July Jung made one of the best recent debuts of recent times in Korean cinema back in 2014 with her “A Girl at My Door”, a gritty and superbly acted social drama which screened in the Un Certain Regard category at Cannes Film Festival. It went on to receive much critical acclaim and multiple awards at film festivals, with both the director and lead actress Bae Doona receiving praise and accolades for their work. Jung instantly became a director to watch out for but little did we know that it would take eight years before she would step behind the camera again for “Next Sohee”, which closed the International Critics' Week at Cannes this year.
Next Sohee will be released in cinemas in the UK, starting June 14, courtesy of day for night
Bright, cheerful and feisty Sohee is like any other high schooler who wants to be a dancer, loves hanging...
Next Sohee will be released in cinemas in the UK, starting June 14, courtesy of day for night
Bright, cheerful and feisty Sohee is like any other high schooler who wants to be a dancer, loves hanging...
- 5/22/2024
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
The sequel to 2018’s Believer has left fans more than dissatisfied. It’s already an established fact that the only good thing about the film is Han Hyo-Joo’s performance, which has taken over social media for her badassery alone. The film attempts to fill the gaps like plastering over the Mona Lisa, making a terrible sequel to a well-received film. What made Believer a big hit was the impressive cast, the action-packed story that kept you on the edge of your seats, as well as the impactful ending. Believer 2 begins before that open ending, leading up to the moments there, and then completely ruins it. We suppose you can’t trust anything with Believer in the title right now. If you’re looking for some fantastic Korean thrillers to make yourself feel better after seeing this blunder, here’s the perfect list for you.
Ballerina
Let’s start...
Ballerina
Let’s start...
- 11/21/2023
- by Ruchika Bhat
- Film Fugitives
July Jung made one of the best recent debuts of recent times in Korean cinema back in 2014 with her “A Girl at My Door”, a gritty and superbly acted social drama which screened in the Un Certain Regard category at Cannes Film Festival. It went on to receive much critical acclaim and multiple awards at film festivals, with both the director and lead actress Bae Doona receiving praise and accolades for their work. Jung instantly became a director to watch out for but little did we know that it would take eight years before she would step behind the camera again for “Next Sohee”, which closed the International Critics’ Week at Cannes this year.
“Next Sohee” is screening on Fantasia International Film Festival
Bright, cheerful and feisty Sohee is like any other high schooler who wants to be a dancer, loves hanging out with her friends and boyfriend and would...
“Next Sohee” is screening on Fantasia International Film Festival
Bright, cheerful and feisty Sohee is like any other high schooler who wants to be a dancer, loves hanging out with her friends and boyfriend and would...
- 8/4/2022
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Tense and gripping, “The Man Standing Next” is a powerful political thriller from director Woo Min-ho (“The Drug King”) and starring Lee Byung-hun, which charts one of the most shocking incidents in South Korea’s turbulent history.
It is 1979, and South Korea has been under the absolute domination of President Park’s dictatorship for 18 long years. Kim Gyu-pyeong (Lee Byung-hun), the director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (Kcia), has asserted his loyalty to the president despite having his doubts about the leader’s intentions. When the former director of the Kcia flees to America with a time-bomb of government secrets, Kim is sent on a mission to stop the truth in its tracks.
As the government’s web of lies continues to be spun, tensions build, alliances crumble, and the once impenetrable leadership must face the fact that all men, no matter how powerful, must die…
The South Korean nomination for the 2021 Academy Awards,...
It is 1979, and South Korea has been under the absolute domination of President Park’s dictatorship for 18 long years. Kim Gyu-pyeong (Lee Byung-hun), the director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (Kcia), has asserted his loyalty to the president despite having his doubts about the leader’s intentions. When the former director of the Kcia flees to America with a time-bomb of government secrets, Kim is sent on a mission to stop the truth in its tracks.
As the government’s web of lies continues to be spun, tensions build, alliances crumble, and the once impenetrable leadership must face the fact that all men, no matter how powerful, must die…
The South Korean nomination for the 2021 Academy Awards,...
