'Hallan' takes Jeju's largely forgotten massacre to the screen

Jeju Island draws millions of tourists each year. They come for the cherry blossoms and volcanic beaches, the UNESCO-designated heritage sites and swanky honeymoon resorts. What most visitors don't know is that the island's soil holds the remains of over 30,000 people killed between 1947 and 1954 — by some estimates, roughly 10 percent of the island's population at the time. The Jeju 4.3 Incident — the term used to describe this period of violence — started as an uprising against plans to hold s

Nov. 15, 2025

The splendor and emptiness of 'Kokuho'

Stories about artists willing to give up everything for their work— family, fortune, their very selves — have a peculiar hold on us. From "A Star is Born" (1937) and "The Red Shoes" (1948) to "Whiplash" (2014) and "The Brutalist" (2024), these tales keep drawing audiences back, perhaps because there's something inherently mesmerizing about watching people burn themselves out to shine their brightest. "Kokuho" — which translates to "national treasure," the title bestowed by the Japanese governmen

Nov. 14, 2025

Movies in theaters this week

"Now You See Me: Now You Don't" (US) Opened Nov. 12 Crime/Thriller Directed by Ruben Fleischer The Four Horsemen (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher) reunite to recruit three young illusionists for a high-stakes diamond theft from a crime syndicate, in this latest installment of the magician-heist franchise. "Predator: Badlands" (US) Opened Nov. 5 Sci-fi/Action Directed by Dan Trachtenberg An undersized Yautja warrior (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) crash-lands on a dea

Nov. 14, 2025

Romance classic 'A Werewolf Boy' gets Philippine remake

The 2012 Korean melodrama "A Werewolf Boy" is getting a Philippine remake, with production now underway through a joint partnership between Viva Films, Studio Viva, and CJ ENM. Filipino actors Rabin Angeles and Angela Muji will head the film in their first lead roles on the big screen. Angeles will play the feral boy originally played by Song Joong-ki, while Muji will step into Park Bo-young's role as Sun-yi. Veteran actress Lorna Tolentino will round out the cast. Director Crisanto B. Aquino, k

Nov. 11, 2025

Asian Prince gets lost in 'Love Barista'

The room erupted in laughter when Lee Kwang-soo admitted he'd only just spoken the film's Korean title "Prince Alone" — a playful nod to his nickname "Asian Prince" — out loud for the first time. "I don't know, it's just embarrassing," he said at Monday's press conference at CGV Yongsan, visibly squirming at his own discomfort. "Saying 'Hello, I'm Lee Kwang-soo from "Prince Alone"' feels awkward coming out of my mouth." Director Kim Sung-hoon immediately seized the opening. "Well, you know, I'm

Nov. 10, 2025

Hollywood sequels dominate year-end as Korean films vanish from cinemas

The 2025 year-end slate brings an unusual lopsidedness to Korean theaters. While a trio of highly anticipated Hollywood sequels prepares to take over, major domestic releases have fallen by the wayside — a telling snapshot of where the local film industry finds itself heading into 2026. Leading the charge from Hollywood is James Cameron's "Avatar: Fire and Ash," the third installment in the epic franchise, hitting theaters Dec. 17. Korea gets the film ahead of the US release by two days — a move

Nov. 9, 2025

The patient craftsman's Korean canvas

SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates — Time slowed down in Sharjah. The emirate's film festival moved at its own languid pace, with long gaps between screenings and plenty of empty hours to fill. Ahn Jae-huun, there as a juror for the animation competition, had just come back from a local museum when we sat down to talk. "I saw this Chinese mother and her little boy at the museum today," he says. "The kid was bouncing around everywhere, totally restless. And I thought: It's totally fine that you're lik

Nov. 8, 2025

Movies in theaters this week

"Predator: Badlands" (US) Opened Nov. 5 Sci-fi/Action Directed by Dan Trachtenberg An undersized Yautja warrior (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) crash-lands on a deadly planet and teams up with a humanoid robot (Elle Fanning) for survival, in this ninth installment of the Predator franchise. "Bugonia" (US) Opened Nov. 5 Comedy/Thriller Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos Two conspiracy theorists (Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis) abduct a pharmaceuticals CEO (Emma Stone) they believe is an alien plotting E

