News

Korean drama Doubt and Spanish comedy Celeste were the big winners at the inaugural Italian Global Series Festival’s Maximo Awards last night.

Held under the stars at an outdoor closing ceremony in Riccione, Italy, the awards brought together shows and stars from around the world following a week of screenings and talks.

Mbc drama Doubt, written by Han Ah-Young and starring Han Suk-Kyu, Chae Won-Bin, Han Ye-Ri, Roh Jae-Won, Yoon Kyung-Ho and Oh Yeon-Soo, took home the Best Series – International Competition, Drama award. Han Suk-kyu also won Best Actor in the drama competition.

Movistar Plus+ Spanish comedy thriller Celeste, from Diego San Josè and starring Carmen Machi, Andrea Bayardo, Manolo Solo and Clara Sansa, won Best Series – International Competition, Comedy. Marchi also won Best Actress in the comedy competition.

Ukrainian war drama The Train was awarded Best Series – International Competition, Limited Series.

Igsf is an updated incarnation of the Roma Fiction Fest,...

South Korean psychological thriller “Doubt,” written by Han Ah-Young, won the top international drama series prize at the inaugural edition of the Italian Global Series Festival on Saturday at the Arena Ceccarini in Riccione, Italy.

Han Suk-Kyu won the best actor in a drama series prize for the show, which is about a renowned profiler torn between love and suspicion as he investigates a murder linked to his psychopathic daughter.

Lisa Mulcahy won best director of a drama series for the U.K. show “The Assassin,” while the best actress in a drama series prize went to Phyllis Logan for “The Puzzle Lady.”

The drama jury was led by director Cristina Comencini.

Spain’s “Celeste,” written by Diego San José, took the best international comedy series award while best actress in a comedy series was handed to the show’s Carmen Marchi.

Other prizes in the comedy category included best director,...

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Doubt is a South Korean psychological crime thriller drama series directed by Song Yeon-hwa from a screenplay by Han Ah-young. The Mbc TV series follows Korea’s best criminal profiler who faces a dilemma after he discovers that his daughter might be connected to a murder case. Doubt stars Han Suk-kyu and Chae Won-bin in the lead roles with Han Ye-ri, Oh Yeon-soo, Noh Jae-won, Yoon Kyung-ho, Kim Jeong-jin, Yoo Eui-tae, Lee Shin-ki, and Han Su-a starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the intensely thrilling story, complex arcs, and compelling characters in Doubt here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Defending Jacob (Apple TV+) Credit – Apple TV+

Defending Jacob is a crime thriller drama miniseries created by Mark Bomback. Based on the 2012 novel of the same name by author William Landay, the Apple...

It's fair to say that Lee Chang-dong is one of the leading lights in South Korean cinema, if not cinema in general, though his relatively sparse output over the last decade leaves us yearning for more. His debut made a quarter of a century ago, while not as accomplished as his subsequent five films, features many of the themes that would appear throughout his oeuvre, and serves as a strong foundation for the rest of his work to build on.

Film Movement Presents The Films Of Lee Chang-dong, A Retrospective Showcase Including The US Theatrical Premieres Of New 4K Restorations Of Green Fish, Peppermint Candy, Oasis & Poetry In Seleected Cinemas In Canada And The US

Makdong (Han Suk-kyu) is fresh out of his army service and is returning home on the train. It is here he meets the mysterious Mi-ae (Shim Hye-jin), trying – and failing – to come to her rescue from a group of thugs.

Though South Korea’s hardly produced a better-seen, more-beloved auteur, Lee Chang-dong hasn’t been quite so represented as the reputation suggests. Thus the work of restoring his earlier films is a major necessity and all the more reason to celebrate Film Movement’s forthcoming releases of his feature debut, 1997’s Green Fish, and 2002’s Oasis, screening as part of Metrograph’s retrospective “Novel Encounters: the Films of Lee Chang-dong,” running from April 5 to April 28. Ahead of this momentous occasion we’re pleased to exclusively present trailers for both.