- 5/29/2021
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Woo Min-ho’s political drama grossed $36.4m in South Korea in January.
Woo Min-ho’s The Man Standing Next will be South Korea’s submission to the 93rd Academy Awards’ best international feature film category, the Korean Film Council (Kofic) has confirmed.
The submission follows the sweep of this year’s Oscars by Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite for best picture, director, original screenplay and international feature film.
Oscars best international feature 2021: all the films submitted so far
The Man Standing Next is set in the 1970s when South Korea’s authoritarian regime controlled the country utilising political terror...
Woo Min-ho’s The Man Standing Next will be South Korea’s submission to the 93rd Academy Awards’ best international feature film category, the Korean Film Council (Kofic) has confirmed.
The submission follows the sweep of this year’s Oscars by Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite for best picture, director, original screenplay and international feature film.
Oscars best international feature 2021: all the films submitted so far
The Man Standing Next is set in the 1970s when South Korea’s authoritarian regime controlled the country utilising political terror...
- 10/21/2020
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
It was today confirmed that South Korean superstars Song Kang-ho, Bae Doona and Kang Dong-won have been cast in leading roles in Japanese master Hirokazu Koreeda’s new film titled “Broker”. The story is said to revolve around baby boxes, which are set up for people who are no longer able to provide for their babies to anonymously give them up.
Director Koreeda Hirokazu himself explained how the film came to light, and his statement reads as follows:
“Plans for “Broker” began about five years ago.
As always, it all began with the actors. I first met Song Kang-ho at the Busan International Film Festival and Kang Dong-won when he was in Tokyo for work. I have continued to stay in contact with the two actors in Tokyo, Seoul, Busan, and Cannes. At first, we simply exchanged greetings but as we continued to share conversations, it naturally led to us...
Director Koreeda Hirokazu himself explained how the film came to light, and his statement reads as follows:
“Plans for “Broker” began about five years ago.
As always, it all began with the actors. I first met Song Kang-ho at the Busan International Film Festival and Kang Dong-won when he was in Tokyo for work. I have continued to stay in contact with the two actors in Tokyo, Seoul, Busan, and Cannes. At first, we simply exchanged greetings but as we continued to share conversations, it naturally led to us...
- 8/26/2020
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Since his star-making turn in Na Hong-jin’s horror masterpiece “The Wailing”, Kwak Do-won’s presence has increased in important supporting roles. 4 year on, he is once again the lead actor in Kim Bong-Gan’s action/comedy/drama/mystery feature “The Golden Holiday”, and the two narratives couldn’t be more different in tone and subject matter!
Synopsis
A countrified detective gets drawn into a global crime! Corporal Hong Byeong-soo (Kwak Do-won) from the Daecheon Police Station, goes on his first overseas trip to the Philippines. His sweet dream is short-lived when he falls for mob killer Patrick’s (Kim Hee-won) scheme and gets tagged as a murderer and starts investigating the case with local guide and hometown friend Man-cheol (Kim Dae-myung) to clear his name.
However, unlike his eager heart, Byeong-soo doesn’t speak well enough English and he’s getting old. In addition, nuisance of a childhood friend...
Synopsis
A countrified detective gets drawn into a global crime! Corporal Hong Byeong-soo (Kwak Do-won) from the Daecheon Police Station, goes on his first overseas trip to the Philippines. His sweet dream is short-lived when he falls for mob killer Patrick’s (Kim Hee-won) scheme and gets tagged as a murderer and starts investigating the case with local guide and hometown friend Man-cheol (Kim Dae-myung) to clear his name.
However, unlike his eager heart, Byeong-soo doesn’t speak well enough English and he’s getting old. In addition, nuisance of a childhood friend...
