'Next Sohee,' starring Bae Doona, invited to Critics' Week at Cannes Actor Bae Doo-na in a scene from the film “Next Sohee” / Courtesy of Twinplus PartnersBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe upcoming detective drama “Next Sohee,” starring Bae Doo-na and directed by Jung July, has been chosen as the closing film of the Cannes International Film Festival's parallel sidebar Critics' Week, according to production house Twinplus Partners, Thursday.The Critics' Week program, which was introduced in 1962, is dedicated to filmmakers' first and second features from all around the world. A total of 11 Korean films have been invited so far, including Hur Jin-ho's “Christmas in August” (1998), Jung Ji-woo's “Happy End” (1999) and Han Jun-hee's “Coin Locker Girl” (2015).“Next Sohee” is Jung's second film, following the 2014 detective drama “The Girl at My Door,” which was invited to the “Un Certain Regard” selection of the 67th Cannes Film Festival that year. It revolves around Sohee (Kim Si-eun), a high school student who starts training for a subcontracted position at a call center. Apr 21, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Oscar-winning Youn Yuh-jung eyes Emmy for 'Pachinko' Actress Youn Yuh-jung is seen in a scene from Apple TV+ series "Pachinko." Courtesy of Apple TV+Oscar-winning actress Youn Yuh-jung has emerged as a key contender for an Emmy Award for her role in the drama "Pachinko," raising hopes she could be the first Korean to win both an Oscar and an Emmy.At the Academy Awards last year, Youn was named Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the livewire grandmother role in the American immigration film "Minari" (2020), becoming the first Korean to win an acting Oscar. About a year later, she stars in the latest Apple TV+ original series "Pachinko," based on the namesake novel written by Korean-American author Min Jin Lee. The eight-part epic family saga follows Sunja who has to go through a tough life in Japan-occupied Korea and in Japan after the Second World War.While "Pachinko," co-directed by Korean-Americans Kogonada and Justin Chon, has won rave reviews from critics and viewers, Youn's performance as older Sunja, who lives in Japan as a Zainichi, a Japanese word for ethnic Koreans who have permanent residency status in Japan but don't haveApr 21, 2022
Korean film industry's Q1 sales jump 52% gettyimagesbankThe local film industry saw sales increase more than 50 percent in the first quarter of 2022 from a year earlier as three highly anticipated local movies enjoyed decent successes for films released during the COVID-19 pandemic.Industrywide sales reached 113.5 billion won ($91.9 million) in the first three months of the year, up 52 percent from the same period a year ago, according to a report from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).Total admissions to local movie theaters also increased 44.5 percent to 3.63 million people during the same period.KOFIC said the box-office successes of three big-budget Korean films released in the first quarter helped keep numbers up.The fantasy action blockbuster "The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure," the political drama "Kingmaker" and the crime drama "The Policeman's Lineage" attracted 1.33 million, 780,000 and 680,000 moviegoers, respectively, leading sales at the box office.Only a small number of Korean films were released in the first quarter of 2021, and none of them sold more than 500,000 tickets as the country went through the thirApr 19, 2022
INTERVIEW Actor Park Hae-soo gives rosy outlook for K-content Actor Park Hae-soo / Courtesy of Netflix'Squid Game' actor reflects on busy year of actingBy Kwak Yeon-sooPark Hae-soo cannot remember a busier period of acting in his 15-year career. In the span of just one year, he went from being a bit of a late bloomer to a global sensation ― all thanks to the success of “Squid Game,” which took the world by storm and became the most-watched show on Netflix. After making his debut through the musical, “Mister Lobby,” in 2007, Park experienced a wave of success following his breakout role in tvN's “Prison Playbook” (2017). He even earned the nickname, “Netflix employee” after appearing in four Netflix series and movies: “Persona,” “Time to Hunt,” “Squid Game” and the latest, “Yaksha: Ruthless Operations.”The 40-year-old has attended several awards ceremonies, such as the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards, to see his colleagues bring home trophies and meet some of Hollywood's biggest stars. “It's extraordinary. I am thankful for the Apr 18, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Broker,' 'Decision to Leave' to compete for Palme d'Or at Cannes Director Park Chan-wook / Korea Times file"Decision to Leave" by renowned Korean director Park Chan-wook and "Broker" by award-winning Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda were selected for the competition section of the 75th Cannes Film Festival.In the official selection announced by the festival Thursday, the two Korean films were among 18 works competing for the highest honor, the Palme d'Or, this year.It is the first time in five years that two Korean films have been invited to the official competition section since 2017, when Bong Joon-ho's "Okja" and Hong Sang-soo's "The Day After" made the list.Last year, no Korean-made films were contending at the world's most prestigious film fest. Two films ― Hong Sang-soo's "In Front of Your Face" and Han Jae-rim's "Emergency Declaration" ― were listed in non-competition sections."Broker" is written and directed by Japanese director Kore-eda, who took home the Palme d'Or for "Shoplifters" in 2018, but produced by Korean companies, like CJ ENM, and starring Korean actors, including Song Kang-ho of "Parasite."It is the Cannes-winning director'sApr 14, 2022
