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Actor Claudia Kim, celebrated for her elegant presence and depth on screen, will take the stage as the host of the Closing Ceremony for the 30th Busan International Film Festival. With an impressive career spanning Korean and international cinema, combined with her strong command of language, she is expected to bring nuance and authenticity to this final evening, connecting audiences and filmmakers in a meaningful way.

Film Review: A Normal Family (2023) by Hur Jin-ho

Kim made her Hollywood debut as the first Korean actor to appear in a Marvel film, Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), and has since starred in major global productions such as Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2023), The Dark Tower (2017), and Equals (2015), cementing her reputation as an international talent. More recently, she has impressed viewers with her roles in the TV series The Atypical Family (2024) and the Netflix series Gyeongseong Creature (2024). Her performance in A Normal Family...

Belgian filmmaker Tim Mielants’ feature Steve, starring Cillian Murphy, has been added to the Platform lineup for this year’s Toronto Film Festival.

Steve was among nine titles added to the Platform competition Tuesday morning. Those titles are: Farnoosh Samadi’s Between Dreams and Hope, Orian Barki and Meriem Bennani’s Bouchra, György Pálfi’s Hen, Pauline Loquès’ Nino, Bretten Hannam’s Sk+te’kmujue’katik (At the Place of Ghosts), Milagros Mumenthaler’s The Currents, Yoon Ga-eun’s The World of Love, Valentyn Vasyanovych’s To the Victory! and Kasia Adamik’s Winter of the Crow.

The Platform jury will be headed by Carlos Marqués-Marcet, who won the 2024 Platform Award for They Will Be Dust. He will be joined by Oscar-nominated actor, writer, composer and director Marianne Jean-Baptiste, most recently at the festival in 2024 with Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, and Québécois filmmaker Chloé Robichaud, whose Sundance title Two...

There’s a certain performance to family gatherings, a kind of unspoken agreement to keep things pleasant. Director Hur Jin-ho’s A Normal Family understands this social contract intimately, and its opening movements are dedicated to showing us the polished surface just before it shatters.

The film, whose title drips with irony, introduces us to two brothers living starkly different lives. Jae-wan is a high-powered, wealthy lawyer, the kind of man who smooths over ugly problems for his even wealthier clients. His younger brother, Jae-gyu, is a pediatrician, a man whose life is built around a rigid code of ethics. The film wastes no time in placing them on opposing sides of a crisis.

A shocking act of road rage leaves one man dead and his daughter fighting for her life in Jae-gyu’s hospital, while the perpetrator turns to Jae-wan for legal protection. This initial setup is perfectly calibrated,...

It was a booming box office weekend overall with a duo of event films popping too as fans flooded Pink Floyd and flocked to Mozart. On Swift Horses debuted in moderate release, Magic Farm opened at one theater. The Legend Of Ochi and The Shrouds expanded.

Pink Floyd at Pompeii – McMlxxii, the concert film from Sony Music Vision and Trafalgar Releasing, has grossed an estimated $2.6 million in North America for a no. 9 spot. Digitally re-mastered in 4K from the original 35mm footage by Pink Floyd’s director of restoration, Lana Topham, and featuring newly enhanced audio mixed by Steven Wilson, this release presents the definitive version of the film from Sony Music’s Film and TV division.

Pink Floyd At Pompeii predates the release of The Dark Side Of The Moon and the film documents the band before they became giants on both sides of the Atlantic. Set in the...

“A Normal Family” begins with the death of a family, but not the one you might expect. Before his film turns its attention to the family alluded to by its title, director Hur Jin-ho revs out the gate with a case of road rage that ends in murder. Or maybe not, if the lawyer defending the driver in question has his way.

A man is dead and his eight-year-old daughter is critically injured in the hospital, but self-interested criminal lawyer Jae-wan (“Kill Boksoon‘s” Sol Kyung-gu) is more concerned with saving the wealthy executive’s son who’s responsible for the killing. Meanwhile, the attorney’s younger brother, doctor Jae-gyu (“Arthdal Chronicles'” Jang Dong-gun), is working tirelessly to save the victim’s daughter at a nearby hospital.

The pair couldn’t be more different at first, a contrast that becomes sharper during meals they share with their wives and each...

Prolific South Korean director Hur Jin-ho’s latest, A Normal Family, stays true to the name while coming up with an engaging tale of morality with the darkest possible climax. While it borrows its central plot from Herman Koch’s best-selling Dutch novel “The Dinner,” Jin-ho adds several layers to the narrative, which makes the cinematic experience anxiety-inducing. For most of its runtime, A Normal Family keeps you conflicted over whom (or what) to support and whom to oppose. Even then you don’t see the ending coming your way, which in my book, makes this movie a triumph. We’re going to dissect that, of course, while taking all the perspectives into account.