- 7/19/2020
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Woo Min-ho graduated from Chung-Ang University in film before studying abroad at the University of London’s Goldsmith College, where he made his first short film “Who Killed Jesus?” in 2000. Though the short won Woo his first award at the Seoul International Agape Film Festival, he would not go on making films until a decade later, when he released his feature debut “Man Of Vendetta”. “The Spies” followed in 2012, but it wasn’t until “Inside Men” three years later that Woo broke out. The film, based on a web toon, was a political thriller starring Lee Byung-hun and won Best Film at both the Blue Dragon Awards and the Grand Bell Awards. He followed that up with the Song Kang-ho starring drug lord drama “The Drug King“, which was met with lukewarm response both from audiences and critics.
In 2020, he is back with “The Man Standing Next“, a true-life tale...
In 2020, he is back with “The Man Standing Next“, a true-life tale...
- 7/5/2020
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Korean actress Bae Doona on Saturday received the Etoile du Cinema award. The prize was created last year by the French Embassy in order to acknowledge those Korean film talents who have helped South Korea-French collaboration in cinema.
French Ambassador to South Korea, Philippe Lefort handed the trophy to the 39-year-old actress ahead of the world premiere screening of “#iamhere” at the Busan International Film Festival.
“#iamhere” is the biggest ever film co-produced by Korea and France. Directed by French filmmaker Eric Lartigau (“La Famille Belier”) and starring Chabat and Bae, the film revolves around a French man who travels to Korea to meet a Korean woman on social network service. France’s Gaumont is handling the film’s international sales and Next Entertainment World is distributing the film in Korea.
“It was a sweet memory to act alongside such an amazing actor as Alain Chabat. I am glad I...
French Ambassador to South Korea, Philippe Lefort handed the trophy to the 39-year-old actress ahead of the world premiere screening of “#iamhere” at the Busan International Film Festival.
“#iamhere” is the biggest ever film co-produced by Korea and France. Directed by French filmmaker Eric Lartigau (“La Famille Belier”) and starring Chabat and Bae, the film revolves around a French man who travels to Korea to meet a Korean woman on social network service. France’s Gaumont is handling the film’s international sales and Next Entertainment World is distributing the film in Korea.
“It was a sweet memory to act alongside such an amazing actor as Alain Chabat. I am glad I...
- 10/5/2019
- by Sonia Kil
- Variety Film + TV
Even as his latest film “Parasite” has only just released in South Korean cinemas after winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes and hot on the heels of the news that he is to receive the Excellence Award at the 72nd Locarno Film Festival, we have our first look at Song Kang-ho’s next film “The King’s Letters”.
Synopsis
A historical film about King Sejong who risked everything of his to invent the Hunminjungeum (Korean Script) for his people and the people who weren’t recorded in history.
“The King’s Letters” will be Song’s first historical film after 2015’s “The Throne”. Director Jo Chul-hyun, who also worked as a scriptwriter on “The Throne”, has managed to gather quite the star cast for his debut film. In addition to Song Kang-ho, the film also star Park Hae-il as the Monk Shin-mi, who was instrumental in the creation of the Hangul script,...
Synopsis
A historical film about King Sejong who risked everything of his to invent the Hunminjungeum (Korean Script) for his people and the people who weren’t recorded in history.
“The King’s Letters” will be Song’s first historical film after 2015’s “The Throne”. Director Jo Chul-hyun, who also worked as a scriptwriter on “The Throne”, has managed to gather quite the star cast for his debut film. In addition to Song Kang-ho, the film also star Park Hae-il as the Monk Shin-mi, who was instrumental in the creation of the Hangul script,...
- 6/5/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Locarno Film Festival have announced that South Korean superstar Song Kang-ho will be honoured with the Excellence Award at the 72nd edition of the Swiss festival in August this year, making him the first person from Asia to receive the award.
Song Kang-ho is an eclectic, versatile, graceful actor, who has been able to conquer South Korean cinema and then access the world of international stardom, and to whom the Locarno Film Festival will bestow the Excellence Award. His artistic birth can be traced back to the late 1990s, in Hong Sang-soo’s “The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well”, and his career path was laid down in the early 2000s. After “The Quiet Family”, he reteamed with Kim Jee-woon for “The Foul King”, causing audiences to stare in amazement at performances based on versatility and physical skill. This has been the case for twenty years’ worth of film sets,...
