Award-winning ‘Parasite’ benefits from Chungmuro, home to director Bong Joon-ho and other Korean filmmakers

COLORADO SPRINGS (AFP) -- President Donald Trump on Thursday scorned the best picture Oscar for South Korean film "Parasite," asking how a foreign movie could get the honor. "How bad was the Academy Awards this year?" Trump asked the crowd at a packed reelection campaign rally in Colorado Springs, Colorado. "We got enough problems with South Korea, with trade. On top of it, they give them the best movie of the year?" Trump asked in disbelief. "Parasite,&quo

Corpus Christi (Poland) Opened Feb. 13 Drama Directed by Jan Komasa Daniel (Bartosz Bielenia) experiences a spiritual rebirth during his time in a youth detention center and the 20-year-old decides to become a priest. However, his criminal record prevents him from attending a seminary. Upon being released on parole, he is sent to a small town to work. Here, Daniel dresses up as a priest and inspires the local parish, which had been struggling to heal from a tragic accident. 1917 (US) Opened

How Koreans, markets and society are reacting to the Oscar-winning film that holds up a mirror to Korea’s dark present

Newcomer aspires to add color to Korean cinema scene

President Moon Jae-in said Thursday his government would do its best to introduce a legal measure to curb screen monopolies in South Korean cinemas, speaking at a Cheong Wa Dae meeting with Bong Joon-ho, director of the Oscars-winning movie "Parasite." The president pledged "tangible support" for the further development of the local film industry and cited the proposed ceiling on the total number of screens for a certain movie and the expansion of academies. The Ministry o

Auteur clarifies rumors, shares upcoming plans

Actor Ha Jung-woo on Tuesday denied all accusations that he had illegally taken the anesthetic propofol at a plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam, Seoul. Propofol is a short-acting anesthetic that is highly addictive. Plastic surgery clinics normally administer it to patients undergoing surgery. The news first broke last Thursday when a local news outlet reported that prosecutors were looking into about 10 people suspected of abusing drugs, including a famous actor. Although Ha’s name was

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's film "Parasite," which won four Academy Awards this month and the Cannes Film Festival's top honor, the Palme d'Or, last year, captured a prestigious Italian award dubbed Italy's Oscars, an Italian news agency said Wednesday. "Parasite" has been selected as this year's winner of best foreign language film at the David di Donatello awards, ANSA said. The South Korean social comedy-thriller beat Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon A Time

While indie film “Lucky Chan-sil” may seem like a story about cineastes, director Kim Cho-hee is dedicating the movie to anyone pursuing a dream. “There is an underlying pressure in our society that makes people with dreams feel as if they have to achieve something,” the director said during a press conference held Monday to promote the movie. “Small and big twists in life sometimes turn out to be an opportunity leading to a new life. I hope the audience can laugh

The Oscar-winning film "Parasite" topped the Japanese box office over the weekend, becoming the most-watched Korean movie in the neighboring country in 15 years. According to Japanese box-office tracker Kogyo Tsushinsha, director Bong Joon-ho's black comedy "Parasite" stood atop the box office for the Saturday-Sunday period in Japan. The war film "1917" placed second. "We are calculating its exact box office revenue for the weekend," the film's Japanese

Actress Park Shin-hye will be returning to the big screen for the first time in three years with “Call,” a movie she describes as the tensest and fiercest among those in which she has acted. “There are stories that stimulate my imagination as I read on. They make me wonder how alike or different those imaginations will be when the stories are actualized on the set,” Park said at a press conference in Seoul on Monday. Park exclaimed she got goosebumps just reading the s

  South Korean film director Bong Joon-ho made a triumphant return home on Sunday after capturing four Oscar titles, including best picture for his black comedy thriller "Parasite." "Thanks to so many of you for greeting me, despite the cold weather," Bong told hundreds of reporters, photographers and fans that were waiting for the director at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. "I'm also so sorry for having bothered you many times since the Cannes

Even before Bong Joon-ho grabbed four Oscars, including best picture and best director, for his black comedy masterpiece "Parasite," the South Korean auteur was not a new kid on the block. With seven features on his directorial career, including "Parasite," he has earned a nickname of "Bongtail" at home and abroad, a combination of his family name and the English word "detail." Even though he mentioned several times in interviews that he does not like t

While the South Korean film "Parasite"'s historic Oscar triumph gives the film a bump at international box offices, its soundtrack album is also benefiting from the boost. Streaming of the "Parasite" album skyrocketed 11 fold on Monday on local online streaming service Genie Music, compared with the previous day, according to Genie. On Sunday (US time), the satirical thriller became the first non-English language film to take best picture, the main award, in the Academy's