Spoilers Ahead

What Happens In The Movie?

A Normal Family begins with a random road rage incident, where a young man in his twenties ends up killing another man and badly hurting the victim’s daughter.

The Cinevesture International Film Festival (Ciff) is set to return for its second edition in Chandigarh, India, from March 20-23, 2025. With an extensive lineup of international and regional films, as well as an expanded industry platform, the festival aims to solidify its place on the global cinema calendar.

French director Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez,” an Oscar-winning film, will be among the headliners of the World Canvas section, alongside Magnus von Horn’s Oscar-nominated Danish drama “The Girl with the Needle.” The festival opens with the Indian premiere of “A Normal Family,” the Korean drama by Hur Jin-ho that made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival. The opening night will also include a special screening of the Punjabi short “The Cycle” by Arpita Mukherjee.

Ciff’s World Canvas section will showcase 15 international features, while the India Unveiled category will highlight 17 homegrown titles. Special screenings and student films will complement the festival’s programming.

The Cinevesture International Film Festival (Ciff) has revealed a diverse lineup for its second edition, set to run March 20-23 in Chandigarh, India, featuring notable Oscar winners and nominees alongside celebrated regional cinema.

Jacques Audiard’s Oscar-winning “Emilia Perez”headlines the World Canvas section, alongside Magnus von Horn’s Oscar-nominated Danish drama “The Girl with the Needle.”

The festival will open with the India premiere of Korean feature “A Normal Family,” directed by Hur Jin-ho, which first bowed at the Toronto International Film Festival. A special screening of the Punjabi short film “The Cycle” by Arpita Mukherjee will accompany the opening night festivities.

For its sophomore outing, Ciff has assembled a lineup featuring 15 international features in its World Canvas section and 17 titles in the India Unveiled category, with additional special screenings and student films rounding out the program.

The Indian selection features several significant titles by renowned filmmakers, including Dibakar Banerjee’s “Tees,...

CinemAsia Film Festival 2025 presents its full program for the 17th edition, running March 6-11 in Amsterdam. Featuring 38 handpicked films – of which 27 feature films and 11 shorts, including 1 world and 4 European premieres – the lineup spans blockbusters, art-house gems, and independent productions.

Hosted at Eye Filmmuseum, Studio/K, Rialto De Pijp, and Rialto Vu, CinemAsia invites audiences on a cinematic journey through Asia’s rich storytelling, stunning visuals, and diverse cultural perspectives.

Grand Opening & Closing Films

Opening Film – Happyend by Neo Sora (Dutch premiere) – Director present at the festival.

The festival opens with the highly anticipated Happyend by Japanese-American filmmaker Neo Sora. Set in a dystopian near-future Tokyo overshadowed by an impending catastrophic earthquake, this visually stunning film explores identity and friendship in a world dominated by control and uncertainty.

Closing Film – Fly Me To The Moon (Hong Kong 2023) by Sasha Chuk (Dutch premiere) – Director present.

CinemAsia 2025 closes with Fly Me to the Moon,...

South Korea’s movie market hit a low point this weekend, with only $4.34 million made at the box office nationwide. This means the entertainment business will continue facing problems after a slow summer.

It was a close race at the box office this weekend, with “Venom: The Last Dance” barely hanging on to the top spot with $1.19 million. On the other hand, the newly released Korean romantic film “Hear Me: Our Summer” sold more tickets than Venom.

The funny and touching “Hear Me: Our Summer” is good. The story is based on a 2009 Taiwanese movie about a young man who falls in love while helping his hearing-impaired professional swimmer sister. The movie made a huge $1.65 million in its first five days in theaters. It was directed by Jo Seon-ho and produced by Hive Mediaworks.

Comedies set in the United States continued to do pretty well. With $534,000 over the weekend, “Amazon...

The South Korean theatrical box office sunk to its lowest-earning weekend of the year, despite the release of new films including “Hear Me: Our Summer,” “Red One” and “Anora.”

“Venom: The Last Dance” and “Hear Me: Our Summer” were essentially tied for first place.

“Venom: The Last Dance” held on to the top place in revenue terms with $1.19 million, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council. But local charts are ranked according to admissions and showed it in second place, due to its 168,000 ticket sales total.