Song Kang-ho is an eclectic, versatile, graceful actor, who has been able to conquer South Korean cinema and then access the world of international stardom, and to whom the Locarno Film Festival will bestow the Excellence Award. His artistic birth can be traced back to the late 1990s, in Hong Sang-soo’s “The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well”, and his career path was laid down in the early 2000s. After “The Quiet Family”, he reteamed with Kim Jee-woon for “The Foul King”, causing audiences to stare in amazement at performances based on versatility and physical skill. This has been the case for twenty years’ worth of film sets,...
- 6/4/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Every once in a while, a good supporting actor breaks through the mould and makes his or her place as a dependable lead actor. Like Kwak Do-won, for example, who broke out with Na Hong-jin’s “The Wailing“, another actor who has consistently impressed on the sidelines is Lee Sung-min. 2018 was quite the turning point in his career, with a very important role in “The Spy Gone North” and his first ever lead in “The Witness“. Both the performances were highly praised and he follows them up with “The Beast”, the newest film from director Lee Jung-ho.
Synopsis
A criminal action movie about two detectives in conflict who solve a murder that shakes up the Korean peninsula.
The film, apparently a remake of the French thriller “36 Quai des Orfèvres” starring Daniel Auteuil and Gérard Depardieu, will be the third time that Lee Sung-min will be collaborating with Lee Jung-ho, having...
Synopsis
A criminal action movie about two detectives in conflict who solve a murder that shakes up the Korean peninsula.
The film, apparently a remake of the French thriller “36 Quai des Orfèvres” starring Daniel Auteuil and Gérard Depardieu, will be the third time that Lee Sung-min will be collaborating with Lee Jung-ho, having...
- 5/31/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
In spite of being generally lauded as one of South Korea’s best actresses, Moon So-ri has mostly featured in special appearances or as part of an ensemble in films in recent years. In fact, the only time she’s been in leading roles in the past 4 years has been in director Zhang Lu’s films and her own directorial debut “The Running Actress”. She kicks off her 2019 with yet another important leading role as part of an ensemble in director Hong Seung-wan’s debut film “The Jurors”.
Synopsis
Kim Joon-kyeom is a presiding judge who leads the first civil participation of a criminal trial in South Korea. 8 jurors are selected for the criminal trial including Kwon Nam-woo. The jurors are ordinary people, but, after they become jurors, they seek out the truth of the case.
Working off his own script, Hong Seung-wan attempts to tell the true story of...
Synopsis
Kim Joon-kyeom is a presiding judge who leads the first civil participation of a criminal trial in South Korea. 8 jurors are selected for the criminal trial including Kwon Nam-woo. The jurors are ordinary people, but, after they become jurors, they seek out the truth of the case.
Working off his own script, Hong Seung-wan attempts to tell the true story of...
- 4/14/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
The narcotics industry, or what existed of it, in South Korea has for the most part never been explored in cinema up until recently. 2018, however, changed that with two films on the subject out in a year. While “Believer” was a remake of the Johnnie To film “Drug War”, director Woo Min-ho’s latest film “The Drug King” attempted to tell the true tale of the 1970s drug trade through Busan into Japan. It was highly anticipated not only for being Woo Min-ho’s follow-up to the excellent 2015 thriller “Inside Men”, but also for starring South Korean superstar Song Kang-ho, who was last seen in the hit Gwangju Uprising drama “A Taxi Driver” as well as Bae Doona, one of the leading South Korean actresses. So does the film live up to the hype and the towering names it comes with? Let’s break it down.
After a brief introduction to methaphetamine,...
After a brief introduction to methaphetamine,...
- 3/9/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
2018 was, by most accounts, a mixed bag of a year for South Korean cinema. Where critics darling Lee Chang-dong returned to the scene after an eight-year hiatus to much fanfare and applause with “Burning”, small films like “Little Forest” and “Intimate Strangers” ended up being more well received than tentpole blockbusters like Kim Jee-woon’s “Illang: The Wolf Brigade”, for example. 2019 has begun very strongly, with “Extreme Job” going on to become the 2nd highest grossing South Korean film of all time on the domestic box-office. Here’s a list of some films we can look forward to with much anticipation in the remainder of the year.
