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'Little Amelie' from France wins feature grand prize at Bucheon, AI debate takes center stage
France's "Little Amelie" by Mailys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han claimed the grand prize at the 27th Bucheon International Animation Festival on Sunday, as the festival announced the winners of its feature-length competition midway through the five-day event. "Little Amelie," a watercolor-toned portrait of childhood empathy and growth, which premiered at Cannes in May, competed against nine other international features. Japan's "Zombie Land Saga: Yumeginga Paradise" secured the audience award, while
Oct. 27, 2025 -
Song Ji-hyo's long game
"We've been doing this for 15 years now. I started at 30, and I'm 45 today," Song Ji-hyo says over coffee in Samcheong-dong, Seoul. "At some point, 'Running Man' will just be a memory. But until then, I'm giving it everything. I'll keep going until my knees give out completely." Of course, you would expect that level of commitment from Song, who has been at the center of Korea's longest-running variety juggernaut since 2010. For a decade and a half, she's been "Ace Ji-hyo" — the blank-faced stra
Oct. 26, 2025 -
Korea's homegrown animated gems worth seeking out
Japanese anime has been steamrolling in Korean theaters lately. As of Wednesday, "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" sits at 5.47 million admissions through a remarkably resilient two-month run, poised to overtake "Suzume" as Korea's all-time highest-grossing anime. Meanwhile, "Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc" has attracted 2.26 million viewers since its Sept. 24 release, maintaining the top spot on the charts for weeks. The numbers tell a story of complete capitulation — one that has local anima
Oct. 25, 2025 -
Movies in theaters this week
"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 No. 8, where each overlooked detail sends him back to the start, in this adaptation of the cult video game. "Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory / Premature Death – The Movie" (Japan) Opened Oct. 16 Action/Fantasy Directed by Shouta Goshozono High school sorcerers Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto must protect a girl from deadly ad
Oct. 24, 2025 -
Get ready for Huntrix dolls, ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ boardgame and more from Mattel, Hasbro
Netflix said Tuesday it has signed a licensing agreement with toy giants Mattel and Hasbro to turn its blockbuster animated movie “Kpop Demon Hunters” into a global toy line. The partnership will produce dolls, action figures, collectibles, games and role-playing products based on the hit film, which follows a female K-pop trio that performs at massive concerts while battling otherworldly forces. The first products are slated for release in 2026. Mattel, known for its Barbie franchise, will manu
Oct. 22, 2025 -
'No Other Choice,' 'The Ugly' lead Blue Dragon Film Awards nominations
Park Chan-wook's satirical thriller "No Other Choice" swept up 12 nominations to lead the field for the 46th Blue Dragon Film Awards, with Yeon Sang-ho's experimental microbudget whodunit "The Ugly" close behind with 10 nods, as South Korea's premier film awards announced their nominees Tuesday. The nominations, determined through a combination of expert panel voting Oct.1-19 and online audience participation Oct. 2-19, set up a competitive race across 15 categories. The Blue Dragon Film Awards,
Oct. 22, 2025 -
Mise-en-scene Shorts Film Festival returns, showcases Korea’s emerging filmmakers
The 21st Mise-en-scene Shorts Film Festival, long regarded as a launching pad for some of South Korea’s most celebrated filmmakers, ended its four-day run Monday, spotlighting the latest and most inventive short films from the country’s emerging directors. Founded in 2002, the festival has been Korea’s premier short film showcase, launching directors such as Jang Jae-hyun ("Exhuma," "The Priests"), Um Tae-hwa ("Concrete Utopia"), and Na Hong-jin ("The Yellow Sea," "The Wailing"). After pausing i
Oct. 21, 2025 -
Conductor summons Hogwarts to Seoul in live 'Harry Potter' concert