“Hear Me: Our Summer” took $1.17 million but sold 169,000 tickets. The film is a Korean remake of a 2009 hit Taiwanese romantic comedy. A young man helps out with his sister, a hearing-impaired swimmer, and slowly falls in love with a girl he meets. It earned $1.65 million over its full five-day opening run. It hails from director Jo Seon-ho and Hive Mediaworks production company.

“Venom: The Last Dance” held on for a second weekend win at the South Korea theatrical box office. It fended off a decent challenge from local comedy “Amazon Bullseye.”

“Venom” earned $2.21 million in its second full weekend of release, down 48% from (a steeply revised figure of) $4.45 million reported by Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council. Since releasing on Oct 23., “Venom” has built a cumulative total of $9.34 million.

Newly released “Amazon Bullseye” shot $1.45 million over the weekend and $2.37 million over its five-day opening run. Directed by Kim Chang-ju, the film is a comedy about a Korean archery champion who has to learn some humility when a plane crash lands him in the South American jungle and puts him among tribesmen with better bow and arrow skills. The laughs begin when he takes a trio back to Korea.

Third place belonged to Hur Jin-ho’s “A Normal Family...

“Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae was among the Korean celebrities to lead out a red carpet parade on the opening night of the 29th edition of the Busan International Film Festival. The festival kicked off Wednesday with a bright show of international solidarity and a spectacular, if controversial, Korean film from Netflix.

The ceremony, held under the semi-open roof of the futuristic Busan Cinema Center, was buoyant and attended by 4,500 guests, masking some the woes incurred by the festival itself and by the wider Korean film industry. Officials at the event debuted a new slogan — “Vision of Asia, Ocean of Cinema” — reflecting the South Korean port city’s revised ambitions ahead of next year’s 30th anniversary edition.

Last year, internal divisions ripped the festival management apart, causing sponsors to flee and a reduced budget. While some of the wounds have since been healed, replenished sponsorship and city government funds...

“The Life of Chuck,” director Mike Flanagan’s Stephen King adaptation starring Tom Hiddleston, has won the People’s Choice Award at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF organizers announced at an awards ceremony on Sunday.

In TheWrap’s review of the film, Chase Hutchinson called it “less of a horror film than it is an existential grappling with the end — while also being a jubilant celebration of the moments that make life worth living along the way. It’s Flanagan’s vibrant equivalent of Charlie Kaufman’s ‘Synecdoche, New York’ that finds hope and meaning in his own way just as it is one of the best modern Stephen King adaptations one could hope for.”

Unlike festivals like Cannes, Berlin, Sundance and Venice, Toronto does not give out a jury award to the festival’s top film. Instead, viewers at all public screenings are invited to vote for their...

Song Kang-ho, star of Oscar-winning film “Parasite,” will headline a series adaptation of hit film “Inside Men.”

The project was revealed on Thursday by producer Hive Media Corp. which said that the show is in the early stages of pre-production. Cameras are expected to roll in 2025.

No broadcaster or streamer has yet been attached.

The 2015 film was a political thriller that was adapted from an incomplete webtoon, penned by Yoon Tae-ho called “The Insiders” and which was published 2010-2012 in the Hankyoreh newspaper.

The webtoon featured a political bruiser, played by Lee Byung-hun in the film, who seeks revenge after being ruined by politicians and the media. Directed and written by Woo Min-ho, the film added other elements including a prosecutor (portrayed by Cho Sueng-woo), a presidential candidate Portrayed by Lee Gyeong-young) and a newspaper editor (portrayed by Baek Yoon-sik).

The series, which will be directed by Mo Wan-il (“The World of the Married...

‘Korean Cinema Today – Special Premiere’ is a section that selects and premieres the latest and most prominent contemporary Korean commercial films, known for their mass appeal and significance. This year, the section has unveiled five films, including four world premieres, which are set to captivate the audience’s attention.

A Normal Family A Girl with Closed Eyes

The film A Girl with Closed Eyes (2024) is a thriller that delves into the complex and tense relationship between a criminal and a detective, who are reunited after the murder case of a bestselling author. The film features performances by Kim Minha, who gained global recognition from Pachinko (2022), and Moon Choi from Anarchist from Colony (2017). Director Hur Jin-ho’s latest work, A Normal Family (2023), is a well-crafted suspense thriller that depicts the unraveling lives of four individuals, each steadfast in their own beliefs, after they witness a crime scene involving their children captured on CCTV.

