More K-pop stars leaping to big screen A poster for “Shades of the Heart,” left, and a poster for “The Box” / Courtesy of At9 Film, TAKEBy Kwak Yeon-sooMany K-pop idols have tried to make the leap to the big screen, but not so many have succeeded. Despite lackluster results at the box office, more K-pop singers are branching out to the film industry where they find opportunities to break out of the confines of their image as impeccable idols and demonstrate their multiple talents.Of the many who have crossed over from music to film, IU seems to be the master of doing both at the same time. While the singer-actress is gearing up to drop her fifth studio album “LILAC” on March 25, she is also returning to the silver screen with, “Shades of the Heart,” directed by Kim Jong-kwan.Set for release on March 31, the upcoming film revolves around Chang-seok (Yeon Woo-jin) who engages in conversations with four different people to write a new book based on his relationships with them.IU jumped into acting in 2011 through KBS's teenage drama, “Dream High,” and since then appMar 17, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Oscar-nominee Youn Yuh-jung, down-to-earth actor with self-deprecating humor Youn Yuh-jung / Courtesy of Hook EntertainmentYoun's nomination for Best Supporting Actress is one of the six Oscar nominations “Minari” received at the 93rd Academy Awards.By Kwak Yeon-sooStarting last year, actor Youn Yuh-jung's lucky break has shown no signs of ending. As of February, she has bagged 26 prizes from film festivals held around the world for her role as the eccentric grandmother Soon-ja in the critically-acclaimed film, “Minari.” On Monday, she earned one more honor, the odds of which she had said earlier were slim, considering the fact that her life has been one far from glitz and glamour: she was nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category at the 93rd Academy Awards. Yoon, 74, is the first Korean to achieve this feat. “I didn't imagine anything like this would happen to me at my age. To be honest, I felt grateful, but at the same time, it was burdensome. Although I'm not an athlete, I can understand the psychological distress of Olympic athletes. I hate competition. I feel honored to be nominated and I feel like I'm already a winnMar 16, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Korean Film Council to hold special exhibition on women-focused films A scene from Boo Ji-young's "Hello" (2018) / Courtesy of IndiestoryBy Park Han-solIndie Ground, an organization established by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) to support the distribution of Korean independent films, will host a special online exhibition celebrating women-focused cinematic narratives this month.“I'm Purplay-Indie” will be held in collaboration with over-the-top (OTT) platform Purplay for two weeks from March 18 to 31. A total of 28 movies from Indie Ground's online library will be available for streaming to promote contemporary films revolving around diverse female-led narratives and recognize the long-overdue achievements of female filmmakers.The selection includes “Hello” (2018) starring “Parasite” actor Lee Jung-eun, “The Monologue” (2018) directed by “Kim Ji-young, Born 1982” filmmaker Kim Do-young and “Dong-a” (2018) starring Shim Dal-gi from the charmingly bizarre Netflix series “The School Nurse Files.”From super-short films to features, these movies will be divided into five unMar 16, 2021By Park Han-sol
Oscar-nominee Youn Yuh-jung reaches career peak at age of 73 Youn Yuh-jung / YonhapYoun Yuh-jung has a career that spans over half a century, with a number of hit films and TV series under her belt.At the age of 73, the veteran actress has made South Korean film history by being nominated for best supporting actress at the 93rd Academy Awards for her performance in the U.S. immigration film "Minari." No other Korean actor, even stars from the Oscar-winning "Parasite," has received an Oscar nomination.Born in 1947, Youn rose to fame in South Korea with her maiden silver screen project "Fire Woman," directed by legendary auteur by Kim Ki-young, in 1971.The movie brought her best actress prizes from South Korea's big film awards and paved the way for her to become a bankable actress in the early 1970s. She was also cast in Kim's next psychosexual drama "Insect Woman" the following year. But she left the entertainment scene in the mid-1970s, when she was enjoying her career heyday, after marrying popular singer Cho Young-nam and moving to the United States.After her divorce with Cho, however, she returned to the screen in the late 1980s and did whMar 15, 2021
'Minari' earns six Oscar nominations, including best supporting actress for Youn Yuh-jung Youn Yuh-jung / Korea Times file"Minari," the drama film about a Korean American immigrant family, on Monday earned six nominations for the upcoming Academy Awards, including best supporting actress for South Korean Youn Yuh-jung.In the final list of nominees unveiled by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for this year's Oscars next month, "Minari" was up for best picture, best directing, best original screenplay, best actor, best supporting actress and best score.Youn, who played an eccentric grandmother in "Minari," became the first South Korean actress to get a nod in an acting category from the world's most coveted film award. At the same time, "Opera," directed by South Korean filmmaker Erick Oh, was included in the five final candidates for the short animated film category.The annual 93rd Academy Awards will be held on April 25. (Yonhap)Mar 15, 2021