Next week, wizards, witches and anyone who has ever wished they were will gather at Seoul’s Sejong Center for Performing Arts for a magical reunion. From Oct. 24-26, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I in Concert" will bring the final battle of the wizarding world to life — on screen and through the soaring, Academy Award–winning score by Alexandre Desplat, performed live by the Seongnam Philharmonic Orchestra. For fans, it is a chance to take a magical adventure through Harry, Ron and
Oct. 17, 2025 -
Movies in theaters this week
"Tron: Ares" (US) Opened Oct. 8 Sci-Fi/Action Directed by Joachim Ronning A humanoid AI program (Jared Leto) breaks into the real world as tech companies race to extend its 29-minute survival limit, with programmer Eve Kim (Greta Lee) caught between corporate warfare and the program's awakening to human desires. "Boss" (South Korea) Opened Oct. 3 Action/Comedy Directed by Ra Hee-chan A mob boss's sudden death triggers a desperate competition among his potential successors (Jo Woo-jin, Jung Kyung
Oct. 17, 2025 -
'Genie, Make a Wish' tops Netflix non-English series chart
The Korean romantic fantasy series "Genie, Make a Wish" has climbed to the top of Netflix's weekly non-English series chart, the streaming giant said Wednesday. The romantic comedy jumped from its initial No. 5 debut to the top, garnering 8 million views for the week ending on Oct. 12. Premiering on Oct. 3, the 12-part Netflix original follows Ga-young (Bae Suzy), a woman with an antisocial personality disorder. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she accidentally awakens a genie (Kim Woo-bin
Oct. 15, 2025 -
Byun Sung-hyun’s stylish satire finds humor in history with 'Good News'
Byun Sung-hyun, one of South Korea’s most distinctive filmmakers, returns with a sharp-edged, satirical take on a real-life hijacking from the 1970s. With the director's longtime muse Sul Kyung-gu (“The Whirlwind,” “Hyper Knife”) anchoring the film, “Good News” unfolds against a backdrop inspired by the Japan Airlines Flight 351 incident. In 1970, members of the Japanese Red Army commandeered a Boeing 727 carrying 129 people from Haneda to Fukuoka, ultimately defecting to North Korea. Following
Oct. 14, 2025 -
South Korea debuts first AI feature film 'Run to the West'
Artificial intelligence is worming its way into nearly every corner of pop culture — and now it has reached the big screen. Opening in theaters Wednesday is Korea's first AI-incorporated feature film, "Run to the West," directed by Kang Yun-sung, the acclaimed filmmaker behind Disney+’s "Big Bet" and "Low Life." The 60-minute fantasy project isn’t shy about what it is: "Run to the West" is a chaotic rollercoaster powered by the aggressive use of AI rendering. The story itself is rooted in high-c
Oct. 13, 2025 -
The royal who makes film festivals matter to kids
SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates — You might assume she's another royal dabbling in the arts for prestige. But Sheikha Jawaher, general director of the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth, has put in the work. Before launching the festival 12 years ago, she spent a decade in classrooms teaching English. She studied family therapy in San Diego, where she first picked up a broader view of the world beyond her own. That grounding in education and child development shapes how she
Oct. 12, 2025 -
Movies in theaters this week
"Bad Girl: Run Hani" (South Korea) Opened Oct. 7 Drama Directed by Hur Jung-soo In this theatrical reimagining of the classic 1980s TV animation "Run Hani," Na Ae-ri — the original series' chief antagonist — takes center stage as she races through Seoul's urban landscapes and grapples with her past as the rival to legendary sprinter Hani. "Boss" (South Korea) Opened Oct. 3 Action/Comedy Directed by Ra Hee-chan A mob boss's sudden death triggers a desperate competition among his potential success
Oct. 10, 2025 -
Korean cinema in spotlight as Sharjah International Film Festival showcases global works
SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates — "A Better Place," a Pakistani-Korean production about an abandoned child who finds an unlikely guardian in an undocumented South Asian immigrant, opened the 12th Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth on Sunday evening. The 13-minute short by filmmaker Ali Sohail set the tone for a festival edition spotlighting Korean cinema alongside first-time entries from Ecuador, Belize and Sao Tome and Principe. The festival runs through Oct. 12 and featur
Oct. 7, 2025