Knock-out Cast For ‘Knock-off’

Kim Soohyun, star of “My Love from The Star,” “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay” and “Queen of Tears,” will team up with Cho Boah, in Korean crime series “Knock-Off,” which Disney has set for a 2025 release.

The show dives into the murky world of counterfeit goods, following a man whose life is ruined in the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Desperate to rebuild what he once had, the man finds himself drawn into the knock-off goods trade, quickly climbing up to the top of the counterfeit market scene. That sets him on a collision course with his ex-girlfriend who is now a special police office tasked with cracking down on the fake goods trade.

Disney has been racing to build up its Korean content library and has release ten shows so far in 2024.

Its upcoming slate includes “The Tyrant,” “Unmasked,” “Seoul Busters,” Light Shop” and crime thriller “Gangnam B-Side,...

Toronto International Film Festival has brought back the renamed Best Canadian Discovery Award after a five-year hiatus.

The C$10,000 award recognises emerging filmmakers and will go to a first or second feature film in official selection.

The roster of this year’s TIFF awards includes Best Canadian Feature Film, for which all Canadian features in official selection — excluding first or second features — will be considered for a C$10,000 cash prize.

The jurors are Guadalajara International Film Festival and Cineteca Ficg general director Estrella Araiza, Toronto-based director Chelsea McMullan, and Japanese Canadian artist and filmmaker Randall Okita. The award is presented by Canada Goose.

Crispin Glover is a man in search of an exit — from a hotel — in the TIFF-bound “Mr. K.” The cult-favorite character actor — known for “Willard,” “River’s Edge,” “Dead Man,” and, who could forget, Cousin “I’m making my lunch!” Del in David Lynch’s “Wild at Heart” — stars in Tallulah H. Schwab’s surreal tale headed for the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival’s Platform section. IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer for the film ahead of the festival, which runs September 5-15 in the thick of the fall fest season.

Here’s part of the synopsis courtesy of TIFF: “The ordeal for Mr. K’s misfortunate protagonist — a traveling magician played by Crispin Glover in one of the richest performances in his long and continually surprising career — begins when he checks into a once-stately hotel. The following morning, Mr. K is understandably confused by his inability to find the exit. Then again,...

Nacho Vigalondo’s Daniela Forever, starring Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding, will open the Toronto Film Festival’s Platform competition program with a world premiere.

The Madrid-set sci-fi romancer has Golding playing Nicolas, a man grieving after the sudden death of his girlfriend (Beatrice Grannò) six months earlier and taking part in a clinical trial for a drug that reunites him with his former lover via lucid dreams, only to leave him obsessed with a fantasy world. XYZ financed the indie from the Spanish filmmaker Vigalondo, who is best known for movies like Timecrimes and Colossal, starring Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis.

Toronto unveiled in all 10 features with world premieres for the festival section where international films outside of the Hollywood studio orbit compete.

There’s selections for Netflix’s Mexican novel-to-screen adaptation Pedro Páramo, which marks the feature directorial debut of Rodrigo Prieto, the celebrated cinematographer behind Greta Gerwig...

The Toronto International Film Festival unveiled the 10 films that will comprise its Platform lineup, a section that is intended to highlight emerging filmmakers from around the globe.

The selection includes “Pedro Páramo,” the feature directing debut of acclaimed cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto; “Viktor,” a documentary about the Russian invasion of Ukraine told by war photographer Olivier Sarbil; and “The Wolves Always Come at Night,” Gabrielle Brady’s look at the impact of climate change on Mongolian herders. There’s also Tallulah H. Schwab’s Kafkaesque “Mr. K” featuring the mercurial Crispin Glover as a traveling magician, as well as Goya-winner Carlos Marqués-Marcet’s contemporary dance-musical and ensemble drama “They Will Be Dust.”

Nacho Vigalondo’s “Daniela Forever,” which stars Henry Golding and “The White Lotus” breakout Beatrice Grannò, will be the section’s opening film. The films represent 17 countries including Spain, Taiwan, Bulgaria, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Mexico and Ukraine.

This...

Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) competitive Platform section will open with Daniela Forever by Nacho Vigalondo, whose Colossal premiered at the festival in 2016.

The 10-title selection also includes Mexico-set Pedro Páramo from renowned cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, 10,000Km filmmaker Carlos Marqués-Marcet’s They Will Be Dust, and Gabrielle Bradys’ hybrid documentary The Wolves Always Come At Night set in Mongolia.

