'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
'Minari' soars at local box offices for six consecutive days The film, “Minari,” topped South Korean box office charts since it hit the theaters on March 3. Courtesy of Pan CinemaBy Lee Gyu-lee The film, “Minari,” is soaring in local box offices, topping charts for six consecutive days since its release.The family drama movie, about a South Korean immigrant family, surpassed a total of 300,000 tickets sold on Monday, adding over 24,000 tickets on that day alone.It has accumulated about 2.7 billion won ($2.4 million) in gross sales after opening, with about 41,000 tickets sold, grossing 348 million won ($305,000) on its opening day of March 3.Directed by Lee Isaac Chung, the director's semi-biographical film follows a family from South Korea settling in a rural area of Arkansas. The family members ― the father (Steven Yeun), mother (Han Ye-ri), two children (Noel Cho and Alan Kim), and grandmother (Youn Yuh-jung) ― struggle to adjust to their new life while they pursue their own definition of the American dream.“It's an honor to share this film with Korea's audiences,” director Chung said through the film's lMar 9, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee
5 diverse Korean movies screened at Glasgow Film Festival A scene from "Voice of Silence" / Courtesy of Acemaker Movieworks By Park Han-solFive Korean films were invited to this year's Glasgow Film Festival in Scotland, one of the leading annual cinematic events, as part of its “Country Focus ― South Korea” program. Held from Feb. 24 to March 7, the festival screened Woo Min-ho's political thriller, “The Man Standing Next,” Hong Eui-jeong's debut feature, “Voice of Silence,” Choi Jae-hoon's period action film, “The Swordsman,” Shim Chan-yang's music drama, “Da Capo,” and Lim Jung-eun's black-and-white drama, “Our Midnight.”“Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning triumph, Parasite, is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the glories of South Korean cinema,” the festival organizers said on their website, introducing the Country Focus program. “The selection captures the diversity and range of work from a country whose films deserve to be much better known and appreciated. Jeulgyeo (Enjoy)!”Meanwhile, the opening film of the 17Mar 9, 2021By Park Han-sol
'Minari' wins best foreign language film at Critics Choice Awards This image released by A24 shows, from left, Steven Yeun, Alan S. Kim, Youn Yuh-jung, Han Ye-ri and Noel Cho in a scene from "Minari." AP"Minari," a drama film about a Korean American immigrant family, has won two prizes, including best foreign language film, at this year's Critics Choice Awards.In the awarding ceremony of the annual 26th Critics Choice Awards held Sunday (U.S. time), the best foreign language film award went to "Minari," directed by Korean American Lee Isaac Chung, beating "Another Round," "Collective," "La Llorona," "The Life Ahead" and "Two Of Us."The director's semiautobiographical film has received the honor given to the best non-English film of the year for two straight weeks following the one from the Golden Globe Awards last week. Also, Alan Kim, who portrays the seven-year-old grandson, David, known to be the stand-in for director Chung, was the winner of the best young actor/actress category among five other youth nominees, including Helena Zengel from "News of the World." "Minari" was nominated in 10 categories of the Critics Choice Awards, including best Mar 8, 2021
In new film 'Fighter,' N. Korean defector finds hope and meaning through boxing From left, actors Baek Seo-bin, Lim Seong-mi and Oh Kwang-lok pose during a press conference for “Fighter” in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Indiestory By Kwak Yeon-sooDirector Yun Jero's “Fighter,” which has been invited to compete in the Berlin International Film Festival, follows a young North Korean defector's struggle to forge a new life through boxing.The film revolves around defector Jin-ah (Lim Seong-mi) who starts off working as a cleaner at a boxing gym, and then aspires to become a professional boxer. Despite discrimination and financial struggles, she finds hope through the sport. “Fighter” was invited to compete in the “Generation 14plus” category at the Berlinale, which is a competition program for international films aimed at young audiences aged 14 years old and above.The film won the NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) Award, and Lim, the Actress of the Year Award, at the 2020 Busan International Film Festival. Yun, whose films center oMar 6, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Korean director Hong Sang-soo wins