South Korean director Hong Sang-soo on Thursday (Korean time) won the grand jury prize at this year's Berlin International Film Festival for his latest film, "The Novelist's Film." At the award ceremony streamed online, the director's 27th feature was awarded the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the 72nd Berlin festival, which kicked off on Feb. 10 in-person. It is the third year in a row that auteur Hong has won a silver bear prize at the Berlinale, following his best director honor fo

After the press screening of director Jang Cheol-soo’s new film “Serve the People” on Monday, a few local media outlets criticized his work, saying that it has too many unnecessary erotic scenes. During his interview via Zoom with a group of local reporters on Tuesday, Jang addressed these criticisms. “I did not intend to make it provocative. I value the emotion (of the characters),” Jang said. “When filming sex scenes, I focused on how I would portray the c

While some worry about highly violent or sexual content, others defend creative freedom

The 20th Director’s Cut Awards announced on Tuesday that it will hold its special pre-event Director’s Chair online on Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m., before the award ceremony takes place on Feb. 24. Director’s Chair is a panel discussion event that had been held in person with five nominated Korean directors for the award. However, the event organizer, the Directors Guild of Korea, said that this year it is holding it through Zoom, and audiences will be able to watch on bot

Actor Lee You-mi, 27, returned to the small screen as self-centered high school student Na-yeon in “All of Us Are Dead,” after rising to global stardom with Netflix’s megahit “Squid Game.” Playing a character that is nearly the opposite of her role in “Squid Game,” Lee was surprised to receive barbed comments from drama aficionados, but was satisfied with her performance in the latest zombie thriller. “Unlike how the viewers showed their love an

Director Yeon Sang-ho, best known for producing the Netflix series “Hellbound” and directing smash-hit zombie film “Train to Busan,” has signed a partnership deal with South Korean game developer Smilegate. The game company is responsible for the popular role-playing PC game Lost Ark in November 2018. The South Korean game developer and Yeon will together create a new universe with its own storyline which can be adapted for use in games, movies, TV dramas and webtoons

The late Kim Soon-ak had been testifying about her experience living as a wartime sex slave of the Japanese military, and also her life living as a housekeeper after Korea‘s liberation before she died in 2010. However, there were parts of her life that she had been reluctant to speak out in public about for quite some time. After the Japanese colonial period ended, she lived in prostitutes’ quarters and did sex work at a US military camp town to survive. Director Park Moon-chil&

While enjoying the global popularity of zombie thriller “All of Us Are Dead,” actor Cho Yi-hyun, who stars as the cool-headed Choi Nam-ra, did not hide her excitement for a possible season 2. “Amid the zombie apocalypse, new races of zombies -- immune and the immortal -- were born. … I think there can be a collision within the zombie races and maybe a more intense battle with the humans,” Cho said during an online press interview with the group of reporters on Thu

Death on the Nile (US) Opened Feb. 9 Crime Directed by Kenneth Branagh While on a honeymoon cruise down the Nile River, enviably rich socialite Linnet Doyle (Gal Gadot) is found shot to death in her stateroom. Detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) looks into the case, but murders keep on happening, shocking and confusing everyone on the cruise. The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure (Korea) Opened Jan. 26 Action, Comedy Directed by Kim Jung-hoon Set in the Joseon era, pirate captain Hye-ra

Featuring many current and former K-pop bandmates, such as Woohee from Dal Shabet Bae, Jongup of B.A.P and Ryu Ho-yeon of Noir, upcoming comedy “Idol Recipe” is chock-full of musical performances. What the film does not have are such things as the five elements of a coherent plot: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. Instead, it tells its story shuttling back and forth between scenes of the present and the past based on characters’ seemingly rand

Korean actor Choi Min-sik is returning to the big screen for the first time in three years as a genius mathematician in “In Our Prime” directed by Park Dong-hoon. The historical drama “Forbidden Dream” which was released in 2019 was actor Choi’s most recent work. Director Park’s new film started shooting in March 2020 and was originally set to be released during the first quarter last year. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it had had to delay its openi

Starring in Netflix‘s latest zombie thriller “All of Us Are Dead” has impacted actor Park Ji-hu, 18, in many ways. “‘All of Us Are Dead’ was my first long-series project. It was an experience that I did not have before, but with the help of my colleagues, I have learned about being a lead character both on and off the camera,“ Park said during an online interview with a group of reporters Tuesday. “While shooting the series, I was preparing for t

Seohyun of K-pop girl group Girls’ Generation has shed her image as a girl-next-door in her debut film “Love and Leashes,” a rom-com directed by Park Hyun-jin. “When I first read the script, it was fresh and shocking. It was a role that made me want to take up the challenge as an actor,” Seohyun said during an online press conference held on Tuesday. “Not only did it (the script) have a unique topic, it also showed how a man and a woman come to understand the

The international attention and excitement for the latest Korean zombie series “All of Us Are Dead” took director Lee Jae-kyoo by surprise, but also filled Lee’s heart with anticipation for a possible season two. “Many directions, settings and scenes were intentionally produced to expand the story into an additional season, including the introduction of the new races of zombies -- immune and immortal. If the first season can be seen as having presented humanity‘s s

Praising ‘Squid Game’ actor Oh Young-soo, chief of organization running Golden Globes vows diversity efforts to support foreign media contents’ global presence