Seoul-based Syeyoung Park is an interesting independent filmmaker. A graduate of the Korea National University of Arts, with a BFA in Film and an MFA in Video Arts, Park made his feature debut with The Fifth Thoracic Vertebra, which earned him awards at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, Seoul Independent Film Festival, and Fantasia,…
78th Locarno Film Festival: “The Fin” Review
Korean cinema continues to prove its global dominance not just through streaming platforms, but through visionary films that challenge and expand the very language of cinema. With The Fin, director Park Syeyoung delivers a haunting work, an unsettling look at control and survival in the aftermath of ideology. Set in a post-unification, ecologically devastated Korea,…
30th Busan International Film Festival: Special Program in Focus – Defining Moments of Asian Cinema
Marking its 30th milestone, the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) presents the third edition of Asian Cinema 100 under the theme Defining Moments of Asian Cinema. Curated in collaboration with the Pusan National University Film Institute and the Korean Film Archive, the program revisits the artistry and history of Asian filmmaking through landmark works, each…
Park Chan-wook Returns with “No Other Choice”, Opening the 30th Busan International Film Festival
Three years after his critically acclaimed Decision to Leave (2022), director Park Chan-wook makes a powerful return to the screen with No Other Choice, a gripping drama centered on a man’s desperate fight to protect everything he holds dear. The story follows Man-su (Lee Byung Hun), a once-proud man whose stable life is suddenly upended…
“LARGO” Short Film Review
“There are 11 million child refugees in the world. 1.3 million in Europe. 127,000 in the UK.” And each one has a name. In LARGO, we meet just one: Musa, a young Syrian boy living in the UK, who, against all odds and all the impossible rules of the adult world, sets out to build…
Ali Sethi’s “Love Language”: A Flamboyant, Powerful Debut Album
With artistic freedom under increasing scrutiny, Pakistani-American singer/songwriter Ali Sethi breaks free with his latest project, Love Language. Across 16 tracks, Sethi creates a visceral pop world that flits beautifully across Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, and English in a true celebration of cross-cultural musicality. Opening with the haunting notes of O Balama, with its dystopian mix…
Hopeful Youths: Boy Group ARrC On Their 3rd Mini-Album “HOPE”
Awesome is a flawless jump-split without whincing. Awesome is a neat blend of folk and swag. Awesome is a group of boys on a quest to infuse hope into the world. Young K-pop septet ARrC’s name stands for Always Remember The Real Connection, and it wasn’t just pulled out of thin air. The boys, whose…
Freddie Fox Returns Behind the Camera with “The Painting & The Statue” – Exclusive Interview
Freddie Fox has been a compelling figure in theatre, TV, and film for years. He’s well-known for roles in White House Farm, The Crown, Slow Horses, Year of the Rabbit, Pride, and The Great, and was recently seen as Loki in Netflix’s The Sandman. While many may know him for his chameleonic performances, Fox is…
“The Painting & The Statue” – A Sublime, Time-Spanning Meditation on Love, Art, and the Silent Lives In Between
Timeless love is often relegated to mythology, fiction, or short-lived daydreams – the kind of feeling that evades language and logic. But what if that love, impossible and pure, was patiently waiting – not in a grand romance, but in the stillness of a room? Freddie Fox’s The Painting & The Statue dares to ask…
YOON SAN-HA Talks “CHAMELEON”, Solo Work, and the Stories Behind the Songs – Exclusive Interview
When YOON SAN-HA first stepped into the fantagio training studio in December 2012, he was a boy of thirteen with a guitar in his hands and a galaxy of possibilities above his head. Introduced to the world through the company’s iTeen Photo Test Cut, YOON SAN-HA quickly stood out, not only for his visuals and…
from20 and HELLO GLOOM Deliver a Superb Performance in London – Concert Review
from20 (formerly Raehwan of BIGSTAR) and HELLO GLOOM (a.k.a. Ungjae, the maknae of IMFACT) may have started their careers in different K-pop groups, but fate, and probably some shared chaos, brought them together under WAY BETTER. After both going solo (from20 debuting in 2021 with Still Greedy For Juicy… yes, that’s the actual title, and…
ACE of VAV: A New Chapter in His Own Words – Exclusive Interview
ACE, also known as Jang Woo-young, started his journey with VAV in 2015. Now, he’s stepping into a new chapter as a solo artist, showing how much he’s grown through music and experience. From sweeping international tours with his group members to launching a solo career, Ace has never been one to take the obvious…
Baekhyun in London: A Powerful and Passionate Performance on the “Reverie” Solo Tour – Concert Review
Byun Baekhyun – or simply Baekhyun, if you’ve ever had your soul snatched mid-note – is South Korea’s velvet-voiced charmer. He’s a member of EXO, its sub-units EXO-K and EXO-CBX, and the fearless leader of SuperM. Baekhyun walked into K-pop history over a decade ago with honeyed high notes and a cheeky wink. In 2019,…
8TURN on Touring Europe, Writing “LEGGO”, and Growing Stronger as a Team – Exclusive Interview
Fresh off their first-ever European tour, rising K-pop group 8TURN is proving that their global momentum is only just beginning. Throughout seven cities, including London, the group delivered superb performances that showed their technical precision and natural charisma. While still early in their journey, 8TURN have shown impressive growth since debuting in 2023. Their most…
VIEW OF THE ARTS 