The Platform jury will be led by Canadian auteur Atom Egoyan whose Seven Veils premiered at TIFF last year. His two fellow jurors are South Korean filmmaker Hur Jin-ho who also played the festival last year with A Normal Family,...

The Platform lineup for the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has been unveiled, along with its jury.

The festival’s competitive program dedicated to strong, singular visions includes 10 films from 17 countries, with Canadian staple Atom Egoyan serving as the jury head. Hur Jin-ho, whose “A Normal Family” had its world premiere at TIFF 2023, is also on the jury along with “I Saw the TV Glow” writer/director Jane Schoenbrun.

The Platform program has awarded past prizes to films such as Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight,” which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and Darius Marder’s “Sound of Metal,” which received multiple Oscar nominations and won Best Sound and Best Film Editing.

This year, “Colossal” director Nacho Vigalondo will open the program with his latest film, “Daniela Forever,” starring Henry Golding as a grieving man who reunites with his lost love. Highlights include Tallulah H. Schwab’s sophomore film “Mr. K...

TIFF has announced the competitive Platform lineup today with a jury that includes Oscar nominated filmmaker Atom Egoyan as its Head, South Korean filmmaker Hur Jin-ho and award-winning American filmmaker and essayist Jane Schoenbrun. Jin-ho directed last year’s A Normal Family which made its world premiere at TIFF.

Named after Jia Zhang-Ke’s groundbreaking second feature, Platform, the nine-year old program showcases bold and distinct directorial voices and emerging international talent. This year there’s ten in the sidebar from 17 countries. Of those Platform films that continued on to bigger success are Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and Darius Marder’s Sound of Metal, which received multiple Oscar nominations, winning Best Sound and Best Film Editing. The 10 films in the section are eligible for the Platform Prize, an award of $20,000 Cad given to the best film in the program.

Previous jury members include: Claire Denis,...

Son Ye-jin is called the “One and Only” for good reason. She became a star right with her debut and has been at the centre of public interest as an icon of melodrama ever since. She has moved between different genres, while avoiding stereotypes and fearlessly embarking on adventures to find her unique character and novelty. Successful both on cinema and TV, Son Ye-jin is one of the most iconic actresses of her generation. On the occasion of being the focus of the special spotlight at Bifan, here are ten of her best movies, in chronological order, although it is obvious, that her two best movies are “The Last Princess” and “The Truth Beneath”

1. Lover's Concerto (2002) by Lee Han

One day, Ji-hwan begins to receive letters from an unidentified person. The letters, containing black-and-white photos of happy children playing, remind Ji-hwan of his old two friends. Five years earlier, while...

Stories about moral conundrums and the slippery side of justice and integrity are universally attractive and tent to travel well from one side to the other of the world. It's what happened to Herman Koch's novel “The Dinner”, an international bestseller translated in many languages and adapted into four films, Dutch, Italian, American and finally a Korean version directed by Hur Jin-ho with a different title, “A Normal Family”.

A Normal Family is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival

The film's tone of voice is immediately established when we witness a horrific road rage between two cars, ending in one of the drivers being killed and his 6-yer-old daughter left critically injured. The culprit, a rich and arrogant kid with a powerful father, will likely get away with it, as his case is given to the capable hands of rampant and expensive attorney Jae-wan (Suo Kyung-gu). Coincidentally, the...

Leading South Korean sales company Finecut has picked up international sales rights to action comedy film “Boss.” It will launch the title at next week’s FilMart in Hong Kong.

Directed by Ra Hee-chan, the film follows gang members embroiled in fierce competition. They struggle not just for supremacy within their clan, but also to achieve their own dreams in everyday life.

“Boss” stars Jo Woo-jin as a man who wants to run his family’s Chinese restaurant; Jung Kyung-ho (“Men of Plastic”), who believes it is his destiny to be a Tango dancer; and Park Ji-hwan (“The Roundup” film series), who is the most eager member to be the boss, but nobody wants him.

Production is by Hive Media Corp., the company behind the late 2023 box office hit “12.12: The Day,” which garnered over 13 million admissions.

Finecut will be screening the first footage from the new title at its booth in FilMart.

South Korean sales company Finecut has picked up international sales rights to upcoming action-comedy Boss and will introduce the film to buyers at Hong Kong Filmart this week.

The feature is produced by Hive Media Corp, the company behind South Korea’s biggest box office hit of 2023, 12.12: The Day.

The story follows members of a gang amid the search to appoint a new boss. But rather than fight for the title, the gangsters dream of escaping to a normal life.

The cast is led by Jo Woo-jin of Netflix series Narco-Saints, whose character wants to run his family’s...

