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Exclusive: New York-based distributor Dekanalog has acquired Huang Xi’s Daughter’s Daughter and Johnny Ma’s The Mother And The Bear, both of which debuted at last year’s Toronto Film Festival, for theatrical releases.

Daughter’s Daughter is the second feature from Huang Xi (Missing Johnny). Starring Sylvia Chang, the film follows Jin Aixia (Chang), who has two daughters. But Emma (Karena Lam), who grew up in New York, and Fan Zuer (Eugenie Liu), who grew up in Taipei, never knew about each other until well into adulthood.

When Zuer and her partner decide to try and get pregnant via in vitro fertilization, they wind up travelling to the US for treatments. Tragically, the couple dies there in an accident, but their embryo remains alive and well, and Aixia is left as its legal guardian. Arriving in New York, overwhelmed with grief, she is faced with the choice to donate,...

The living cross paths with the supernatural in Yoori Lim‘s effectively unsettling short film “Forest of Echoes.” Dreamlike in style, this eerie period piece is interwoven with the depiction of the indigenous religion of Korean shamanism, also known as musok or Muism, while drawing on traditional Korean folklore through the portrayal of deities known as dokkaebi. Additionally interlaced are themes with feminist undertones that make for effective commentary while also inserting glimmers of hope through its otherwise dark subject matter.

Forest of Echoes is screening at Busan International Short Film Festival (Bissf)

Deep within a forbidden forest located behind a mountain village, a young woman named Ogyeon is fleeing from a trio of drunk men who are trying to force themselves on her. Believing she is doomed to die anyway, she ventures deeper down a closed-off path. Eventually, she stumbles upon a shrine where she encounters what appears to be a shaman.

Following the epidemic of high-quality debut features that is spreading in South Korea, director Cha Sung-duk‘s presents her compelling independent film “Youngju”. Her work premiered in Busan and was able to do a jump (even if only a small one) from the festival circuit to the theatre and to be released last November at Gwangju Independent Film Theatre.

Youngju is available from Echelon Studios

A chilling hypothetical conditional over a fried chicken basket introduces unapologetically a young girl named Young-ju (Kim Hyang-gi) and her younger brother Young-in (Tang Jung-sang) on the opening scene. “What if … we could have either mum or dad back? Who would you choose?” The parents of the two siblings have been killed in a car accident five years earlier, leaving Young-ju and Young-in in great difficulty, coping with an adult life they knows nothing about. They are little more than children; Young-ju is 19 and the...

Before Bong Joon Ho's Oscar-winning Parasiteor his French comic adaptation Snowpiercer, the acclaimed director cut his teeth on a charming black comedy. Barking Dogs Never Bitefollows unemployed academic Ko Yun-ju (Lee Sung-jae) as he struggles to find work while supporting his pregnant wife, Eun-sil (Kim Ho-jung). Barking Dogs Never Bite is an entertaining glimpse into the style and themes that would later garner Bong Joon Ho well-earned acclaim. The film is funny and relatable and biting in its societal critiques.

Johnny Ma’s 2024 film The Mother and the Bear tells the story of Sara, who finds herself in the unexpected role of caring for her daughter Sumi in the unfamiliar city of Winnipeg. Korean actor Kim Ho-jung brings Sara to life as a woman navigating not just a new culture but also the challenges of modern family dynamics.

The film begins with Sumi, a young piano teacher originally from Seoul, suddenly hospitalized after slipping on icy sidewalks in her Canadian home. With Sumi in an induced coma, her anxious mother Sara flies north from Korea. As she waits at Sumi’s bedside, Sara discovers her daughter has kept many secrets. Trying to ensure Sumi’s future, thoughtful but overwhelmed Sara impulsively signs her into online dating.

Through it all, the devoted mom shines in Kim’s nuanced performance. We see past stereotypes to understand Sara as a full human—confused yet determined,...

Johnny Ma‘s Canadian diaspora feature “The Mother and the Bear” packed the Royal Alexander Theater for its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival last week. The charming comedy follows the adventures of Sara (Kim Ho-jung), a Korean mother who flies over to Winnipeg, Canada for the first time. The circumstances of the visit are not quite opportune, however. Her daughter has fallen into a deep coma; the biting Winnipeg winter seeps into her bones; and worst of all, there seems to be no real Korean food wherever she goes. As Sara learns to adjust in this foreign land without family, she stumbles upon a handsome Korean boy – and his father, a restauranteur (Lee Won-jae) – in the neighborhood. One thing leads to another, and before she knows it, Sara is on the dating apps supposedly for her daughter’s sake.

We spoke to director Johnny Ma and actors Kim...

The Impossible Heir is a revenge drama series written by Choi Won and directed by Min Yeon-hong and Lee Hyang-bong. The Disney+ series follows the story of Kang In-ha who leaves his life of poverty behind after finding out that he is an illegitimate son of a conglomerate owner. Shunned by his rich family, he hatches a plan with his childhood best friend to take over the business and leave their mark in high-class society.

The Korean drama series has complex characters and a thrilling narrative that gets you hooked from the get-go and maybe that’s why it is becoming popular so quickly. If you also love the series we are here with a guide for the upcoming episodes.

The Impossible Heir – Episode Guide (When Will the New Episodes Air) Credit – Disney+

The Impossible Heir consists of twelve episodes in total. The revenge drama series premiered on Disney+ and...

Fabricated City Review Fabricated City (2017) Film Review from the 16th Annual New York Asian Film Festival, a movie directed by Kwang-Hyun Park, and starring Chang-wook Ji, Sang-Ho Kim, Eun-Kyung Shim, Jeong-Se Oh, Jae-Hong Ahn, Min-Jung Bae, Ha-Nui Lee, Min-gyo Kim, Seul-gi Kim, Won-cheol Shim, and Ho-jung Kim. Fabricated City opened with a bang, and ended with a bang; but was at [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: Fabricated City: Trippy Journey, Comedown Destination [Nyaff 2017]...