Jeonju Celebrates 20th Anniversary in Style

This month’s Jeonju International Film Festival offered film fans its usual blend of spring weather and bright new cinematic voices, but a pair of anniversaries made this year’s celebrations all the more special. 2019 saw Jeonju IFF celebrate its 20th year as ...

The Rise of the Financial Thriller

Ever in flux, the Korean film industry constantly tries to adapt itself to the trends and themes of the moment. When a film in a new genre catches the public’s imagination, it doesn’t take long for studios and filmmakers to cotton on to what made that film tic...

Udine to Have Special Section of Korean Film

The Udine Far East Film Festival (FEFF), ground zero for Asian cinema appreciation in Europe, will be back for its 21st edition later this month when it opens with the acclaimed Sewol-themed drama Birthday on Friday, April 26. It’s no secret that FEFF has been...

Today’s New Faces, Tomorrow’s Stars

Over the last 20 years, one fairly consistent trend in the Korean film industry has seen top local filmmakers pluck young, unknown actresses from obscurity and placing them front and center in major films, a process that has often put these young performers on...

The Rise of the Religious Thriller

Compared to most countries, Korea has a very eclectic religious makeup, and when the various beliefs of the country’s constituents influence cinema, the results on screen have been equally eclectic. Of the 44% of Koreans who declare a religion, about 45% are P...

Korean Cinema Comes Out of the Gate Strong in 2019

If 2018 ended on a down note for the Korean film industry, in the wake of several major box office disappointments, the mood has quickly turned around in 2019 as the first few months of the year have welcomed record returns for local films with more promising ...

UNDERDOG Continues the Varied Tradition of Korean Animation

While not as famous as its Eastern neighbor Japan for animated content, the Korean film industry has steadily been releasing notable animations since the turn of the millennium and joining their ranks last month was the new offering Underdog, from co-directors...

Rocky Returns for Korean Box Office in 2018

There’s a strange mood around the Korean film industry these days as the final figures for 2018 have rolled in and the hits, misses and trends of the past year are being tallied up. The overall figures, which are only slightly down from the previous year, may ...

Korean Theaters Prepare for Busy Winter Season

As 2018 winds to a close, the Korean film industry is readying for one last onslaught as theaters gear up for the fruitful end-of-year box office season, one of the year’s four busy cinema periods, along with the Lunar New Year, school summer holidays and Chus...

2018 Korean Film Industry Yearly Report

Once again, Korean films have been thriving in 2018. Now is a good time to look back at the past year before wrapping up. Let’s talk about the meaningful changes that occurred within the Korean film industry this year. This year, Korean cinema saw the appariti...