Young actors are making waves at this year‘s Cannes film festival -- often in films that are hardly suitable children’s viewing.AFP takes a look at some of the kids who are making a splash:Starring Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell, family horror “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” has shocked audiences at the world‘s biggest film festival but features a standout performance from Irish actor Barry Keoghan as obsessive teenager Martin. (From left) British actress Raffey Cassidy, US actor Sunny Suljic, A

Beyond the gleaming towers of modern high-tech Seoul, it is the dark past of South Korea’s years of dictatorship, violence and upheaval that have inspired the country’s staggering rise as a cinematic powerhouse.No fewer than five South Korean movies are showing in the elite selection of this year’s Cannes film festival. British actress Tilda Swinton, French-Iranian cinematographer Darius Khondji (rear), US actor Paul Dano, South Korean actor Byung Hee-bong, South Korean actress Ahn Seo-hyun, Sou

As a member of the once-sensational K-pop group Crayon Pop, Heo Min-seon used to dance in a helmet and bright tracksuit that recall the Power Rangers. She has now moved on to acting onstage. Also known by the name Way, Heo recently took on her first theater gig with a role in the historical play “Jjamppong,” acclaimed for its depiction of the May 18 Democratic Uprising in Korea. “I used to act in a high school theater club and had always wanted to try acting, even during Crayon Pop activities,”

Deep-voiced heartthrob opens up on his image, new acting techniques

Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise revealed Wednesday he plans a sequel to the cult action film Top Gun, with filming set to begin next year.Rumours have swirled for years that he would revisit the 1986 movie that made him a household name, and Cruise finally spoke out while in Australia to promote his latest flick "The Mummy".Asked by a Channel Seven breakfast TV host about whether a second instalment of the action drama was on the cards, he replied: "Yes, it's true." Poster of the original "Top Gu

This year’s Cannes Film Festival has been a sprawling, international referendum on Netflix, with votes registered in catcalls and applause, and some of the biggest names in cinema staking out their positions. As the world’s largest and most prestigious film festival, Cannes has often been a kind of glitzy, French Riviera town hall that measures the fluctuations of the movie industry. This year, the seismic impact of Netflix and its swelling movie ambitions have taken center stage. The festival f

Hong Sang-soo’s “The Day After” received both enthusiastic and mild responses from critics following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival Monday, prompting whispers of the film’s chance at the top Palme d’Or prize.　Hubert Niogret, prominent French film critic and an editor for the film magazine Positif called it a “fantastic” piece, and “the best of the competing films” at Cannes this year, according to reports. 　Korean critic Jeon Chan-il said he could detect “the film style that led the 19

Bong Joon-ho is no stranger to controversy, having poked fun at the government, military, social classes and discrimination through his previous works.Now the acclaimed director is in the hot seat again as his film “Okja” raises questions about the morality of the meat production system in modern society. “Humanity has consumed meat for ages, but we’ve ate what we needed and animals lived natural lives prior to (the) rise of capitalism,” he said during a press conference at the Cannes Film Festi

South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho's "Okja" has premiered at the Cannes Film Festival with the filmmaker getting a four-minute standing ovation.The new film from the "Snowpiercer" director tells the story of a young girl from a rural town who risks everything to prevent a multinational company from kidnapping her best friend, a super-pig named Okja. Audiences applause for Bong Joon-ho`s new film "Okja" premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.(Joint Press Corp. via Yonhap)Thousands of movie fans g

Two of the five Korean films screening at this year’s Cannes Film Festival have found themselves embroiled in a scandal, both in and out of the country. “Okja” is caught in a clash between its producer Netflix and French cinemas. “The Merciless” has sparked outrage among Korean spectators due to its director’s misled online tweets.During its Friday premiere, “Okja” was met with “whistles and jeers” by critics during a technical hitch in its premiere Friday, according to AFP. The screening was st

CANNES, France, (AFP) -- The premiere of the first of two controversial Netflix movies at the Cannes film festival had to be stopped Friday amid whistles and jeers when the curtain malfunctioned hiding part of the screen. Some critics had earlier whistled at the start of $50 million creature feature “Okja” when the Netflix’s logo appeared on screen.The screening giant has refused to show both its films in the running for Cannes’ top prize in French cinemas, sparking a bitter row which has oversh

The Merciless (Korea)Opened May 17Crime, action. Directed by Byun Sung-hyunJae-ho (Seol Kyung-gu) is the maniacal head of a drug smuggling operation. While behind bars, he befriends Hyun-soo (Im Si-wan), a young delinquent who appears equally boisterous. Jae-ho suggests Hyunsoo join his operation, and the two begin working together in Jae-ho’s criminal gang upon their release from prison. The two soon come to slowly reveal their ambitions and hidden sides, however, and embark on a precarious par

“The Wall,” a story of two American soldiers facing off against an unseen Iraqi adversary, is a men-at-war story more interesting than you might imagine. But not interesting enough. Bringing to mind Steven Spielberg’s debut feature, “Duel,” and similar hidden antagonist fare, “The Wall” benefits from the work of director Doug Liman. His varied filmography (“The Bourne Identity,” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” the underappreciated “Edge of Tomorrow”) reveals him as a restless cinematic intelligence who li

The “Alien” franchise has always been battleground for the philosophical and physical tussles for dominance between human, alien and artificial intelligence. While “Alien” set up the themes, character types, and iconography of this universe, 2012’s prequel “Prometheus” established an origin story and philosophy, bringing up questions of faith, spirituality and the risks of creating life. “Alien: Covenant,” once again directed by Ridley Scott, is the second prequel in the series, chronologically

New documentary traces humanity of late liberal icon, shows regretful President Moon