Bad Police (Lee Jeong-beom)
It’s Lee Sun-kyun vs the world in “Bad Police”
Six years after the action packed “No Tears for the Dead”, the director of the iconic “The Man from Nowhere” is back with “Bad Police”. Telling the story of...
Bad Police (Lee Jeong-beom)
It’s Lee Sun-kyun vs the world in “Bad Police”
Six years after the action packed “No Tears for the Dead”, the director of the iconic “The Man from Nowhere” is back with “Bad Police”. Telling the story of...
- 2/25/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
A new Song Kang-ho film is quite the event in South Korean cinema. Possibly the country’s biggest superstar, and one of the best known South Korean actors around the world, Song Kang-ho is known to star in massive hits and his films are often South Korea’s official entries to the Academy Awards for the Best Foreign Language category. So when he teams up with “Inside Men” director Woo Min-ho and Bae Doona, one of South Korea’s best actresses and Song Kang-ho’s co-star from “The Host”, big things are expected from the resulting collaboration “The Drug King”.
Synopsis
Set in Busan, South Korea during the 1970’s, Lee Doo-Sam builds an empire as a drug smuggler in the Busan underworld, while public prosecutor Kim In-goo attempts to take down Lee Doo-Sam.
Joining Song Kang-ho and Bae Donna is a strong supporting cast of Jo Jung-suk, who also starred...
Synopsis
Set in Busan, South Korea during the 1970’s, Lee Doo-Sam builds an empire as a drug smuggler in the Busan underworld, while public prosecutor Kim In-goo attempts to take down Lee Doo-Sam.
Joining Song Kang-ho and Bae Donna is a strong supporting cast of Jo Jung-suk, who also starred...
- 11/14/2018
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Not a year goes by without South Korea releasing a serial killer movie, even if in the recent years the better entries in the genre have been few and far inbetween. “The Witness”, by director Jo Kyu-jang, is one of the better films of the genre to come out of the country, albeit for slightly different reasons, featuring strong performances and an engaging storyline.
The Witness is screening at London Korean Film Festival
Sang-hoon is a hard-working everyman who has moved into an apartment in a good neighbourhood with his wife and daughter. Late one night, when he returns home drunk after treating his colleagues to drinks, he hears screams outside the apartment building. When he goes to the window to see what the commotion is, he witnesses the brutal bludgeoning to death of a woman at the hands of a man. Sudden movement in the house causes the lights...
The Witness is screening at London Korean Film Festival
Sang-hoon is a hard-working everyman who has moved into an apartment in a good neighbourhood with his wife and daughter. Late one night, when he returns home drunk after treating his colleagues to drinks, he hears screams outside the apartment building. When he goes to the window to see what the commotion is, he witnesses the brutal bludgeoning to death of a woman at the hands of a man. Sudden movement in the house causes the lights...
- 11/8/2018
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Total is a 47% increase on previous record from 2017.
The Korean Film Council (Kofic) has announced that South Korean film sales at this year’s Cannes Marche hit a record high of $10.3m.
The total is a 47% increase on the combined $7m of sales achieved by Korean films at Cannes 2017, the previous record holder.
According to the governmental agency, the record-breaking figure was achieved by the end of June through a total of 292 deals.
Kofic, which supports Korean companies at markets including Cannes, Berlin and Hong Kong Filmart, put together the data from eight sales companies that attended the market including Cj E&M,...
The Korean Film Council (Kofic) has announced that South Korean film sales at this year’s Cannes Marche hit a record high of $10.3m.
The total is a 47% increase on the combined $7m of sales achieved by Korean films at Cannes 2017, the previous record holder.
According to the governmental agency, the record-breaking figure was achieved by the end of June through a total of 292 deals.
Kofic, which supports Korean companies at markets including Cannes, Berlin and Hong Kong Filmart, put together the data from eight sales companies that attended the market including Cj E&M,...
- 7/13/2018
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
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