Time-travel romance 'Ditto' is getting remake starring Yeo Jin-goo, Cho Yi-hyun Actors Yeo Jin-goo, left, and Cho Yi-hyun / Courtesy of Janus Entertainment, Artist Company By Kwak Yeon-sooActors Yeo Jin-goo and Cho Yi-hyun have signed on for the much anticipated remake of the 2002 time-travel romance film, “Ditto,” the production company, Gogo Studio, said Thursday. Originally starring Yoo Ji-tae and Kim Ha-neul, the film centers on a romance that transcends time. A female college student living in 1979 and a male college student from 2000 are somehow able to talk to each other using an old radio. It involves a blend of fantasy, romance and drama. In the new remake, Yeo has been selected to play Yong, a mechanical engineering student living in 1995. Cho, who shot to fame with the Netflix series “All of Us Are Dead,” will take on the role of Moo-nee, a sociology student living in 2021. Debuting as a child actor in the 2005 film, “Sad Movie,” Yeo has starred in hit dramas such as “Hotel Del Luna” (2019) and “Beyond Evil” (2021). Making her debut Apr 14, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
INTERVIEW Chun Woo-hee portrays news anchor pushed to limit in thriller Actor Chun Woo-hee / Courtesy of Acemaker Movieworks By Kwak Yeon-sooActor Chun Woo-hee was catapulted to fame after starring as a teenage rape victim in the 2013 poignant drama film, “Han Gong-ju.” After sweeping seven best actress awards for her performance, she started getting more offers that opened new doors for her to critically and commercially successful films such as “The Wailing” by director Na Hong-jin. Now she is ready for another transformation with the female-led psychological thriller, “Anchor.”In the upcoming film, Chun plays the role of a prime-time news anchor, Se-ra, whose life turns upside down after receiving a phone call from a mysterious woman named Mi-so, who claims she is about to be killed by a stalker and asks Se-ra to report her story. With the desire to break a big story and outpace her rivals, Se-ra digs deeper into the case and finds out that mysterious psychiatrist In-ho (Shin Ha-kyun) may be involved in Mi-so's death. Meanwhile, Se-rApr 13, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Yaksha: Ruthless Operations' lands at No. 3 on Netflix movies Actor Seol Kyung-gu in a scene from “Yaksha: Ruthless Operations” / Courtesy of Netflix By Kwak Yeon-soo“Yaksha: Ruthless Operations,” a film about Korean spies taking up a dangerous mission in China, has become the third most-viewed film on Netflix worldwide. It is the first time for a Korean film to be included in the top 3 on the Netflix movie chart, while there have been several dramas to do so, such as “Squid Game” and “All of Us Are Dead.”According to data by streaming analytics company FilxPatrol, the film starring Seol Kyung-gu and Park Hae-soo placed third on Netflix's global top 10 movie chart as of Monday, three days after its release. The teenage romance film, “The In Between,” topped the ranking of the most watched films on Netflix followed by the Polish action film, “Furioza.”However, in the Asia region for Netflix's most-streamed movie, “Yaksha” came out on top. Directed by Na Hyeon, well known for his 2016 crime action film, “The Prison,” “Yaksha” foApr 12, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Korean actors jump in on multilingual, global projects A poster for the film “Broker” / Courtesy of CJ ENM By Kwak Yeon-sooAs Korean films and dramas grow in worldwide prominence, English-speaking Korean actors are building parallel careers in Hollywood, as it becomes more common for foreign filmmakers to choose to work with them.Most recently, actors Yoo Yeon-seok and Ye Ji-won starred in French filmmaker Denis Dercourt's mystery thriller “Vanishing,” which was set in Korea. When asked why he took the role, Yoo said, “I was always curious to know what differences there are between local and foreign film productions. I thought speaking English would bring out something different, and it did. I would happily do a film in other languages again.”Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda's drama film “Broker” which will hit theaters in June, features high-profile Korean actors Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, Bae Doo-na and IU. Produced by CJ Entertainment, the film has been submitted for consideration at this year's Cannes film festivApr 11, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Space Sweepers' nominated for best dramatic presentation at Hugo Awards A scene from “Space Sweepers” on Netflix / Courtesy of Netflix The Korean space opera "Space Sweepers" has been nominated for the 2022 Hugo Awards, a prestigious U.S. award for science fiction or fantasy works.According to an announcement by the Hugo Awards, Thursday (local time), "Space Sweepers," directed and written by Jo Sung-hee, is among the six candidates in the category of Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form.Denis Villeneuve's 2021 sci-fi film "Dune," Disney's musical fantasy "Encanto," David Lowery's epic fantasy "The Green Knight," Marvel Studios' "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" and "WandaVision" are the other five.The section honors theatrical films, television episodes or other dramatized works related to science fiction or fantasy released in the previous calendar year. "Game of Thrones” (season one ― 2011), "Gravity" (2013) and "The Martian" (2015) are previous winners in the category."Space Sweepers," released as a Netflix original last Apr 8, 2022
