Director Lee Dong-ha’s debut documentary film “Weekends” placed third in the Panorama Audience Award Panorama Dokumente at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival which ended Monday.　The public casts votes for the Panorama Audience Award, which has been given out since 1999. The best documentary category of the award was first established in 2011.  Kang Choe (left) and Jaewoo, two protagonists of the documentary film “Weekends,” pose at the Berlin Film Festival on Feb. 17. (Berlin Internatio

China is increasing its investments in joint film productions with Hollywood studios, from 3-D animations to drama and fantasy action movies.　The world’s second largest economy, which also has the second biggest film market, has moved from being a promoter of local goods through product placements in American blockbusters to a key film investor.　Audiences can easily see the Chinese influence in recent movies such as “Kung Fu Panda 3,” “Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation,” “Transformers: Age of

 BERLIN (AFP) - Italian director Gianfranco Rosi's “Fire at Sea,” a harrowing documentary about Europe’s refugee crisis, clinched the Berlin film festival's Golden Bear top prize on Saturday from a jury led by Meryl Streep.As Europe grapples with its biggest migrant influx since World War II, the picture offers an unflinching look at life on the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, where thousands of asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East have arrived trying to reach the European Union ove

It's a big weekend at the box office. For those who are overwhelmed by all the choices, The Korea Herald offers a guide to the top movies playing on the big screen.DONGJU; The Portrait of a Poet (Korea)Drama. Directed by Lee Joon-ikOpened Feb. 17　Dong-ju (Kang Ha-neul) and Mong-gyu (Park Jung-min) are close friends and cousins who grew up together during the chaotic Japanese colonial era. After the two young men head to Japan to study, their relationship takes on some strain as Dong-ju becomes a

Busan Mayor Suh Byung-soo stepped down Thursday as the chairman of the Busan International Film Festival organizing committee, amid calls for his resignation following the government and Busan City’s attempt to cancel the screening of a controversial documentary about the Sewol ferry disaster at the 2014 festival.　Lee Yong-kwan, coexecutive director of the BIFF secretariat, also resigned alongside Suh. Since going ahead with the screening of “Diving Bell” in 2014, Lee had been facing mounting pr

BERLIN (AFP) - Never underestimate the power of playing “a rather restrained man in a suit,” Oscar winner Colin Firth said Tuesday as he presented a well-received biopic about a legendary American literary editor.　“Genius,” which drew warm applause at the Berlin film festival, tells the story of Max Perkins, who worked with some of the 20th century's greatest authors including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and Thomas Wolfe.　The picture stars British actors Firth and Jude Law playing the

Game publisher 4:33 unveils new genre and retro games for 2016

Two months after opening to unprecedented fanfare, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is finally winding down in theaters, leaving behind arsenals of plastic light sabers and a trail of box-office records. 　“The Force Awakens” is still playing in more than 2,000 theaters in North America and remains ranked in the top-five at the box office as it enters its ninth week of release. But the lion’s share of its theatrical revenue has been pocketed, and one thing is abundantly clear: it’s not going to tou

The U.K. film industry showered Valentine's Day love on “The Revenant” on Sunday, awarding the endurance epic five prizes, including for best picture and best actor, at the British Academy Film Awards.　Leonardo DiCaprio cemented his Oscar-favorite status by taking the best-actor trophy for playing a bear-battling fur trapper on the brutally wild American frontier. Alejandro G. Inarritu was named best director for what he called a “human and tender story,” and “The Revenant” also won prizes for c

Film about former ’comfort women‘ comes at contentious time

Hwang Jung-min and Kang Dong-won’s latest movie “A Violent Prosecutor” is expected to surpass 8 million admissions at the local box office.The figure stood at just over 7.5 million as of 10:30 a.m. Sunday, according to data from Korean Film Council."A Violent Prosecutor" (Showbox)The film’s popularity is thought to have been aided by one of the biggest national holidays in Korea, Seollal.The comedy action flick has a delightful revenge plot of a prosecutor, named Byun Jae-wook played by Hwang, w

Big-budget Korean war film “Operation Chromite” will be shown in multiple locations across the globe including Europe and Taiwan.Germany’s Splendid Film acquired rights for Germany, Austria and the Benelux region from Finecut, a Korean global rights company. "Operation Chromite" (CJ Entertainment)The company has already made contracts with parties in Yugoslavia and Taiwan.“Liam Neeson showed off great acting skills in this movie, and we are happy to acquire such a quality movie” said Marko Moell

The Dressmaker (Australia)　Drama. Directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse　Opened Feb. 11　　Myrtle “Tilly” Dunnage (Kate Winslet) was chased out of her childhood hometown as a young woman, accused of murder. Years later, she makes a dramatic return as an elegant dressmaker. She wins back the hearts of the villagers with fabulous gifts of haute couture dresses, but her true goal is to set right the wrongs of the past.　　Malice (Korea)　　Horror. Directed by Kim Yong-woon　Opened Feb. 11　　After her family’s finan