Nov. 7, 2025

Seoul Independent Film Festival returns with record submissions, restored funding

The 51st Seoul Independent Film Festival will raise its curtain with "Dear You, Unrelated," an experimental film that reimagines Park Nam-ok's 1955 classic "The Widow," and Korea's first feature directed by a woman. The opening work originated from an exhibition project centered on Park and her sole surviving film. Directors Sohn Koo-yong and Lee Jong-su led the creative endeavor, which picks up where "The Widow" left off, filling in the lost denouement through their imagination. "We were asked

Nov. 5, 2025

'KPop Demon Hunters' global pop-up tour makes Seoul its first stop

Netflix’s "KPop Demon Hunters" is set to kick off its worldwide pop-up event tour in Seoul. The Seoul pop-up will run for 25 days from Dec. 4 to 28 in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul. The official pop-up tour then travels to Singapore, Bangkok, Tokyo and Taipei, Taiwan. The pop-up store will showcase a range of exclusive official merchandise created for the global fan base of "KPop Demon Hunters." Fans will be able to preorder items through the official fan community (kpopdemonhunters.fan) and pick

Nov. 5, 2025

'Project Y' takes top prize at London East Asia Film Festival

Director Lee Hwan's crime caper "Project Y" took home the best film in competition award at the 10th London East Asia Film Festival, capping a strong festival run for the South Korean heist thriller. The film stars Han So-hee and Jeon Jong-seo as Mi-seon and Do-kyung, two women who turn to crime after losing their savings. Their scheme to target a stash of hidden cash and gold bars spirals into a high-stakes game of survival. LEAFF ran Oct. 23-Nov. 2 at venues across London, showcasing 45 films

Nov. 4, 2025

Movies in theaters this week

"The First Ride" (South Korea) Opened Oct. 29 Comedy/Drama Directed by Nam Dae-joong Four childhood friends (Kang Ha-neul, Kim Young-kwang, Cha Eun-woo, Kang Young-seok) take their dream overseas trip after 24 years of friendship, but their plans spiral into chaos when an unexpected companion (Han Sun-hwa) joins the group. "Exit 8" (Japan) Opened Oct. 22 Mystery/Horror Directed by Genki Kawamura A man (Kazunari Ninomiya) trapped in an endless subway corridor must spot every anomaly to reach Exit

Oct. 31, 2025

'No Other Choice' lands multiple Gotham nominations, Lee Byung-hun breaks into lead race

Park Chan-wook's jet-black social satire "No Other Choice" has landed three nominations at the 35th Gotham Awards, positioning the film prominently ahead of its North American campaign as Oscar season gets underway. The Korean-language film earned nominations in best international feature, adapted screenplay, and outstanding lead performance for actor Lee Byung-hun. Park shares the screenplay nomination with co-writers Lee Kyoung-mi, Jahye Lee and Don McKellar. Lee Byung-hun is the only Korean p

Oct. 30, 2025

Historic Grand Bell Awards back on auction block after failed sale

The trademark rights to South Korea's Grand Bell Awards are being auctioned for the second time in less than two years after the organization that acquired the rights earlier this year failed to complete payment. The bankruptcy trustee for the Federation of Korean Filmmakers, an umbrella organization representing film industry associations that hosted the awards, recently announced the auction of the Grand Bell Awards trademark, a legal representative for the federation confirmed to The Korea He

Oct. 29, 2025

AI filmmakers set sights on global stage as Seoul festival connects to Cannes

By Kim Young-sang The World AI Film Festival is bringing its celebration of artificial intelligence and cinema to Seoul, with WAIFF Seoul 2026 set to unfold March 6-7, 2026, at Lotte World Tower in Songpa-gu. The event is organized by Vision Culture, a content strategy agency, and sponsored by Lotte. WAIFF represents an international network of festivals exploring the artistic merger of film and AI. The festival was founded by Institut EuropIA in Nice, France, before expanding to Brazil, Japan,

Oct. 28, 2025