Cannes-winning actor Song Kang-ho returns home to hero's welcome Song Kang-ho, center, poses with his prize at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, May 30. YonhapSong Kang-ho received a hero's welcome in Korea on Monday after winning the country's first Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival. Song arrived at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, along with "Broker" director Hirokazu Kore-eda and his co-stars, where about 300 fans and journalists were celebrating the historic honor."Thank you to all Korean movie fans for your constant interest and support for Korean films," Song told reporters upon his arrival. "I thought this achievement wouldn't be possible without Korean fans' love and support."Actor Song Kang-ho, second from right, director Hirokazu Kore-eda, left, and other cast members of the film, "Broker," pose for a photo after arriving at Incheon International Airport, May 30. YonhapSong received the Best Actor honor at this year's Cannes Film Festival in France on Saturday (CET) for his performance in the Korean drama feature, "Broker," written and directed by Japanese auteur Kore-eda.It is the first time Song has individuMay 30, 2022
Song Kang-ho makes history as 1st Korean male Best Actor winner at Cannes Actor Song Kang-ho gives his acceptance speech after winning the Best Actor award during the ceremony of the 75th Cannes Film Festival, Saturday (local times). AP-YonhapBy Lee Gyu-leeActor Song Kang-ho, who won global recognition with director Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning film “Parasite” in 2019, has become the first male actor from Korea to win the Best Actor award at the 75th Cannes Film Festival. The 55-year-old actor notched the accolade at the closing ceremony of this year's festival held on Saturday (local time) for his role in “Broker” directed by Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda. He is the second Korean to win the highest award for a male actor at the festival, following actress Jeon Do-yeon's win for her work in the 2007 film “Secret Sunshine.”Starting off his acceptance speech by saying “thank you” in French, Song thanked the director and his co-stars for the honor. “I deeply thank our great artist, Hirokazu Kore-eda. And I would like to share this honor with Gang Dong-won, Lee Ji-eun, Lee Joo-young, and Bae Doona whMay 29, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
Auteur Park Chan-wook proves Korean cinema's global appeal again Director Park Chan-wook poses on stage after notching the Best Director award for his romance noir “Decision to Leave” during the closing ceremony of the 75th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, Saturday. EPA-YonhapPark becomes 2nd Korean filmmaker to clinch Best Director at CannesBy Park Han-solSix years after the erotic psychological thriller “The Handmaiden” with a feminist edge premiered at Cannes Film Festival in France, filmmaker Park Chan-wook has returned with the romance noir “Decision to Leave” that earned him the Best Director prize on Saturday (local time).With his latest win, he became the second Korean auteur ever to clinch the honor at Cannes, after Im Kwon-taek for the 2002 historical drama “Chihwaseon.”This also marks the director's third prize awarded at the prestigious film festival, following the Grand Prix for the 2003 neo-noir thriller “Oldboy” and the Jury Prize for the 2009 horror drama “Thirst.”During his acceptance speech in the Grand Lumiere Theater at the awards ceremony for the 75May 29, 2022By Park Han-sol
Yoon congratulates Cannes-winning director Park, actor Song President Yoon Suk-yeol's message to director Park Chan-wook, left, and actor Song Kang-ho / Yonhap President Yoon Suk-yeol congratulated director Park Chan-wook and actor Song Kang-ho, Sunday, on winning the Best Director and the Best Actor awards at the Cannes Film Festival, saying the prizes confirmed the competitiveness of the Korean movie industry.In a message to Park, Yoon praised the director's Cannes-winning movie "Decision to Leave," saying it "again confirmed Korean movies unique originality and outstanding competitiveness." In a separate message, Yoon told Song that the Best Actor award "raised our pride in Korean culture and art by one level and was a great comfort to the people who were tired of COVID-19." Song won the award for the movie "Broker," which was directed by the Cannes-winning Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda.Yoon also paid his respect to the director, actors and staff of "Broker" for their work. This is the first time in the country's cMay 29, 2022
Director Park Chan-wook says films made for big screen should be watched in theaters Park Chan-wook, winner of the Best Director Award for 'Decision to Leave' ('Heojil Kyolshim' in Korean), attends the award winners' press conference at the closing ceremony of the 75th Cannes Film Festival in southern France, May 28. EPA-Yonhap Korean auteur Park Chan-wook said during a press conference in Cannes, France, Saturday (local time) that the future of cinema was tightly connected with that of movie theaters, which bring an incomparable cinematic experience."Our experience to entirely focus on a film and enjoy it along with many people at a movie theater is out of comparison," he said in a press conference after the closing ceremony of the 75th Cannes Film Festival, where he won the Best Director award for his latest feature "Decision to Leave.""Each work has its own platform," said Park, who has made various attempts with other media, such as the spy thriller TV series "The Little Drummer Girl" (2018) and the short martial arts film "Life is But a Dream" May 29, 2022