If, on the good chance you’re not familiar with either, here are synopses for Green Fish and Oasis, respectively:

Already established as a novelist and playwright, Lee made the leap to the director’s chair with this spectacularly assured first feature, a scourging commentary on South Korean society dressed up in film noir trappings, focused on a freshly demobbed young man (Han Suk-gyu) who,...

Doctor Slump is bringing smiles and tears to millions of Korean drama fans with its two brilliant leads Park Shin-hye and Park Hyung-sik. The Netflix series revolves around a plastic surgeon who gets entangled in a highly publicized criminal case because of a botched surgery and a doctor suffering from depression. When both of the leads meet each other again at the lowest moment in their lives, their high school rivalry starts to fade away as they start developing feelings for each other. So, if you are loving Doctor Slump here are some similar shows you could watch next.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (Netflix) Credit – Netflix

Enemies to lovers is one of the most beloved tropes in Korean dramas, and this trope is used to perfection in the brilliant romantic-comedy series Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. Based on a 2004 film titled Mr. Handy, Mr. Hong by Kang Seok-beom and Shin Jung-goo, the series revolves around...

Romantic Korean movies garner a worldwide reputation due to their tear-jerking, bold storytelling, aesthetics, and exceptional cinematography. Few genres possess the transformative power to evoke profound feelings as effortlessly as romantic Korean movies.

These tales of love and heartbreak seamlessly shake the root of human emotions, leaving an indelible mark on the viewer’s soul. The performances within these films stand as poignant testaments to the unparalleled skill of Korean actors in capturing the complexities of love, loss, and the bittersweet melancholy symphony.

Let’s run on the cinematic journey and look for tear-jerking performances that represent emotional symphonies performed gracefully and precisely. Which scenes moved our feet and filled our hearts with melancholy?

Christmas in August

Christmas in August is a poignant masterpiece of Korean cinema that stands as a testament to the genre’s ability to evoke emotions with their audience. Directed by Hur Jin-ho, this 1998 film remains a touchstone in romantic dramas.

Sejong the Great, the fourth King of the Joseon dynasty, is widely considered as one of the greatest rulers of ancient Korea. A large part of the credit for that goes to the many scientific advances the kingdom saw during his reign and his introduction of the Hangul alphabet. 2019 saw two depictions of the emperor on-screen, the first being Song Kang-ho's version in “The King's Letters”, which specifically is about the latter achievement. The other was in “Forbidden Dream” by melodrama supremo Hur Jin-ho, returning to the historical genre after “The Last Princess”. Using both the scientific advances and the creation of the alphabet as a backdrop, it tells of Sejong's great friendship with Jang Yeong-sil, an inventor and astronomer who Sejong had a lot of affinity for.

“Forbidden Dream” is available from Echelon Studios

The feature opens in the latter part of Sejong's reign, when the wheel of...

When the history books are written to include modern world cinema, one name that is sure to be mentioned as a titan not just of Korean or Asian cinema, but cinema in general, will undoubtedly be that of South Korean maestro Lee Chang-dong. In a career spanning more than 25 years now, starting in the early days of the Korean New Wave all the way till the modern day, Lee has made a mere six feature films, almost all of which are generally considered among the finest. In their 2022 edition, the Jeonju International Film Festival held a retrospective of the celebrated director’s works, which included 4k remastered versions of all of Lee’s feature films, along with the world premieres of his new short “Heartbeat” and “Lee Chang-dong: The Art of Irony”, a new retrospective documentary by French director Alain Mazars.

Much like Lee’s breakthrough sophomore work “Peppermint Candy...

“The Berlin File” was a big box office success during its screening in S. Korea, reaching million admissions after 14 days of release,[42][43] and eventually a total of 7.17 million admissions. Back in 2015, Ryoo Seung-wan stated that he was planning a sequel to screen in 2017, but the project has yet to materialize.

