The upcoming Jeonju International Film Festival will feature 217 films, including works by “Hellbound” director Yeon Sang-ho and “Pachinko” creator Kogonada, its organizing committee said Thursday during a press conference at CGV Yongsan in central Seoul. The 23rd edition of Jeonju IFF will kick off April 28 and run through May 7 at five theaters in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. It will be an online-offline hybrid festival, similar to last year, but the committee sa

Hot Blooded (Korea) Opened March 23 Crime, Action Directed by Cheon Myoung-kwan In 1993 in Kuam, a small port town outside Busan, third-rate gangster Hee-su acts as a hotel manager under Don Son (Kim Kap-soo). One day, Yong-kang (Choi Mu-sung), who fled the country suspected of murder, returns home and begins causing trouble. Hee-su finds out that the trouble was caused by the drugs that Yong-kang has been smuggling. Moonfall (US) Opened March 16 Science-fiction Directed by Roland Emmer

For Korean star Yoo Yeon-seok, an opportunity to work with actors and staff from different countries was something that he has been longing to do. “I always had lots of interest in global projects but unfortunately I did not have much opportunity,” Yoo said during his interview with a group of local reporters via videoconference Tuesday. He finally got the chance to work on the global project “Vanishing” directed by French director Denis Dercourt in the fall of 2020.

Local news outlets and netizens complimented actor Youn Yuh-jung for using American Sign Language in presenting the best supporting actor Oscar to Troy Kotsur for his role in “CODA.” At the award ceremony held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, Youn first signed Kotsur’s win before carefully pronouncing his name. She also held the Oscar trophy for Kotsur, who made history as the first deaf male actor to win the top prize, as he signed his acceptance speech. &ldqu

Three Korean actors -- Park Yu-rim, Jin Dae-yeon and Ahn Hwi-tae -- attended the 94th Academy Awards ceremony Monday and celebrated the Japanese film “Drive My Car” directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi winning the best international feature film award. During Hamaguchi’s acceptance speech, the director expressed his gratitude toward the actors, including the three Korean actors. “I also would like to thank the actors here. Nishijima Hidetoshi, Okada Masaki, Kirishima Reika, P

Oscar-winning actor Youn Yuh-jung on Monday presented the award for best performance by an actor in a supporting role to Troy Kotsur of “CODA” at the 94th Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. The veteran Korean actor presented the award wearing a black dress with a blue ribbon pin that says “#WithRefugees,“ showing her support for Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees. “My mother used to say ‘you reap what you sow.’ I should have listened

Jin Ha, who plays the grandson Solomon in the recently released Apple TV+ series “Pachinko,” on Saturday released an apology statement -- both in English and Korean -- for posting inappropriate photos on his Tumblr account, including surreptitiously taken images of older Korean women. The apology came after online criticism of the actor for posting over 90 “creep shots” of the women that were taken in public without permission on his “Korean Flowers in Bloom&rdqu

Hot Blooded (Korea) Opened March 23 Crime, Action Directed by Cheon Myoung-kwan In 1993 in Kuam, a small port town outside Busan, third-rate gangster Hee-su acts like a hotel manager under Don Son (Kim Kap-soo). One day, Yong-kang (Choi Mu-sung), who fled the country suspected of murder, returns home and begins causing trouble. Hee-su finds out that the trouble was caused by the drugs that Yong-kang has been smuggling. Spencer (UK) Opened March 16 Drama Directed by Pablo Larraín

French director Denis Dercourt said he is not surprised to see Korean films gain popularity worldwide. “It is no mystery that Korean films are everywhere in the world because they (Koreans) work so hard,” the director said during an interview with a group of Korean reporters Wednesday. He explained that the staff he worked with for his upcoming thriller, “Vanishing,” which was filmed entirely in Korea, had a deep understanding of cinema and also spent a lot of time wo

Jung Woo said he was instinctively attracted to the noir film “Hot Blooded,” directed by Cheon Myoung-kwan. “My heart told me to join the project, not my head,” he said in an interview with a group of local reporters Tuesday. “The film does not have the plot of a typical commercial film, but I really wanted to do a noir film.” He hesitated a little, however, when he found out that the film was set in Busan, as he had played multiple characters already from

Seoul Independent Film Festival on Monday announced that it will hold a screening event, “Indie Picnic 2022,” at Indie Space in Seoul starting on April 8. The screening event, which will be held from Friday to Sunday over a two-week period, will run from April 8 to 10 and also from April 15 to 17. The event organizer selected 23 short films and nine features, which include “Sinner” directed by Yang Jae-joon, the top winner of the short film section during last year&rs

Jung Woo, who rose to stardom with tvN drama “Reply 1994,” is returning to the big screen as third-rate gangster Hee-su in the noir film “Hot Blooded,” directed by Cheon Myoung-kwan. “‘Hot Blooded’ has its own unique mood. When I read the script -- it is difficult to describe it in words -- but I felt some sort of attraction,” Jung said at a press conference held at Yongsan CGV in Seoul on Wednesday. He explained that what set this new movie apar

Although the story of Apple TV+ series “Pachinko” appears to be specific to Korean history, the series’ co-director Kogonada said it is more than just that. “I think this story is specific to Korean history but also deeply universal,” Kogonada said during an online event with Korean media from Los Angeles on Friday. “Even today, we know that people are being displaced, and families are having to make choices on how to survive. And this is a common story thro

In Our Prime (Korea) Opened March 9 Drama Directed by Park Dong-hoon Lee Hak-sung (Choi Min-sik) works as a school security guard, but is actually a mathematical genius who has defected from North Korea. Hak-sung meets Ji-woo (Kim Dong-hwi), a student who is having a hard time fitting in at school due to his different social background. After finding out about Hak-sung’s talent, Ji-woo asks Hak-sung to tutor him. 　 Blacklight (US) Opened March 9 Action Directed by Mark Williams

Korean classical pianist Lim Dong-hyek on Tuesday said that he is still hoping to improve as he marks the 20th anniversary of his debut. “When I was a teenager and also in my 20s, I focused more on achievements, mainly winning piano competitions. Now there are new tasks in front of me. It might sound a little abstract but I aim to be a better musician,” he said during a press conference at Cosmos Art Hall in southern Seoul for his upcoming solo recital tour. “I’m not