Song Kang-ho named Best Actor at Cannes for 'Broker' Song Kang-ho, winner of the Best Actor award for 'Broker,' poses for photographers during a photo call following the awards ceremony at the 75th Cannes Film Festival in southern France, May 28. AP-Yonhap Actor Song Kang-ho was named Best Actor at this year's Cannes Film Festival, Saturday, for his performance in the drama "Broker," becoming the first South Korean male actor to win an acting prize at the prestigious festival.At the closing ceremony for the 75th edition of the festival held at Palais Lumiere in Cannes, Song took home the best actor prize for his role as a baby broker in the film written and directed by the Cannes-winning Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda. Song Kang-ho, centre, rises to receive the Best Actor award for 'Broker,' while being congratulated by director Hirokazu Kore-eda, left and Dong-won Gang during the awards ceremony of the 75th Cannes FiMay 29, 2022
Park Chan-wook wins Best Director at Cannes for 'Decision to Leave' Director Park Chan-wook, winner of the Best Director award for 'Decision to Leave' poses for photographers during a photo call following the awards ceremony at the 75th Cannes Film Festival in southern France, May 28. AP-Yonhap Korean auteur Park Chan-wook was named Best Director at this year's Cannes Film Festival, Saturday, for his romance "Decision to Leave."Park received the honor at the awards ceremony for the 75th edition of the festival held at Palais Lumiere in Cannes.It is also his third prize given by Cannes, following the Grand Prix, the second-highest prize at the festival, for his thriller "Oldboy" in 2003 and the Jury Prize, the No. 3 honor, for the horror "Thirst" in 2009.Park became the second Korean director to win the category, following renowned filmmaker Im Kwon-taek for the historical drama "Chihwaseon" in 2002. Director Park Chan-wook accepts the BesMay 29, 2022
Korean films make splash at Cannes Film Festival Director Park Chan-wook, left, talks to reporters, with actor Song Kang-ho, right, after they won the Best Director and Best Actor awards for “Decision to Leave” and “Broker,” respectively, at the 75th annual Cannes Film Festival, in Cannes, France, Saturday (local time). YonhapSong Kang-ho named Best Actor; Park Chan-wook wins Best DirectorBy Kwak Yeon-sooKorean films have set a record by taking two awards this year at the Cannes Film Festival. Song Kang-ho became the first Korean male actor to win the Best Actor award for his role in “Broker,” Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda's Korean debut with an all-Korean cast and dialogue. Earlier in 2007, actress Jeon Do-yeon won the Best Actress award for her performance in “Secret Sunshine,” in which Song also starred.Song has also become the third Asian actor to win the award at Cannes, following Hong Kong's Leung Chiu Wai for “In the Mood for Love” in 2000 and Japan's Yuya Yagira for “Nobody Knows” in 2004.“It's an honor. I attribute this good result to peoplMay 27, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
'The Roundup' becomes most-watched Korean film in pandemic era Promotional videos for the action comedy “The Roundup” are played at a cinema in Seoul, May 22. Yonahp The action comedy "The Roundup" has become the most-watched Korean film in the pandemic era, box-office data showed Thursday.The sequel to the 2017 hit comedy "The Outlaws" garnered 342,000 people Wednesday, bringing its combined audience to 4.51 million, according to the Korean Film Council.It surpassed the attendance record of the previous No. 1 pandemic-era hit "Deliver Us from Evil," which was released in August 2020 and attracted 4.35 million moviegoers.Starring Ma Dong-seok, also known as Don Lee, "The Roundup" has been shattering box-office records among Korean films since its May 18 release, coinciding with the nationwide turnaround to return to normalcy.It attracted 467,000 people upon its debut, marking the largest first-day score for a local film since the new coronavirus broke out in early 2020, outnumbering the previous record of 354,000 set by the zomMay 26, 2022
Veteran actors receive spotlight on big screen A poster for the film “Good Morning” / Courtesy of D Station By Kwak Yeon-sooAn array of veteran actors are taking on lead roles in TV shows as well as cinema. While actors like Ko Doo-shim and Kim Hye-ja take on title roles on the small screen, stars like Ahn Sung-ki, Lee Soon-jae and Na Moon-hee are seen playing central characters on the silver screen, proving that “old is gold.”Veteran actor Lee, 87, stars in director Cha Bong-joo's debut feature “Good Morning,” which premiered on May 25. The film follows an orphan named Soo-mi (Kim Hwan-hee), who attempts suicide but is saved by Seo-jin (Yoo Sun), a hospice volunteer who lost her daughter five years ago. Seo-jin suggests that Soo-mi join her. At the hospice house, Soo-mi learns life lessons by teaching an old man nearing death named In-soo (Lee) how to read and write.“When you reach my age as an actor, you usually get small or limited roles. I don't take those roles. When I read the script for 'Good Morning,' hoMay 25, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