Pyo Jong-seong is a North Korean spy who lives in Berlin with his wife, Ryun Jung-hee, a translator for the local embassy. During an arms deal involving Pyo, Russians, Middle Eastern terrorists, South Koreans and the Mosad that goes horribly wrong, he discovers evidence that he may be set up by his own country. Moreover, CIA, a ruthless North Korean agent named Dong Myun-soo, and a South Korean agent named Jung Jin-soo come into the picture, complicating the case even more. Pyo has to decide who betrayed him and choose sides.

Ryoo Seung Wan wanted a film...

The Royal Tailor

Written by Byounghak Lee

Directed by Wonsuk Lee

South Korea, 2014

Director Wonsuk Lee’s historical drama, The Royal Tailor, is a colorful story about how two men’s dueling fashion sensibilities affected a kingdom’s political landscape. The dazzling costume designs alone are enough to make The Royal Tailor worth the price of admission, but this film has more to offer than just gorgeous visuals. The Royal Tailor’s stellar performances from its two leads combine with a gripping plot to create an easily accessible and enjoyable film.

The Royal Tailor opens and closes with contemporary scenes explaining the cultural impact of the men at the heart of the story. While the information provided in the moments bookending the film could just as easily be provided on title cards, they serve to reinforce the cultural impact of film’s titular characters. The story then begins with the...

This December 24th Ryoo Seung-wan’s The Berlin File is debuting on DVD from Cj Entertainment. The Berlin File stars Jung-woo Ha (winner of the Best Actor award for this performance at the 2013 Baek Sang Art Awards), Suk-kyu Han (Eye for an Eye), Seung-beom Ryu (Perfect Number, Doomsday Book) and Gianna Jun (The Thieves, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan). The bonus materials include deleted scenes and “The Making of The Berlin Files,” a behind-scene scenes featurette.

Synopsis

A tense illegal arms deal in a Berlin hotel suddenly descends into mayhem after a “ghost” agent named Jong-Seong (Jung-woo Ha) appears on the scene. Secretly watching the deal go down is embattled South Korean intelligence chief Jin-soo (Suk-Kyu Han), the North Koreans and the CIA, who are all left trying to decode whether the ghost is a double-agent or taking the fall for a more insidious plot. Myung-soo (Seung-beom Ryu) a young,...

Plot75% Acting85% Directing80% Music75%Agile, cool spy thriller with great action scenes and interesting story development.A bit too shallow and safe. 79%Overall Score Reader Rating: (3 Votes)98%

I can’t say I’m disappointed in ‘The Berlin File’. Seung-wan Ryoo, its director, did everything I expected… but not everything that I wanted. And I can hardly blame him. Although espionage is nothing more than the dark side of politics, real politics are rarely addressed in spy movies, at least in a non-standardized and meaningful way. But, if you can ignore that, then it’s not a problem, really. So, why take the chance? Nobody expects to see politics in a movie, anyway. For me it was like watching a juggler flip three power saws… without turning them on. You can’t expect him to do it, but then again, why use power saws if not for the added risk? I don’t expect it,...

DVD Release Date: Dec. 24, 2013

Price: DVD $26.98

Studio: Cj Entertainment

Ha Jung-woo goes for the gun in The Berlin File.

Korean action auteur Ryoo Seung-wan (City of Violence, Crying Fist) delivers his signature style to the East meets West double agent intrigue in the 2012 Korean action thriller film The Berlin File.

Exposed during an illegal arms trade gone wrong in Berlin, a North Korean “ghost” agent (Ha Jung-woo) finds himself in the cross-hairs of an international manhunt. Caught between his love of country and his wife (Gianna Jun), he must quickly prepare to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Along with Jung-woo Ha (winner of the Best Actor award for this performance at the 2013 Baek Sang Art Awards), the cast includes Suk-kyu Han (Eye for an Eye), Seung-beom Ryu (Perfect Number) and Gianna Jun (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan).

Presented in Korean with English subtitles, the DVD includes deleted scenes and “The Making of The Berlin Files,...