best screenplay for 'Introduction' at Berlin film fest Film director Hong Sang-soo, left, and actress Kim Min-hee / Korea Times filePoster for "Introduction" / YonhapSouth Korean director Hong Sang-soo on Friday won best screenplay at the Berlin International Film Festival for his latest film, "Introduction."At the announcement of this year's winners streamed online, the director's 25th feature film was awarded the Silver Bear prize for best screenplay at the 71st edition of the Berlin fest, which kicked off Monday for its five-day run in an online edition due to the pandemic.The director has won the Berlinale's Silver Bear prize for two years in a row, following the best director honor last year for the drama "The Woman Who Ran." His 2017 drama "On the Beach at Night Alone" brought Kim Min-hee the best actress award.Starring Shin Seok-ho and Park Miso, the new 66-minute movie tells a story of a young man, named Young-ho, who travels to visit his father, his girlfriend and his mother.Director Hong not only wrote the screenplay but also filmed the movie.The top Golden Bear for best film went to "Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn" directed byMar 5, 2021
Golden Globe-winning 'Minari' makes strong debut in Korea This image released by A24 shows, from left, Steven Yeun, Alan S. Kim, Youn Yuh-jung, Han Ye-ri, and Noel Cho in a scene from "Minari." APThe Golden Globe-winning drama film "Minari" topped the South Korean box office on its first day of release, data showed Thursday.About 40,000 people saw the semiautobiographical work by Korean-American director Lee Isaac Chung on the previous day, according to the data by the Korean Film Council."Minari" took a comfortable lead in the daily box office over the Japanese animated film "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train," which garnered 13,000 moviegoers, and the Korean action comedy "Mission: Possible" with 5,600.The film's score of 40,000 attendees on the weekday is larger than last weekend's daily high of 38,000 people achieved by "Mission" on Sunday."Minari" has been one of the most anticipated films this spring in South Korea for its winning streak on the U.S. award circuit, including the best foreign language film prize at the Golden Globes.Starring Steven Yeun, Han Yeri and Youn Yuh-jung, the movie tells the story of a KoreMar 4, 2021
Gong Yoo, Park Bo-gum's 'Seobok' to hit theaters, streaming service in April Park Bo-gum in a scene from “Seobok” / Courtesy of CJ ENMBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe sci-fi action film “Seobok,” featuring Gong Yoo and Park Bo-gum, will simultaneously hit theaters and a local streaming service next month, its distributor CJ ENM said Wednesday. It will be the first big budget Korean film to take the “two-track” approach amid the COVID-19 pandemic, while a few have skipped theaters and gone directly to streaming platforms. “Time to Hunt” (2020) was the first Korean film to go to Netflix without a theatrical release, followed by the time-slip thriller “Call” in November and space opera “Space Sweepers” in February.“Seobok” is one of the most eagerly awaited films of 2021 because two heartthrob actors are starring together in a film for the first time. It was originally slated for a theatrical release in December, but this was thwarted by COVID-19. “Responding to the rapid changes in consumer's perspectives and needs for content, we decided to release Seobok in theaters and on streaming Mar 3, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Kang Ha-neul confirms lead role in new thriller film, 'Streaming' Actor Kang Ha-neul will star in the new thriller film, “Streaming.” Courtesy of TH CompanyBy Lee Gyu-leeActor Kang Ha-neul has confirmed his lead role in the new thriller film, “Streaming,” and is set to begin filming, according to the film's distributor Lotte Entertainment Tuesday. This film will be the actor's first thriller in nearly four years, since he played the lead in the thriller-mystery film, “Forgotten” (2017), a story about a man uncovering the truth behind his brother's kidnapping. “Streaming” revolves around the concept of live-streaming the search for a serial killer. Kang will play a popular live-streaming broadcaster who has the most followers on the platform. His channel specializes in criminal profiling and covering crime-related mystery cases. The story follows his live-streaming videos as he chases a trail of evidence in pursuit of the murderer. The film is written and directed by the filmmaker, Cho Jang-ho, best known for writing mystery novels like, “The Rapture 1992,” and “Justice” ― whichMar 2, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee
