Docu film 'Forever We Are Young' explores global impact of BTS, Army

The film premiered at the 2025 SXSW film festival A documentary film offering an in-depth analysis of Army, the dedicated fandom of BTS, has been released. The documentary “Forever We Are Young” had its world premiere at the 2025 South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) in Paramount Theater, Austin, Texas, Tuesday, according to Big Hit Music. Filmed over three years across diverse locations including Seoul, Los Angeles, Texas and Mexico City, the documentary was selected for screening in the "24

March 11, 2025

French Film Week to showcase award-winners in Seoul, Busan

Festival brings Berlin Golden Bear winner, Cannes laureates to Korean screens French Film Week is set to return to South Korea from April 4-13, the festival organizers announced Monday. Organized by the French Embassy's cultural service alongside Megabox's arthouse cinema Artnine and the Busan Cinema Center, the event has become a fixture for French cinema enthusiasts in Korea. The fifth annual festival brings a curated selection of recent French films to Artnine in Seoul as well as the Busan Ci

March 11, 2025

Disney taps Suzy for 'Snow White' theme song

Former Miss A singer joins Disney's lineup of Korean collaborators in $200m remake Actor-singer Suzy has been tapped to perform the Korean version of "Waiting On A Wish," the main theme song for Disney's upcoming "Snow White" remake, Walt Disney Company Korea announced Monday. A 44-second teaser video released Monday on Disney Korea's official YouTube channel shows Suzy braving a snowstorm in a red cape as she ventures into an enchanted forest setting. The song captures Snow White's (played by R

March 10, 2025

Bong Joon-ho's 'Mickey 17' tops North American box office but falls short of expectations

Bong Joon-ho's latest film, "Mickey 17," debuted at No. 1 at the North American box office over the weekend, making history as the first film by a Korean director to debut in the top spot. However, its opening-weekend earnings fell short of industry projections, raising concerns over its ability to recoup its substantial production and marketing costs. According to Box Office Mojo, a U.S.-based online tracker of box-office revenue, on Sunday, "Mickey 17" earned $19.1 million from 3,807 theaters

March 10, 2025

Ghost on baduk board

Troubled production heads to cinemas after co-star's fall from grace The press conference for "The Match" at Seoul's CGV Yongsan Friday convened with a conspicuous absence. The film's co-lead, Yoo Ah-in, was nowhere to be found — not in the posters decorating the venue, not in the carefully edited trailer shown to reporters, not on the stage alongside director Kim Hyung-ju and the cast. The erasure wasn't unexpected. Yoo, who was sentenced to one year in prison last September for drug use, was g

March 7, 2025

Landmark Korean blockbuster 'Shiri' gets 4K remaster

1999 spy thriller that sparked Korean cinema's blockbuster era returns to theaters March 19 "Shiri," the 1999 spy thriller that marked a watershed in Korean cinema, is set to return to theaters on March 19 in a 4K remastered version, distributor CJ ENM announced Thursday. Directed by Kang Je-kyu, "Shiri" follows South Korean intelligence agents Yu Jung-won (Han Suk-kyu) and Lee Jang-gil (Song Kang-ho) as they track North Korean operatives led by commander Park Mu-young (Choi Min-sik). The film b

March 7, 2025

Jun Ji-hyun returns to film after 10 years with Yeon Sang-ho’s new movie

Ji Chang-wook joins star-studded cast of 'Gunche' Actress Jun Ji-hyun is making her long-awaited return to the big screen after a decade, starring in Yeon Sang-ho’s latest film, “Gunche,” which recently began filming. The movie, titled after a Korean word for “colony,” is expected to premiere next year, according to its distributor ShowBox, Friday. This is Jun’s first collaboration with Yeon and her first film appearance since the 2015 blockbuster "Assassination," directed by Choi Dong-hoon. “Gu

March 7, 2025

Movies in theaters this week

"Mickey 17" (US) Opened Feb. 28 Sci-Fi/Drama Directed by Bong Joon-ho Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson), an expendable clone whose job is to die repeatedly on an outer-space expedition, survives a deadly assignment only to discover his replacement has already been printed. "Exorcism Chronicles" (South Korea) Opened Feb. 21 Animation/Fantasy Directed by Kim Dong-cheol An exorcist priest teams with a Buddhist monk to protect a child from a power-hungry sect leader performing forbidden rituals for d

March 7, 2025

Selling sex, selling dreams: Sex workers in Korean cinema

From "Western princesses" to hostesses — trace Korea's turbulent modern history through the stories of those who bore its heaviest costs When Sean Baker took home four statuettes at this year's Oscars—a feat unmatched since Walt Disney in 1954 —it cemented the director's reputation as cinema's preeminent chronicler of the sex worker community. His film "Anora," about a Brooklyn stripper whose fairy-tale marriage to a Russian oligarch's son unravels spectacularly, won five Oscars, with four going

March 6, 2025

Rising talents get spotlight at Korean Academy of Film Arts graduation film fest

38 works by academy graduates to be screened March 7-15 in Seoul and Busan The Korean Academy of Film Arts will host its annual Graduation Film Festival March 7-9 at Megabox Seongsu in Seoul, with an additional screening day on March 15 at the Korean Film Council's headquarters in Busan, organizers announced Tuesday. Under the slogan "Like a Movie," this year's festival will present 38 films from KAFA's latest graduates, offering audiences a first glimpse at Korea's emerging cinematic talents. T

March 4, 2025

Chanel X BIFF Asian Film Academy opens applications

Film training program seeks 24 emerging Asian filmmakers for collaboration during Busan International Film Festival Applications are now open for the 2025 Chanel X BIFF Asian Film Academy, a cornerstone educational program designed to nurture Asia's next generation of cinematic talent. Running Sept. 7-26, the initiative invites aspiring filmmakers from across Asia to apply before April 4. This year's program will welcome 24 participants from across Asia who will collaborate on short films slated

March 4, 2025

'Mickey 17' dominates Korea's holiday box office, topping 1 m admissions

Director Bong Joon-ho's "Mickey 17" dominated the South Korean box office over the extended March 1 Independence Movement Day holiday, drawing over 1 million viewers nationwide, according to data released Tuesday. The computerized box-office tally from the Korean Film Council showed that the Hollywood sci-fi black comedy attracted 1.04 million moviegoers from Friday to Monday. South Koreans enjoyed a three-day break, as Monday was designated an alternative holiday for the March 1 Independence Mo

March 4, 2025

Interview: Twice's Dahyun takes on debut role with gusto

Kpop idol-turned-actor immersed herself in make-believe for latest teen romance South Korea's entertainment industry thrives on crossover talent. K-pop stars routinely parlay their camera-ready charisma into acting careers, bringing built-in fanbases to productions as they test their new skills. It's a process not without pitfalls: Such career pivots are often met with a deeply skeptical public, notoriously unforgiving of novice missteps. Even today's screen heavyweights — Lee Ji-eun (better kno

March 3, 2025

Strip club Cinderella story 'Anora' wins best picture at 97th Academy Awards

Adrien Brody wins second best actor for 'Pianist,' Mikey Madison wins best actress for 'Anora' "Anora,” a strip club Cinderella story without the fairy tale ending, was crowned best picture at the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday, handing Sean Baker’s gritty, Brooklyn-set screwball farce Hollywood’s top prize. In a stubbornly fluctuating Oscar season, “Anora,” the Palme d’Or-winner at the Cannes Film Festival, emerged as the unlikely frontrunner. Baker’s tale of an erotic dancer who elopes with the

March 3, 2025