kim Chang-hoon's 'Hopeless' invited to this year's Cannes Cannes film festival president Iris Knobloch, right, and Festival delegate general Thierry Fremaux attend a press conference to announce the International Cannes film festival line up for the upcoming 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Paris, April 13. AP-YonhapTwo Korean films will be screened at noncompetition categories of this year's Cannes Film Festival, the event's organizers has announced.Director Kim Jee-woon's new feature film "Cobweb" has been selected for Out of Competition and director Kim Chang-hoon's debut feature film "Hopeless" for Un Certain Regard, according to the lineup unveiled by the festival's executive committee during a press conference on Thursday (French time) for the 76th edition.There were no Korean films chosen for competition this year, however."Cobweb" tells the story of a film director from the 1970s who is obsessed with creating a masterpiece and struggles to shoot the film amid government censorship and uncooperative actors.Song Kang-ho, who won the best actor award at last year's Cannes, plays the role of the director in the film, while thApr 14, 2023
Japanese anime dominates box office - Will Korean animation catch up? From left are posters for “Suzume,” “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “The First Slam Dunk,” / Courtesy of Media Castle, Universal Pictures and SMG HoldingsExperts say Korea will leapfrog Japan on global animation stage in near futureBy Kwak Yeon-sooWith “The First Slam Dunk” and “Suzume” bringing a new wave of attention to animated features here, animation has become a staple in domestic cinemas.Japanese director Makoto Shinkai's anime film “Suzume” has attracted over 4.4 million moviegoers as of April 12. “The First Slam Dunk,” based on the popular “Slam Dunk” basketball manga series by Takehiko Inoue, ended up topping 4.45 million admissions in Korea. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” a U.S. animated adventure film based on the classic Japanese-made video game, and director Ayumu Watanabe's “Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko” are set to be released in theaters later this month. Although Japanese and U.S. animated films have proven to be blockbuster hits in Korea, locally pApr 14, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Suzume' tops box office for 5th weekend with over 4 million tickets A scene from the Japanese animated film "Suzume" / Courtesy of Media CastleBy Kwak Yeon-sooJapanese animated film “Suzume” claimed the No. 1 spot on the box office charts for the fifth weekend in a row, attracting over 4 million moviegoers in Korea.Director Makoto Shinkai's latest animation topped 4.34 million admissions on Sunday, 33 days after hitting local theaters on March 8, according to data from the Korean Film Council. Second place went to Korean sports drama “Rebound,” which drew 212,786 viewers over the weekend with a cumulative total of 290,164. “Suzume” is soon likely to become the highest-grossing Japanese anime film released in the country, surpassing “The First Slam Dunk,” which has accumulated 4.44 million viewers since Jan. 4.A poster for the Japanese animated film "Suzume" / Courtesy of Media CastleThe fantasy anime tells the story of a 17-year-old high school girl named Suzume who helps a mysterious young man prevent a series of deadly natural disasters. The film premiered at this year's Berlin Film Festival. It sold Apr 10, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Jeon Do-yeon discusses her similarities with iconic character in 'Kill Boksoon' A scene from the film, "Kill Boksoon" / Courtesy of NetflixBy Kwak Yeon-sooJeon Do-yeon discussed her similarities to Gil Bok-soon, her character in the Netflix film “Kill Boksoon,” saying she is very confident but has self-doubt when it comes to parenting her teenage daughter.“Director Byun Sung-hyun regularly came over to my place and observed my relationship with my 15-year-old daughter. Obviously, he was trying to get ideas for his movie script,” she said during an interview with The Korea Times, Wednesday.“After a while, Byun asked me, 'You're so bold, candid and confident in real life. How come you always play the roles that are either sacrificing heroes or suffering victims?' He said he wanted to give me the part that's empowering and at the top of the food chain.”