Jeonju film fest announces 10 indie films in Korean competition, all tackling social problems The poster for the 22nd Jeonju International Film Festival / Courtesy of Jeonju IFFBy Kwak Yeon-sooJeonju International Film Festival organizers announced on Friday 10 feature films that will compete in the Korean Competition category this year. The list, selected from 108 submissions, includes eight fictional films and two documentaries. “The current trend of Korea's independent films is sharply observing and tackling social problems and taboos. The 10 selections expose injustice or the absurdity of society, and show support for the marginalized,” said Moon Seok, the programmer of the JIFF. Among the lineup of finalists, “Awoke,” by Jung Jae-ik and Seo Tae-soo, and “Corydoras,” by Ryu Hyung-seok, depict the lives of disabled people. “Coming to You,” by Byun Gyu-ri is a documentary that features LGBTQ issues.“Aloners,” by Hong Sung-eun, is linked to the increase of single-person households in Korea, while “First Child,” by Hur Jung-jae, delves into the life of a married woman. “Influenza,” by Hwang JuMar 12, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Song Kang-ho, Cho Jin-woong, Lee Ha-nee win big at Korea Gold Awards Actor Song Kang-ho in the poster for “Parasite” / Korea Times fileBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe film “Parasite” (2019) was honored with the Best Picture Award, while actor Song Kang-ho won the Grand Prize, at the 40th Korea Gold Awards Festival held in Seoul, Thursday.The 40th edition of the festival was originally scheduled to take place in February of last year, but was postponed over a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The annual event is organized by the Korean Society of Cinematographers, who determines the winners based on their technical and creative talent.Actors Cho Jin-woong and Lee Ha-nee grabbed the trophies for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively, for their roles in “Black Money” (2019). Chung Ji-young, who helmed the white-collar crime film, also took home the Best Director Award. “Black Money” is based on a real story in which a Korean bank was sold to a U.S. private equity fund for a suspiciously low price and then sold later for a huge profit.“As I'm looking at the award winners, I feel tremendous weight on my shoMar 12, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
INTERVIEW Ex-Pixar animator Erick Oh on his Oscar journey with 'Opera' Filmmaker Erick Oh / Courtesy of Beasts and Natives AlikeBy Kwak Yeon-sooAward-winning filmmaker Erick Oh's new independent short film “Opera,” which was shortlisted in the animated short film category at the 93rd Academy Awards, depicts the beauty and cruelty of human life within a pyramid-shaped structure. With “Opera” being the only Asian film among the 10 shortlisted in the category, the former Pixar animator is now waiting for the nominations to be announced on March 15.“It feels surreal to be shortlisted in the animated short film category at the Oscars. If it wasn't for the pandemic, I would be going to cool places to hold physical screenings and promote the film. But due to the pandemic, I was able to devote more time on my next project,” Oh said during a recent interview with The Korea Times via Zoom. In “Opera,” Oh tackles issues like racism, terrorism, religion, natural disasters, education, war and class struggles within a society in 24 different sections.Each section is filled with separate stories and symbolism so the viewMar 11, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Minari' earns 6 nominations at British Academy Film Awards A "Minari" poster / Yonhap"Minari," a drama film about a Korean American immigrant family, has been nominated in six categories at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards.In the nominations for the upcoming 2021 BAFTA Film Awards announced Tuesday (British time), "Minari" directed by Korean American Lee Isaac Chung was listed in the categories of best director, best film not in the English language, best casting, best supporting actor, best supporting actress and best original score.It is just one nod shy of "Nomadland" and "Rocks," which lead the BAFTA competition with seven nominations each.Director Chung, who made the film based on his childhood memory, will compete for the best director prize with directors Thomas Vinterberg of "Another Round," Shannon Murphy of "Babyteeth," Chloe Zhao of "Nomadland," Jasmila Zbanic of "Quo Vadis, Aida?" and Sarah Gavron of "Rocks."In the best non-English language film category, "Minari," in which most of dialogue is in Korean, will contend with Denmark's "Another Round," Russia's "Dear Comrades!" France's "Les Miserables" Mar 10, 2021
7 pioneering female directors to be featured at Jeonju film festival Cecilia Mangini, an Italian documentary filmmaker, is one of the seven female directors whose works will be screened during Jeongju International Film Festival from April 29 to May 8. Courtesy of Jeonju International Film FestivalBy Yi Whan-wooSeven pioneering female directors from around the world will be highlighted in this year's Jeonju International Film Festival, according to the festival organizer. The seven are Cecilia Mangini of Italy, Forough Farrokhzad of Iran, Han Ok-hi of Korea, Barbara Loden and Cheryl Dunye, both from the United States, Anna Karina of France and Albertina Carri of Argentina.A total of 15 selected films made by the directors will be showcased under the theme, “Special Focus: I am Independent,” during the festival to be held in Jeonju from April 29 to May 8.The organizing committee announced their names this week in celebration of the U.N.-designated International Women's Day, March 8, for women's rights and empowerment.“The works of those directors, despite their values, were not widely available for screening or thoroughly discussed whMar 10, 2021By Yi Whan-woo