Seoul-based sales company Finecut has boarded international sales on the action-comedy Boss and will launch sales at this week’s Filmart in Hong Kong.

The synopsis reads: This action-comedy follows gang members embroiled in fierce competition, struggling not for the title of the next boss but to achieve their own dreams in normal life.

Starring are Jo Woo-jin (Inside Men), who wants to run the family’s Chinese restaurant, Jung Kyung-ho (Men of Plastic), who believes in the destiny of being a Tango dancer and Park Ji-hwan (The Roundup), who is most eager to be the boss but nobody wants him. The film is directed by Ra Hee-chan (Going By The Book). Boss is produced and presented by Hive Media Corp, the production company behind Kim Sung-soo’s record-breaking 12.12: The Day. The first exclusive footage of the film will be available at Finecut’s booth during Filmart.

Finecut’s...

The 44th edition of genre film festival Fantasporto, which runs in Portugal’s second city Porto from March 1-10, has bestowed its best film award on Japanese sci-fi fantasy pic “From the End of the World,” directed by Kaz I Kiriya.

The movie follows 10-year-old Hana, whose dreams transport her across various eras in Japanese history, and have the ability to save humanity.

The jury’s special award went to “The Complex Forms,” Italian director Fabio D’Orta’s debut feature. The sci-fi horror centers on a man who has sold his body so it can be possessed by a creature of unknown nature.

The prize for best direction was nabbed by Spanish filmmaker Gonzalo López-Gallego for horror movie “The Shadow of the Shark” (La Sombra del Tiburon). In the film, a young woman, Alma, is undergoing therapy as she is unable to sleep. With the help of surveillance cameras, she...

The 17th Asian Film Awards announces the winner of this year's Excellence in Asian Cinema Award which aims to highlight distinguished talents and affirm their achievements and contributions to the Asian film industry and culture. This year, they have two winners from different regions who have achieved remarkable success in their acting careers. They consistently push the boundaries of their performances, showcasing their unique talents and making significant contributions to their respective fields. One of the two awardees this year is Korean actress Lee Young-ae (이영애), the screen icon widely known as the “Oxygen Lady” with an illustrious career spanning over three decades. Lee Young-ae expressed deep honour upon receiving the Excellence in Asian Cinema Award: “I am pleasantly surprised to receive this distinguished award. It is beyond words for me to express my gratitude. But I am certainly delighted to come to Hong Kong and take part in this...

Korean actress Lee Young-ae, known for her roles in Park Chan-wook’s Joint Security Area and Lady Vengeance, will be presented with the Excellence in Asian Cinema Award at this year’s Asian Film Awards (March 10) in Hong Kong.

With a career spanning three decades, Lee’s credits also include 2003 drama series Jewel In The Palace, which was broadcast in over 90 countries and introduced Korean history to a global audience.

One of two recipients of the Excellence in Asian Cinema Award, Lee is confirmed to attend the ceremony at Hong Kong’s Xiqu Centre in person. “I’m delighted to come to Hong Kong and take part in this prestigious event for the Asian film industry,” said Lee. “I look forward to more collaborations and engagements with Asian filmmakers across the region to raise international awareness of Korean cinema and culture.”

Park Kwang Su, chairperson of Busan film festival which...

“April Snow” is a Korean romantic drama which gained critical recognition worldwide, as it was nominated for the Gold Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival, and for the Golden Seashell at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. The movie grossed approximately $2.5 million in South Korea, and was a box office success in China, Japan, and the Philippines.

on Amazon by clicking on the image below

The narrative revolves around the relationship between two characters. In-su (Bae Yong-jun) and Seo-young (Son Ye-jin) encounter each other in a hospital following a car accident involving their spouses, who were both in the same vehicle. Gradually, it becomes apparent that they were having an affair. The main characters reside in the same hotel close to the hospital to attend to their unconscious spouses. At first, they seem to avoid each other, but after a while they start to bond over their shared sorrow,...

South Korea’s Finecut has secured international sales rights to animated feature Exorcism Chronicles: The Beginning and will launch the title at the European Film Market next month.

The film is based on Lee Woo-hyuk’s best-selling fantasy novel Toemarok, which sold nearly 10 million copies following its release in 1994, and will mark the feature directorial debut of Kim Dongchul.

It is set in a world where superheroes intermingle with the occult and includes an excommunicated priest, a young woman with telekinesis, a man who lost his sister to a malevolent spirit, and a young prodigy skilled in arcane magic.

