The upcoming fantasy romance film “Beauty Inside,” which stars 21 actors playing a single character, has sold its rights to 11 other Asian countries two months before its release.Following recent promotions at the 68th Cannes Film Festival, overseas companies expressed an interest in the film’s intriguing storyline.“Even though it was a morning screening, the theater was packed and even though there weren’t any hallyu stars (to promote the film at Cannes), many buyers were interested in the char

Spy (U.S.)Opened May 21Comedy. Directed by Paul FeigWhen a CIA agent falls off the grid, the agency needs to send another agent out into the field. They find a volunteer in an unlikely desk analyst named Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) for an undercover track-and-report mission, but once she arrives on the scene Cooper throws herself into action to stop arms dealer Raina Boyanov (Rose Byrne). Hilarity ensues as Cooper proves that despite what others may think of her, she’s got enough fight in he

Swedish director Carl Javer took home top honors at this year’s Green Film Festival in Seoul, held May 7-14, for his documentary “Freak Out.”“It’s an untold true story about how five young kids in their twenties grew up in the first consumer society,” Javer told The Korea Herald in a sit-down in Seoul on May 13. “Their reaction was to leave it, and to say they wanted something else. They revolted against a society that didn’t fulfill their needs.”“Freak Out” director Carl Javer. (Green Film Fest

Chris Meledandri says characters are driving force behind ‘Minions’ and new collaborative project with Korean studio

The Hollywood blockbuster "Avengers: Age of Ultron" has become this year's first film to surpass 10 million viewers in South Korea, data showed Monday.The superhero flick exceeded the 10-million mark in attendance Sunday, the 25th day of its run, according to the official box-office data compiled by the Korean Film Council.The film is the fourth non-Korean film to hit the milestone after "Avatar" (2009), "Frozen" (2014) and "Interstellar" (2014), as well as the first among the Marvel superhero s

Director Oh Seung-uk’s new drama looks at hard-boiled life

The Treacherous (Korea)Opening May 21Historical drama. Directed by Min Kyu-dongIn the reign of the tyrant Joseon king Yeonsangun (Kim Kang-woo), the throne is surrounded by treacherous advisers such as Im Sung-jae (Ju Ji-hoon) who feign loyalty while seeking to grab influence for themselves. When Yeonsangun orders that 10,000 beautiful women be brought for his pleasure, his subjects see an opportunity to wield true power. In this historical drama, Korea’s most beautiful women become trained pawn

Baek Woon-hak’s new thriller is exciting ride with human core

Choi Mag-gi and Kim Chun-hee are two old ladies living together in Yeongdeok-gun, North Gyeongsang Province. Their relationship is difficult to explain at first. After Mag-gi lost her two sons to a typhoon and measles, respectively, she and her husband brought in Chun-hee, who has a slight mental impairment, to live with them and to bear them a son. Although Mag-gi’s husband died decades ago, the two women ― the wife and the concubine ― still live together and look after each other.They are the

A young mother with an autistic child is chased by a loan shark who demands that she pay off her husband’s gambling debt. She is beautiful and doting; her husband is well-meaning but plagued by his addiction; the loan shark is ruthless and psychotic. “Coin Locker,” which made its world premiere in the Korean Competition section of this year’s Jeonju International Film Festival, is a parade of cliches and extremes. That was what director Kim Tae-kyung intended. “I began with the thought that toda

Im Heung-soon, the winner of the Silver Lion award at this year’s Venice Biennale for his documentary “Factory Complex,” has gained recognition for entwining art and film in his documentaries that reflect on society, its people and their histories.The artist goes by a number of titles ― cinematographer, director and scriptwriter. With a bachelor’s and master’s degree in painting from Kyungwon University (now Gachon University), Im has straddled the boundaries of art, photography and media while

The Chronicles of Evil (Korea)Opening May 14Thriller. Directed by Baek Woon-hakA police officer named Chang-sik (Son Hyun-ju) is kidnapped by a taxi driver late at night. They get into a fight, and Chang-sik kills the driver. He cleans up the scene and returns home, but the next day the body is found hanging from a crane in front of the police station where Chang-sik works. Chang-sik is put in charge of the investigation, and he nervously watches his own team close in on him as he tries to find

The mild weather in May makes it a great month to get out and enjoy Seoul’s vibrant cultural scene. This year, that culture comes with a dash of awareness about the world around us at three film festivals themed around social issues such as the environment, animals and gender equality. First up is the Green Film Festival in Seoul, which kicked off its 12th year on May 7. The festival was established by environmental activist Choi Yul and is now hosted by the Korea Green Foundation. This year, th

“Poet on a Business Trip” by Chinese director Ju Anqi won the grand prize in the International Competition of the 16th Jeonju International Film Festival, while the top honor in the Korean competition section went to “Alice in Earnestland” from Ahn Gooc-jin, it was announced Wednesday. “Blossom” by Han In-mi took the trophy in Korean Competition for Shorts category. “Poet on a Business Trip,” which made its Asian premiere in Jeonju, follows a poet named Xiou as he travels through the mountains,