Neuigkeiten

Effectively splitting the difference between the crude human drama of his animated work and the genre spectacle of the blockbuster fare that followed, Korean director Yeon Sang-ho returns with a glossy psychological thriller about a church pastor who’s cucked so hard that he convinces himself it’s an act of God.

And yet, the real problem for Pastor Sung Min-chan (“A Taxi Driver” star Ryu Jun-yeol) is that he’s not alone in mistaking earthly hardship for a kind of divine instruction, as “Revelations” will soon find the good father crossing paths with a serial kidnapper who claims his crimes are committed at the behest of a “one-eyed monster,” as well as a young detective who believes that her dead sister — one of the criminal’s previous victims — is urging her to catch him from the afterlife.

Each of the characters in this unholy trinity is trying to quiet a voice in their head,...

The 29th edition of Hong Kong Filmart opened Monday and saw the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Hkcec) thronging with people, in a pleasing throwback to the pre-pandemic days of the event.

The Hollywood Reporter was right in the thick of things on the main exhibition floor, mingling with the crowds and scouring the seemingly endless hallways to get a sense of what titles attendees and dealmakers were most excited about. After much discussion, THR picks out the five features that are really turning heads at Filmart this year.

Valley of the Shadow of Death (Hong Kong)

The great Anthony Wong (Infernal Affairs, Still Human) returns in a role that plays to the veteran star’s strengths — that is, a character at odds with the world, and with his place in it. In Valley of the Shadow of Death, Wong dons a cassock to play a pastor who must...

Veteran Korean filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho is currently in production for his new zombie film titled Gunche.

The zombie thriller will star Jun Ji-hyun (My Love from the Star), Go Soo (Missing), Ji Chang-wook (The Worst of Evil) and Koo Kyo-hwan (D.P.).

Slated for release next year, the Gunche marks Yeon’s first collaboration with Jun, who returns to the big screen after nearly a decade. Her last role in a film was with the 2015 action thriller Assassination.

Distributed by Showbox, the film’s English title has not been confirmed yet. In the Korean language, “gunche” means colony in a biological context.

Yeon is known for his global box office hit Train to Busan as well as its sequel, Train to Busan: Peninsula. Train to Busan grossed over $98 million on an $8 million budget.

Showbox described the upcoming zombie thriller from Yeon as “the culmination of Yeon Sang-ho’s universe, spanning...

"With twisted faith, Madness begins." Netflix has revealed a teaser trailer for a new Korean religious thriller film titled Revelations, the new Netflix feature from Train to Busan director Yeon Sang-ho. He's been on a roll after making a big deal with Netflix, creating and directing Jung_E, Parasyte: The Grey, and Hellbound for Netflix in the last few years. This film is up next. Revelations follows a pastor who believes punishing the culprit behind a missing-person case is his divine mission, and a detective haunted by visions of her dead sister, each pursuing their own truths. From director Yeon Sang-ho and producer Alfonso Cuarón, the film premieres on Netflix on March 21st worldwide. Starring Ryu Jun-yeol, Shin Hyeon-bin, and Shin Min-jae as ex-convict who visited the church and is considered the culprit by the Pastor. As usual with many Korean thrillers, this looks like they start accusing each other and...

Picture: Ju Ji Hoon in Kingdom – Netflix

It has been nearly five years since the second season of Kingdom premiered on Netflix, and there is still no indication of when we might get a third season. The cast, including the lead actor Ju Ji Hoon, has been busy with other projects, and the head writer is also busy, which means we won’t see a third season in 2025 or even 2026. However, recent comments from Ju Ji Hoon have raised hopes for a potential revival of Kingdom soon.

Debuting on Netflix in January 2019, zombie horror Kingdom was an incredible addition. Praised extensively for its story, costume design, make-up, cinematography, acting, and more, fans were just as ravenous as the undead for more Kingdom. The second season laid the groundwork for even more Kingdom, and over a year later, in July 2021, its sidequel, Kingdom: Ashin of the North, was released. However, since...

Acclaimed Korean filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho has set mystery thriller The Ugly as his next feature, which Plus M Entertainment will introduce to buyers at the Asian Contents & Film Market (Acfm) in Busan this week.

Yeon is known for directing Peninsula, which received a Cannes 2020 label and proved box office hit across Asia, taking $46.7m at the height of the pandemic; zombie thriller Train To Busan, which played at Cannes in 2016 and went on to take $140m at the global box office; and The King of Pigs, which became the first Korean animation to screen at Cannes when it was selected...

When people think of Asian animated films, Studio Ghibli often comes to mind first. With iconic films like My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away, the studio has become synonymous with high-quality animation and captivating storytelling. However, Asia’s animation industry is vast and diverse, with many other studios and filmmakers contributing unique and innovative works that deserve recognition. This article explores the rich landscape of Asian animated films beyond Studio Ghibli, highlighting some of the most remarkable productions from different countries.

The Rise of South Korean Animation

South Korea has become a significant player in the global animation industry, producing a variety of films that cater to both domestic and international audiences. One standout is Leafie, A Hen into the Wild (2011), directed by Oh Sung-yoon. This film, based on a popular Korean children’s book, tells the story of a hen who dreams of freedom beyond the farm. Its success...