Billed...

Canadian filmmaker Denys Arcand’s satire “Testament” will open the 44th edition of Fantasporto, which runs March 1-10 in Portugal’s second city, Porto. Chinese fantasy epic “Creation of Gods I: Kingdom of Storms,” directed by Wuershan, closes the eclectic event.

The festival, which was named by MovieMaker magazine this year as one of the “25 coolest festivals in the world,” is headed by film critics Beatriz Pacheco Pereira and Mário Dorminsky. Around 600 feature films were submitted this year and 1,200 shorts.

Pacheco Pereira says they select films that have a “special touch but still a universal language.” Dorminsky adds: “We try to discover new directors.” These directors – having established a relationship with the festival – often return with their subsequent films, he says.

“Testament” epitomizes one trend that Pacheco Pereira identifies, which is “old people asking: ‘Where is the world going?'” She adds: “‘Testament’ is a wonderful film in which an...

Four years ago, before Covid turned everything upside down, a new Asian masterpiece world premiered virtually unnoticed at the Toronto Film Festival. That film was “A Sun,” a multifaceted Taiwanese family saga from director Chung Mong-Hong that seemed to shift and evolve as it unfolded, challenging what audiences thought they knew about the characters. Tucked away in TIFF’s overcrowded (and under-promoted) Contemporary World Cinema section, the film easily slid under the radar.

Toronto programmers weren’t about to make the same mistake with “A Normal Family,” a film of similar force from South Korea, giving it a coveted Gala spot. Director Hur Jin-ho’s complex, complacency-shattering moral study boasts a heightened yet easily relatable premise, and strong potential to play well around the globe. Like “A Sun,” the movie comes roaring out of the gate with a shocker of an opening scene: An aggro jerk in a blood-red Maserati...

Adaptations of classic stories like Dangerous Liaisons are always difficult, paradoxical even. The new piece must evoke the memory and energy of the original, even as it branches out and liberates itself, creating a new and distinctive work of art. This year’s Dangerous Liaisons branches in major ways, most obviously in its 1930s China setting, and although one cannot help but compare it to Stephen Frears’ (essentially incomparable) 1988 film starring Glenn Close and John Malkovich, Jin-ho Hur’s Dangerous Liaisons brings a welcome addition to the collection of adaptations of the French classic novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Choderlos de...

A few years ago Cecilia Cheung would be playing the Zhang Ziyi role. My, how times have changed. I guess it makes sense from a career trajectory (you can’t play the ingenue forever), but man, it’s still a shock to see her playing the older woman manipulating people around her (and apparently she’s only 1 year older than co-star Zhang Ziyi!). More notably, this Chinese version of “Dangerous Liaisons” is directed by South Korean helmer Jin-ho Hur, who was responsible for some monster hits in his native land, including “April Snow”, though my favorites are his more naturalistic dramas like “One Fine Spring Day” and “Christmas in August”. 1930s Shanghai: the glamorous, tumultuous “Paris of the East” whose salons, streets and bedrooms frame this Chinese adaptation of the French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Aging socialite Mo Jieyu (Cecilia Cheung) still finds herself circling ex-boyfriend Xie Yifan (Jang Dong-kun). Even after years of separation,...

Chinese/South Korean co-production based on the classic French novel ‘Les Liaisons dangereuses’ by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos gets the official Us release trailer as well as teaser poster.

Director Jin-ho Hur’s adaptation of the 1782 French romance novel is not a remake of the 1988 Glenn Close-John Malkovich film, which is certainly the most popular adaptation.

The romance blockbuster which is pretty close to the book stars stunning Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon,) as Du Fenyu – an update on virtuous Madame de Tourvel, with Jang Dong-gun (Tae Guk Gi, The Warrior’s Way) as Xie Yifan.

Also featuring Hong Kong actress Cecilia Chung, who plays the seductress, with Shawn Dou and Lisa Lu, the film, which takes place in 1930s Shanghai, is expected to open in limited release on November 9th, 2012.

Check out the trailer, poster and images from Chinese Dangerous Liaisons project shown during the main...

