Compilation of the Best Asian Coming-of-Age Stories Garnering Global Attention in 2024 This program brings together films that have been acclaimed at major international film festivals over the past two years, highlighting the growing global interest in Asian coming-of-age stories. Notable films in the lineup include Tiger Stripes (2023), winner of the Grand Prix Prize…
Tag: film
The 29th BIFF Announces Selections for ‘Korean Cinema Today – “Special Premiere” & “On Screen”
The 29th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has announced its lineup for the ‘Korean Cinema Today – Special Premiere’ section, featuring five films, and the ‘On Screen’ section, which includes six drama series. The ‘Korean Cinema Today – Special Premiere’ section highlights and debuts the newest and most significant contemporary Korean commercial films, recognized for…
OMEGA X: Spotlight on New Achievements in Music and Acting
OMEGA X has been busy with various solo and group activities since their first solo concert in Seoul in February. Here are some recent highlights: JAEHAN’s OST Contribution for Love Interference JAEHAN, the leader and vocalist of OMEGA X, lent his voice to an original soundtrack for the popular Korean variety show Love Interference, where…
“Sleep” Review: A Sleepless Thriller That Thrives on Paranoia and Friction
There’s one thing that everybody who snores has in common: the belief that their snoring is nowhere near as bad as what other people make it out to be, if they can admit to themselves they snore at all. It causes friction on a nightly basis in millions of relationships, and as a result, makes…
Herman Yau on His Latest Work, “Customs Frontline”, and Filmmaking
Herman Yau’s latest film, Customs Frontline, premiered globally at the FEFF 26 in Udine this past May and is set for its Asian premiere in Hong Kong this July. A maverick director known for his prolific output, Yau was born in China in 1961 and studied Film at Hong Kong Baptist University. Over a remarkable…
“Bushido”: Exploring Humanity Through the Lens of a Fallen Samurai – An Insight with Director Kazuya Shiraishi
“Any movie that I make, I always think: ‘What is a human being?’” director Kazuya Shiraishi shares as he reflects on his latest project Bushido. The samurai period drama, or jidaigeki, tells the story of ronin Yanagida Kakunoshin (Tsuyoshi Kuanagi) who has fallen into poverty but has found peace in a humble living with his…
Discussing “Alienoid: Return to the Future” with Director Choi Dong-hoon and Producer Ahn Soo-hyun – Exclusive Interview
I first interviewed Choi Dong-hoon, one of South Korea’s leading directors and screenwriters, in 2015 at the BFI London Film Festival, where he was promoting his espionage action film Assassination. Choi, renowned for his consistent box-office success, spent several years developing the script for Alienoid, a sci-fi fantasy action film. After premiering Alienoid at the…
77th Cannes Film Festival: “When the Light Breaks” Review
Under the moody lilac skies of the Northern hemisphere, comes an 80-minute life sampler of the hopeful and free-spirited youths of Iceland, directed by Rúnar Rúnarsson. There’s only really two plot points of the whole film, which would explain its length; the rest is filled in with the characters’ – particularly Una’s – emotional conflicts…
77th Cannes Film Festival: “Universal Language” Review
The latest absurdist gem sitting behind the oh-so-frightening curtain of non-English cinema is Cannes Directors’ Fortnight: Audience Award winner Universal Language, directed by and starring Matthew Rankin. In Persian and French, the film lands us in the snow-laid streets of Winnipeg, starting off in the French immersion school attended by Nazgol (Saba Vahedyousefi), Negin (Rojina…
77th Cannes Film Festival: “Locust” Review
Every generation has its angry young men, rebelling against the cultural conformity of the era. From James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause and Marlon Brando in The Wild One pushing back against the stifling conservatism of the Eisenhower age, to the various turn-of-the-century studies of disaffected adults stilted by middle-class life, these are snapshots…
77th Cannes Film Festival: “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” Review
Kowloon Walled City, a military fort turned ungovernable residential area in Hong Kong that was demolished in 1993, feels like the product of a screenwriter’s imagination run wild. As depicted in Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, the city’s self-sustaining ecosystem is almost entirely shut off from the real world, its 35,000+ residents living and…
RM Contemplates with His Latest Single “Come Back To Me” – MV/Single Review
In an industry where 3.5 minutes are considered too long for a song, RM takes a bold approach with his new single, Come Back to Me. The track runs for 6:29 and is complemented by a superb music video. True to his style, RM has collaborated with top talent from the film and television industry,…
Exploring New Horizons: The 1st Muslim International Film Festival Celebrates Muslim Experiences on Film
The first-ever MUSLIM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL will take place from May 30th to June 2nd in London’s Leicester Square. This festival champions the narratives of international Muslim filmmakers and highlights their compelling stories, serving as a platform for productions inspired by Muslim culture and faith, and welcoming filmmakers from all backgrounds. At a time when…
Beyond Preservation: Curation and Programming of Korean Film Archive – In Conversation with Kim Hong-joon, Director of the KOFA
The theme of the Far East Film Festival’s retrospective program this year was “Saving the Past: 50/50: Celebrating 50 Years of Korean Film Preservation” and it was focused on a tumultuous yet pivotal decade for Korean cinema. The 1950s were a time of great upheaval and these films – restored under the direction of the…
