News

South Korea’s Acemaker movieworks has revealed a first look at supernatural thriller Gory: A Horror Tale, which it will introduce to buyers at the Asian Contents & Film Market in Busan this weekend.

The film is directed by Hong Won-ki, whose credits include 2020 series Goedam and its spin-off feature Urban Myths, horror anthologies based on popular Korean urban legends that feature K-pop idols.

The cast includes Yoo Jae-myung of period action film Harbin, which premiered at Toronto, and Moon Chae-Won of TV series Payback: Money And Power and features Fengshui and Mood Of The Day.

Also part of the ensemble...

South Korea’s Acemaker movieworks is set to launch international sales on horror thriller Gory: A Horror Tale and romantic comedy Dreams Of You at the upcoming Asian Contents & Film Market in Busan.

Gory: A Horror Tale is directed by Hong Won-ki, whose credits include 2020 series Goedam and its spin-off feature Urban Myths, horror anthologies based on popular Korean urban legends that feature K-pop idols.

The feature stars Yoo Jae-Myung of period action film Harbin, which premiered earlier this month at Toronto, and Moon Chae-Won of TV series Payback: Money And Power and features Fengshui and Mood Of The Day.

by Tiara Purnomo

After fifty years, “Chief Detective 1958” premieres as the prequel to the classic Korean series, “Chief Inspector”. Although the show has not created a significant impact, particularly when compared to its predecessor, it does live up to its legacy.

Where to watch

The series opens in a rural area of Korea in 1958, where Detective Park Young-han, the central character, is introduced as a remarkable young detective who triumphs over apprehending cattle thieves with his unconventional ways. Following his success, Park is transferred to Seoul and gets tested on larger challenges that persist in the modernized, urban society. At his new station, Park joins forces with like-minded minds who have a similar sense of justice amidst the largely ignorant individuals within the police organization. Together, they solve various cases while navigating the corruption and political upheavals during the period.

As a period piece, the series is embedded with a rich nostalgic and historical value,...

Myths and ancient legends have continuously served as a solid backbone to many historical dramas coming from Korea over the past few years. Similar to the brand of Hong Kong or Chinese features, the blend of a known historical backdrop, drama, martial arts and/ a murder mystery has fueled many stories, many of which have been commercially very successful in Korea, but not so much outside, where the majority has been released either digitally or physically. The directorial debut of Ahn Tae-jin falls into this particular category, with “The Night Owl” having won numerous awards in its home country, while it is now being released for home cinema in many countries. The foundation for the features is the mystery surrounding Crown Prince Sohyeon, who attempted to reform his home country but died before doing so.

The Night Owl Comes to VOD on September 26th, courtesy of Capelight Pictures

However, the...

Kim Sung-hoon, the man responsible for terrific thrillers like “A Hard Day”, “Tunnel” and both seasons of Netflix's first original Korean series “Kingdom” is back with his new movie “Unofficial Operation” (previously titled “Ransomed”).

Synopsis

In Beirut 1986, during the Lebanese civil war a Korean diplomat is taken hostage without a trace. Two years pass and long forgotten, a young diplomat Min-joon receives a phone call proving that the hostage is still alive. With the given mission, Min-joon is sent to Beirut to save the hostage with a bag of ransom money. However, Min-joon gets into trouble as soon as he sets foot in Beirut. As luck would have it, Min-joon manages to flee from the airport with help from a local taxi driver Pan-soo who he stumbles across. Despite the distrust toward Pan-soo of his obvious mischievousness, the two unlikely allies must navigate the demolished, war-raging streets of Beirut...

Barunson E&a, the Korean production company best known for its role on Oscar-winning film “Parasite,” is to expand into the international market for rights sales and separately into cross-border financing and co-production. Its sales initiative will debut at the American Film Market in Santa Monica next week.

The rights sales operation is to be headed by former Cj Entertainment staffer Choi Yoonhee set as MD of Korean and international operations, and former K-Movie executive Eunyoung (Sylvie) Kim as head of the international business division. They will open the doors at AFM with three feature films and a TV show.

The films include: “Nocturnal,” a gritty mystery action produced by Sanai Pictures; “Honeysweet,” a romantic comedy written by director Lee Byung-hun (“Extreme Job”); and “Love Reset,” a quirky romantic comedy about a couple losing their memories in the midst of a divorce.

The TV series is an unscripted golf and travel reality show called “Birdie Boys,...

Executives appointed to oversee international push.

Barunson E&a, the South Korean production company behind Oscar-winner Parasite, is to expand into international co-production, financing and sales, beginning at the American Film Market next week.

The Seoul-based firm will divide its global operations into a sales division and a co-production and financing division, and is set to present an initial line-up of three features and a reality TV series at the AFM.

Korean and international operations will be overseen by Yoonhee Choi as managing director while Sylvie Eunyoung Kim will lead the global business as head of international division.

Formerly at Cj Enm,...

Executives appointed to oversee international push.

Barunson E&a, the South Korean production company behind Oscar-winner Parasite, is to expand into international co-production, financing and sales, beginning at the American Film Market next week.

The Seoul-based firm will divide its global operations into a sales division and a co-production and financing division, and is set to present an initial line-up of three features and a reality TV series at the AFM.

Korean and international operations will be overseen by Yoonhee Choi as managing director while Sylvie Eunyoung Kim will lead the global business as head of international division.

Formerly at Cj Enm,...

Barunson E&a, the production company behind Oscar-winner Parasite, is set to officially launch its new international ventures at the upcoming American Film Market as it looks to expand into co-production, financing and sales.

The company’s global operations will be divided into a sales division and a co-production & financing division. The inaugural lineup includes three films and a reality TV project that features a quintet of K-pop idols (see below).

Yoonhee Choi will oversee all Korean and international operations as Managing Director, and Sylvie Eunyoung Kim will manage the global business as Head of International Division.

Formerly at Cj Enm, Choi led the overseas distribution of numerous Korean and global productions including Parasite, The Handmaiden and The Spy Gone North, as well as producing 2021’s Seo Bok, Hard Hit and Nothing Serious.

Formerly at K-Movie Entertainment, Kim spearheaded overseas distribution of such titles as The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil,...