The Spirits Are Strong as Occult Films Invade Local Screens

Last month, just shy of the two thirds mark of the year, the Korean box office welcomed its third mainstream occult film. Metamorphosis became the second of these to top the charts (after SVAHA : THE SIXTH FINGER) as the genre becomes an increasingly common fi...

Female Characters: At the Forefront of the Film Industry

Disney’s Aladdin has taken the third spot of the Korean box office of 2019 releases and is now 13th in the all-time charts, having brought in 12.23 million audiences in Korea. What could explain that Aladdin, which represents the biggest leap for female charac...

Korea Cinema’s Growing International Profile

News stories of Korean films being adapted abroad, of Korean stars going to Hollywood, or even of Hollywood trying to break into Korea have become so common over the years that they scarcely elicit the surprise they may have in the past. However, of late Korea...

Korean Indie Cinema Heats Up for a Busy August

Korean cinema posted its best performance ever during the first half of 2019, from Extreme Job all the way to PARASITE, both of which went over the ten million viewer mark. As summer got underway however, and BONG Joon-ho’s Palme d’Or winner began to cool on t...

Local Blockbusters Prepare to Go Head-to-Head as Summer Heats Up

Following a busier than usual late spring and early summer period, which has already welcomed two new members to the 10 million viewer club, the Disney titles Avengers: Endgame and Aladdin, and with BONG Joon-ho’s PARASITE a few days away from reaching the mar...

23rd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival Embraces New Digital Formats

Taking place three weeks earlier than usual this year, the 23rd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) was markedly cooler than previous editions but the weather didn’t prevent the festival from heating up Asia’s genre film community with a pack...

The Korean Film Companies Doing Business in the Asian Film Market

The expansion of Korea’s film companies into the Asian markets has picked up steam, with CJ ENM’s Miss Granny (2014) contributing to the success of their international projects. Major companies such as CJ ENM and CJ CGV, as well as Lotte Cultureworks and Showb...

Welcome to the Wonderful World of BONG Joon-ho

For well over a decade, the release of any new BONG Joon-ho film has become a major event, accompanied by feverish anticipation and often followed by critical adoration and commercial success. Never has this been more true than with the release of his latest f...

BONG Joon-ho Wins Palme d’Or at Historic Cannes for Korean Cinema

19 years after IM Kwon-taek became the first ever Korean director invited to the competition section of the Cannes Film Festival with Chunhyang (2000), one of his fellow countrymen has walked away from the Croisette with the biggest prize on the global film fe...

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 ...