Tag: koreancinema
Udine 2024 Review: CITIZEN OF A KIND, A New Kind of Hero Rises in Delightful Female-Centric Vigilante Drama
If its films and dramas are to be believed, South Korea is a land teeming with vigilantes. They are typically brooding, sharply dressed and very attractive characters with dark pasts who mete out justice with brute strength or elaborate schemes,...
PENINSULA Interview: Superstar Gang Dong-won Enters the Zombie Apocalypse
The high expectations on a sequel to a runaway blockbuster might be daunting for any actor, but with Peninsula, superstar Gang Dong-won was up for a challenge. Leading the way into this new chapter in the Train to Busan universe,...
PENINSULA Interview: Director Yeon Sang-ho Talks Zombies in the Age of Coronavirus
Eight years ago, I met an artist blazing new trails in Korean cinema. Disturbing and dark as pitch, director Yeon Sang-ho’s The King of Pigs {2011} was a decidedly un-family-friendly animated feature that glared unblinkingly at the ills of South Korean...
PARASITE Interview: Choi Wooshik on His Second Time Around with Bong Joon-ho
In the two years since Choi Wooshik made his appearance in Bong Joon-ho’s Okja, the sky has been the limit. Choi has rocketed from bit parts in television dramas, to award-winning feature performances in Set Me Free and co-starring in...
PARASITE Interview: Park So-dam on Failure, Family, and "Appa" Song Kang-ho
After facing the rejection of 17 failed auditions a month, Park So-dam held to her dream, and is now one of South Korea’s most sought-after actresses. Receiving worldwide acclaim for her role as the crafty, whipsmart baby sister of Parasite’s...
PARASITE Interview: Acting Legend Song Kang-ho on his "Relentless" Relationship with Bong Joon-ho
The term “God of Acting” gets thrown around pretty freely these days. However, LMD got to meet the real deal. In his fourth collaboration with Bong Joon-ho (after Memories of Murder, The Host and Snowpiercer), South Korea’s superstar, Song Kang-ho,...
New York Asian 2019 Interview: Ryu Jun-yeol Talks the Seduction of MONEY
One of the most captivating actors in South Korea, Ryu Jun-yeol grabbed audiences’ attention in supporting roles in films like The King, A Taxi Driver, and Believer; so much so that the New York Asian Film Festival honoured Ryu with...
New York Asian 2019 Interview: Kim Yoon-seok Talks Directing Debut ANOTHER CHILD, Plus Latest Thriller DARK FIGURE OF CRIME
After receiving the New York Asian Film Festival’s Star Asia award last year, actor Kim Yoon-seok returns, this time as the director of his first feature, Another Child, the sensitive tale of two teenagers caught in a web of domestic...
New York Asian 2019 Interview: Director Park Noo-ri on Taking the Reins and Making MONEY
After years of working in the trenches as the assistant director of blockbusters like The Unjust and The Berlin File, Park Noo-ri visited the New York Asian Film Festival with her directorial debut, Money. Director Park chatted exclusively with LMD...
Interview: Lee Chang-dong at MoMA, Part 2 of 2 - On Actors and Advice to Future Filmmakers
With a scant CV of a mere six feature films over 21 years, director Lee Chang-dong has carved out an immutable place in cinematic history for his brash, beautiful, raw, often disturbing explorations of the human condition. Director Lee...
Interview: Lee Chang-dong at MoMA, Part 1 of 2 - BURNING Questions
With a scant CV of a mere six feature films over 21 years, director Lee Chang-dong has carved out an immutable place in cinematic history for his brash, beautiful, raw, often disturbing explorations of the human condition. Director Lee...
New York Asian 2019 Interview: Han Ji-min on Challenging Society with MISS BAEK
Starting her show business career while still a teenager, Han Ji-min quickly became a familiar face in South Korean television dramas and films, beloved by audiences for her sweet, wholesome image. Han turns that image on its head with her...
New York Asian 2016 Interview: THE BOYS WHO CRIED WOLF Director Kim Jin-hwang on Real Life Inspirations
Clocking in at a taut 79 minutes, director Kim Jin-hwang’s The Boys Who Cried Wolf is a sharp whodunit with engaging twists and fine performances. Before its screening at the New York Asian Film Festival, director Kim spoke with me...
New York Asian 2016 Interview: Superstar Lee Byung-hun Talks INSIDE MEN, Fatherhood and the Hollywood Balancing Act
With a career that has included some of South Korea’s biggest hits, including Joint Security Area, A Bittersweet Life, The Good, the Bad and the Weird and his latest record-breaker, Inside Man, Lee Byung-hun is simultaneously carving a place for...
New York Korean Film Fest Gets Its Own Cool Trailer
As you may have seen from our lineup announcement a little while back, the New York Korean Film Fest is coming to town November 6 and they've put together a killer program. Now they've got their own awesome trailer culled...
The New York Korean Film Festival 2015 Returns With An Impressive, Eclectic Lineup
Cinema fans in New York City will be in for a treat next month with the return of the New York Korean Film Festival, which will have its 13th edition at the Museum of the Moving Image from November...
Interview: VETERAN Director Ryoo Seung-wan On Action Challenges And Hollywood Influences
Following his internationally acclaimed actioner The Berlin File, director Ryoo Seung-wan's newest film, Veteran, has already broken box-office records in South Korea within weeks of its release. On the day of Veteran's US red carpet premiere, I had a telephone reunion...
New York Asian 2015 Interview: COIN LOCKER GIRL Director Han Jun-hee Dissects What Family Means and Scary Moms
My final interview of the 2015 New York Asian Film Festival was one I hadn't initially planned to do, but I was so impressed by Han Jun-hee's stunning feature debut, the noir thriller, Coin Locker Girl, that I had to...
New York Asian 2015 Interview: Lee Wonsuk Talks THE ROYAL TAILOR And Turning The Tide Of Korean History
After delighting the New York Asian Film Festival audience in 2013 with the wit and pure charm offensive of his romantic comedy, How to Use Guys With Secret Tips, director Lee Wonsuk returns to our shores with his sumptuous and...
New York Asian 2015 Interview: THE WHISTLEBLOWER Director Yim Soon-rye Talks Changes For Women In Korean Film Industry
As part of the New York Asian Film Festival's celebration of female Korean filmmakers, South Korea's most successful female director, Yim Soon-rye screens her latest, The Whistleblower. Director Yim spoke with me about the changes in the industry landscape since...