“Kill Boksoon” tells the story of Gil Bok-soon, a single mother and hired killer who struggles with her work-life balance. Right before her contract renewal, she becomes involved in an unavoidable kill-or-be-killed situation. For her role, Jeon underwent a four-month trApr 6, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Hong Sang-soo's 'In Water' captures mundane reality in blurry images The poster of Hong Sang-soo's 29th feature "In Water" / Courtesy of Jeonwonsa FilmWatching Hong Sang-soo's minimalist film "In Water" for an hour on the big screen was like seeing images through water as it was shot out of focus, making its short running time feel unbearably long. The prolific director experiments with an out-of-focus cinematography technique in his 29th feature film, which revolves around a trio who travel to the southern resort island of Jeju to shoot a movie.The small crew comprises aspiring director Seoung-mo (Shin Seok-ho), cameraman Sang-guk (Ha Seong-guk) and female lead Nam-hee (Kim Seung-yun), all of whom studied film at university. Seoung-mo decides to give up acting and make a short film with 3 million won ($2,280) he earned through part-time jobs but doesn't know where to begin. The 20-somethings walk, eat, drink, smoke, and talk about life and art, waiting for a special moment to write a script. It is reminiscent of Hong's own spontaneous filming process. What motivated Seoung-mo to invest all of his money in making a movie? Before too long, the aspiringApr 4, 2023
1st documentary unveiled in Korea retracing Nam June Paik's vision of video art A scene from Amanda Kim's documentary on Korean American video art visionary, “Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV” / Courtesy of Elliott Erwitt, Greenwich EntertainmentAmanda Kim's 'Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV' screened in Seoul after premiering at Sundance Film FestivalBy Park Han-solIn today's media-saturated world, the groundbreaking works of Nam June Paik (1932-2006), widely referred to as the father of video art, reverberate more strongly than ever.The artist's usage of TV monitors ― which he would utilize to produce everything from wearable “clothes” and musical instruments to site-specific installations ― prophetically visualized the contemporary society awash with digital information and electronically transmitted images. He would also directly manipulate, distort and shuffle the images appearing onscreen with magnets and video synthesizers to popularize the whimsical editing of videos and thus democratize technology ― an unthinkable feat at the time.He coined the term “electronic superhighway” in the 1970s long before the emergeApr 3, 2023By Park Han-sol
Jung Ho-yeon to star in sci-fi thriller 'Hope' Actress Jung Ho-yeon / Courtesy of NetflixBy Lee Gyu-leeActress Jung Ho-yeon will be joining filmmaker Na Hong-jin's upcoming star-studded film “Hope,” co-starring with Hwang Jung-min and Zo In-sung, as well as Hollywood actors Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender.The new sci-fi thriller will revolve around the residents of a small town, called Hopo Port, in a remote countryside. One day, a mysterious being is discovered near the town, and as the residents work to uncover it, they find themselves in a fight for survival to save their town.Jung will play the role of a police officer named Sung-ae, along with Hwang who will also play the role of the town's policeman named Bum-seok. Zo will play a hunter named Sung-ki. Na, known for having directed the 2016 horror film “The Wailing,” will reunite with his cinematographer from that movie, Hong Kyung-pyo, who has also worked on 2018's “Burning” and 2019's “Parasite.” since Na's last project, “The Wailing.”The film is scheduled to start filming in the latter half of this year. JApr 3, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee
Jeonju film festival reveals rich lineup of 247 films JIFF executive committee head and Jeonju mayor Woo Beom-ki, center, and festival's co-directors Min Sung-wook, left, and Jung Joon-ho attend the press conference for the Jeonju International Film Festival held in Seoul, Thursday / Courtesy of JIFFBy Kwak Yeon-sooOrganizers of the 24th Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF), an annual celebration of independent films, have promised the program will be “bold” and “buzzy” to attract audiences. JIFF will take place from April 27 to May 6, featuring a total of 247 films from 42 countries. This year's selection includes 66 world premieres. The opening ceremony will be held at the Sori Arts Center in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province.“Jeonju Independent Film House is being built on an open space previously occupied by Jeonju Dome. Unlike previous years when most events and outdoor screenings were held within the cinema street, the festival space will be expanded throughout Jeonju,” JIFF co-director Min Sung-wook said. “We will newly launch Focus: East Asian Films Now to introduce new filmmakers from Mar 31, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
