It is often all too easy to describe South Korean films as a monolith. But theatrical releases in South Korea are often a hodgepodge of unusual genres and independent films, finally cleared for release following a warm film festival debut years prior. In this column, we profile several such films marking their first step into accessibility with a theatrical release. Who knows, in the years to come, which might be picked up internationally by services like Tubi?

Pick #1: Tango at Dawn, April 22^nd

Tango at Dawn (2026)

First premiering at the Busan International Film Festival in 2024, Tango at Dawn (2026) is both a woman-centered film and a labor-centered film, dealing with three factory workers at their differing reactions in the wake of a workplace accident. The independent film had been a hit with programmers, making its way to the Seoul Independent Film Festival, the Muju Film Festival, and the Women's Film Festival in Incheon. It has also appeared in minor film festivals overseas, the Marbella International Film Festival in Spain and the Berlin Independent Korean Film Festival in Germany. Thanks to these festival appearances, an English language print does exist, and by virtue of having a South Korean release, we may yet see this story of altered perspectives overseas.

Pick #2: 1026: For a New World, May

12.12: The Day (2023)

The topic of Park Chung-hee's assassination in 1979 has been a hot topic in South Korean film recently, with The Man Standing Next (2020), 12.12: The Day (2023), and The Land of Happiness (2024) all depicting the chaotic political events before and after the assassination which is one of the major political events of South Korean history. All of these films, however, had to dance around the question of why Kim Jae-gyu killed South Korea's leader, as well his longtime colleague, because we really don't know. 

1026: For a New World (2026)

1026: For a New World is a hybrid documentary/reenactment film that goes in deep over Kim Jae-gyu's life story to try and come up with an answer. The film is unlikely to see an overseas release because of the presumption that foreigners have little interest in such stories. Although really, without the historical grounding, who's to say we can really appreciate the more mass-market films as much as we try to?

Pick #3: In the Realm of Ripley, First Half of 2026

In the Realm of Ripley (2024)

Interactive cinema is one of those genre categories that are especially hard to place, because it's hardly ever seen outside of film festivals. Such is the case with In the Realm of Ripley (2024), which made its premiere in the immersive section of the Venice International Film Festival in 2024. Whether we can really call In the Realm of Ripley a film, rather than a game, is hard to tell. But there's no denying that with a star like Jang Hyuk as the headliner, the mystery thriller is certainly straddling the line between the two.

Pick #4: Heaven: To the Land of Happiness, 2026

COVID-19 continues to cast a long shadow over the South Korean film industry. Heaven: To the Land of Happiness (2020) finished its filming right before COVID-19 broke out, and made its premiere at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival. The dark drama stars Choi Min-sik and Park Hae-il as desperate criminals stealing medicine they need to stave off their terminal disease. Despite the film's strong pedigree, with director Im Sang-soo, himself having made The President's Last Bang (2005), a more irreverent depiction of Park Chung-hee's assassination, Heaven: To the Land of Happiness was a just a tad too controversial for its own good in an era of medical emergency. But this year is, so we're told, the year it will finally receive wide distribution.

Heaven: To the Land of Happiness (2020)

Pick #5: The Other Timeline, 2026

It's hard to understate just how huge the time loop genre was several years back, to the point that to this day, small independent productions of the sci-fi concept are still trickling outward. Such is the case for The Other Timeline, which first appeared at, of all places, the Arizona International Film Festival back in 2026. The mystery sci-fi thriller stars singer Shin Kang-woo as a man pushing thirty who tries to replay an unfortunate event in his high school past to worsening results. Simply by appearing in Arizona, The Other Timeline has a chance at international distribution since an English subtitled print exists. But local success and distribution will be a likely prerequisite.

The Other Timeline (2026)

Pick #6: BE MY BABY, 2026

Back to the present, BE MY BABY premiered at the 2025 iteration of the Busan International Film Festival. The rookie film by director Yoo Jong-seok is another class drama disguised as a crime thriller, with hospitals and debts marking another continuing theme in South Korean film that often doesn't get exposure overseas. BE MY BABY might be in luck in that regard as the lead actress Kang Hae-rim appeared in the Netflix produced series Somebody back in 2022. This gives the film a faint, but not nonexistent, chance at worldwide distribution with the streaming giant.

Pick #7: My Dad is a Zombie, 2026

Firefighters (2024)

Comedies are a fickle genre at the South Korean box office. Occasionally a title like Extreme Job (2019) strikes a surprising chord with audiences despite the premise sounding like something that can go either way. My Dad is a Zombie has one such premise, not being about a literal zombie, but a father desperate to help his family by taking on fairly pathetic acting roles as a zombie. The return of director Kwak Kyung-taek is his first since Firefighters (2024), another film long delayed by COVID-19, with loser character actors like Yoo Jae-myung, Lee Si-eon, and Oh Dal-soo heading up the luckless lineup. The ingredients for a solid comedy are all there, but it's hard to guess whether My Dad is a Zombie will ever go beyond the South Korean domestic market.

Written by William Schwartz

Edited by kofic