Hur Bum-wook announces himself as a talent to watch with his furious and deranged animated eco-horror parable Pig That Survived Foot-and-Mouth Disease. A cross between early Yeon Sang-ho animation works like The King of Pigs, Bong Joon-ho's Okja and Watership Down, the film opens amidst Korea's foot-and-mouth epidemic of 2010, during which over a million pigs were culled to halt the spread of disease. Beyond the sheer number of animals being slaughtered, many were dismayed by the government's method of extermination: burying the pigs alive in mass graves. Hur's film guides us straight into this scene of chaos as thousands of bewildered pigs are heaped on top of each other before mounds of dirt are poured over them. Within the increasingly claustrophobic confines of this...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Yeon Sang-ho, director of Train to Busan, to helm first English-language horror film titled 35th Street. Known for emotional storytelling, Sang-ho's new project with Ryu Yong-jae will be another action-horror hit. Collaborating on Train to Busan's sequel and Parasyte: The Grey, fans can expect 35th Street to deliver thrills.

Train to Busan director Yeon Sang-ho has sealed a deal with TriStar Pictures to direct his first English-language horror film. Released in 2016, Train to Busan would go on to become a global hit, earning a massive $98.5 million dollars worldwide against a budget of just $8 million. The zombie action-horror flick is regarded as one of the best in the genre, often lauded for its emotional story of a father and his estranged daughter trapped on a train during a zombie outbreak in South Korea.

As per Deadline, Sang-hos first English-language horror film will be titled 35th Street, and while plot details remain under wraps for now,...

South Korean filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho has worked on multiple genre projects in his home country, making his feature directorial debut with the animated thriller The King of Pigs and following that up with the likes of RedaKai, The Fake, Psychokinesis, Hellbound, Jung_E, and Parasyte: The Grey. His most popular work is the live-action 2016 zombie film Train to Busan, and he has also directed a live-action follow-up to that film, titled Peninsula, and an animated prequel, titled Seoul Station. Now Yeon Sang-ho is ready to make his English-language debut, and Deadline reports that he’ll be doing so with a horror action film called 35th Street.

35th Street is set up at TriStar Pictures, and Yeon will be directing the film from a screenplay he’s writing with Ryu Yong-jae, who he previously collaborated with on Peninsula and Parasyte: The Grey. Plot details are being kept under wraps, so the “action...

The Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 27th edition with a whiplashing program of screenings, workshops, and launch events running from July 20 through August 9, 2023, taking place at the Concordia Hall Cinema, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée.

The festival’s full lineup will be announced in early July. In the meantime, Fantasia is excited to reveal a selected first wave of titles and happenings.

Bright Spotlights On South Korean Cinema Illuminate Fantasia’s 27th Edition

Since the selection of Kang Je-gyu’s Gingko Bed at Fantasia’s 1998 edition, the festival has become one of the premiere destinations for South Korean cinema. Over the years, Fantasia’s audience has had the opportunity to discover several essential Korean auteurs: Bong Joon-ho (Barking Dogs Never Bite), Park Chan-wook (Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance), Kim Ji-woon (The Quiet Family), Hwang Dong-hyuk (Miss Granny), and Yeon Sang-ho (The King Of Pigs) among many others.

The Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 27th edition with a whiplashing program of screenings, workshops, and launch events running from July 20 through August 9, 2023, taking place at the Concordia Hall Cinema, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée.

The festival’s full lineup will be announced in early July. In the meantime, Fantasia reveals a selected first wave of titles and happenings.

Here’s the press release:

Bright Spotlights On South Korean Cinema Illuminate Fantasia’s 27th Edition

Since the selection of Kang Je-gyu’s Gingko Bed at Fantasia’s 1998 edition, the festival has become one of the premiere destinations for South Korean cinema. Over the years, Fantasia’s audience has had the opportunity to discover several essential Korean auteurs: Bong Joon-ho (Barking Dogs Never Bite), Park Chan-wook (Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance), Kim Ji-woon (The Quiet Family), Hwang Dong-hyuk (Miss Granny), and Yeon Sang-ho...

Back in 2011, Yeon Sang-ho’s “The King of Pigs” sent ripples in the movie industry, being the first adult animated film produced in South Korea, the first film of its kind to screen in Cannes, and a recipient of three awards in Busan. Now, based on the same material, actually Yeon’s childhood, Kim Dae-jin presents a live-action series edition, in 12 episodes. (This review is for the first 4).

“The King of Pigs” is screening on Fantasia International Film Festival

A serial killer is on the loose, with his murders being particularly brutal, shocking every policeman that comes across them, with the exception of Kang Jin-ah, a brilliant detective whose intense tactics and obsession with solving crimes have alienated her from her colleagues. It is she who discovers a message written on a window, of the killer addressing a homicide detective, Jong-suk, even identifying himself as his childhood friend, Hwang Kyung-min.

Thirteen North American premieres also added, including Next Sohee for closing night.

Canada’s Fantasia International Film Festival has unveiled its third and final wave of titles, including nine world premieres and a closing night slot for Cannes Critics’ Week entry Next Sohee.

The festival has also announced the presentation of its Prix Denis-Heroux, recognising an exceptional contribution to genre and independent cinema in Quebec, to producer Pierre David, known for his collaborations with David Cronenberg, Jean-Claude Lord and other directors.

The new additions complete the line-up of more than 130 features and 200 shorts for this year’s Fantasia festival, which...