Another day, another remake (or a re-adaptation). "I said I truly love you." This one comes from China, a remake of the 1988 movie Dangerous Liaisons, which was an adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos's 1782 French romance novel of the same name (Les Liaisons dangereuses). Starring in this is the stunning Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Horsemen, The Grandmasters) as Madame de Tourvel, with Jang Dong-gun (Tae Guk Gi, The Warrior's Way) as Xie Yifan, also featuring Cecilia Chung, Shawn Dou and Lisa Lu. It actually looks surprisingly tense, and seductive, give this a watch. Watch the official Us release trailer for Jin-ho Hur's Dangerous Liaisons, in high def from Apple: 1930s Shanghai: the glamorous, tumultuous "Paris of the East" whose salons, streets and bedrooms frame this Chinese adaptation of the French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Aging socialite Mo Jieyu (Cecilia Cheung) still...

A decade after Ziyi Zhang starred in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the Chinese actress is ageless as a gorgeous object of manipulative lust in the Chinese remake of the 1988 love triangle thriller Dangerous Liaisons, out in theaters Nov. 9.

Check out this exclusive poster for the film, directed by Jin-Ho Hur, which takes place in 1930s Shanghai, instead of 18th century France. Zhang plays Du Fenyu, an update on virtuous Madame de Tourvel, who Michelle Pfeiffer played in the petticoated ’88 film adaptation of the play based on the novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

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Well Go USA has acquired North American rights to the Mandarin-language "Dangerous Liasons" starring Ziyi Zhang. The Chinese production will have its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival September 10.  Directed by Jin-ho Hur and adapted by Geling Yan from Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' 19th-century novel, the story of love seduction and betrayal is set in Shanghai. Dong-gun Jang and Cecilia Chung also star. The film had its world premiere at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival in Directors' Fortnight.Repping the film for the U.S. are Ying Ye, Managing Director of Easternlight, with Cassian Elwes.

Continuing our assault of new movie images from this year's Toronto International Film Festival, in this grouping we’ve got the new films from Joe Wright, Ben Affleck, Robert Redford and Jin-ho Hur. Anna Karenina (directed by Joe Wright) Stars Keira Knightley, Jude Law and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Argo (directed by Ben Affleck) stars Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman and Kyle Chandler. The Company You Keep (directed by Robert Redford) stars Redford, Shia Labeouf, Susan Sarandon, Terrence Howard, Anna Kendrick, Stanley Tucci, Chris Cooper and Nick Nolte. Dangerous Liaisons (directed by Jin-ho Hur) stars Cecilia Cheung, Dong-gun Jang and Zhang Ziyi. Hit the jump for the images and synopses. Anna Karenina The third collaboration of Academy Award® nominee Keira Knightley with acclaimed director Joe Wright, following the award-winning box office successes Pride & Prejudice and Atonement, is a bold, theatrical new vision of the epic love story, adapted from Leo Tolstoy’s...

May is here, spring has sprung, and film fans from around the world are beginning to pack their bags, as in a couple short weeks they will be headed to the south of France for the Cannes Film Festival. Images and clips from the various films unspooling on the Croisette will continue to drip out until the kick off on May 16th, and today we've rounded up a few of the posters that have made their way online.

First up, intense Russian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa returns to Cannes after delivering the downer "My Joy" in 2010, with his latest feature "In The Fog." Based on the Russian novel, the story is a WWII tale set in German-occupied Russia, where an innocent man is accused of collaborating with the enemy and two men are ordered to kill him. Desperate to clear his name, the man is faced with a moral choice during an immoral time.

SEOUL -- As crowds from across Asia thronged the Megabox theater in southern Seoul last Tuesday, desperately hoping for the slightest glimpse of their idol, Bae Yong-joon, Korea's biggest star, you would never know the Korean movie industry is -- or was -- in a slump. They were there for the world premiere of Hur Jin-ho's April Snow (represented internationally by Show East), arguably one of the most widely anticipated films to be released in Asia this year. On the strength of his TV show Winter Sonata and his 2003 film Untold Scandal, Bae has become the hottest star in Asia, with thousands of fans mobbing him on his trips to Japan, Taiwan and elsewhere.

Korean production and sales group Show East said Thursday that Universal Japan has acquired Hur Jin-ho's new project, April Snow, leading the company to aim for the first simultaneous pan-Asian release of a Korean film. "Regardless of the huge public popularity that Korean films are receiving in all parts of Asia, there haven't been many theatrically successful movies (partly) ... because of DVD piracy and illegal downloads through the Internet," the company said. "Therefore, a simultaneous Asian release of 'April Snow' is a meaningful step and it is the first time that all our Asian (distribution) partners have united to make this happen." As well as Japan territories will include, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, while deals are "very close" with distributors in Thailand, Philippine, Indonesia, and China. Production on April Snow, a romance, started earlier this month. Hur's previous films include Christmas In August and One Fine Spring Day.