News

1. Film Review: Abiding Nowhere (2024) by Tsai Ming-liang

If art is putting an emotion into something you create to transfer that feeling on to its audience, then Tsai certainly achieves something with “Abiding Nowhere” (and the Walker series in general). Beyond slow cinema, this is positively static, as the camera, and indeed the cast, barely move. The slowness, the silence – apart from the background noise – the time allowed to fully contemplate, create a relaxing series of shots to absorb yourself into, feeling your heart rate slow and eyes sigh in a natural progression to sleep.

2. Film Review: Victory (2024) by Park Beom-su

The production also makes the most of its leading ladies’ dancing abilities, choreographing largely pleasing cheerleading sequences, even if more acrobatic sequences, whose absence is fairly explained within the script, could have been welcome. Park Jeong-hoon’s cinematography shies away from being flashy, instead satisfied in capturing the pastel colours...

Cheerleading may primarily be an American activity, but it has permeated its way into Asian territories, with Japan and Korea especially adapting it quite effectively into their sporting events. However, barring a few mostly failed Japanese productions, it hasn’t really been represented in Asian cinema quite as well as it has in its American counterpart.“Red Carpet” director Park Beom-su‘s latest, the 1999-set “Victory”, aims to change that.

Victory is screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival

Best friends Pil-sun and Mi-na love hip-hop dancing and are pretty good at it, but being in the small and remote town of Geoje holds them back. Their teachers want them to focus on their studies, even taking away their practise room, and their parents want them to stay in Geoje and quit thinking about Seoul. But when their school brings in exchange student Dong-hyun as the star striker for their terrible soccer team,...

Set in 1999 in South Korea, Victory tells the story of Pil-sun, a high schooler with dreams of becoming a dancer in Seoul. Along with her misfit friends, Pil-sun finds herself drawn to the unconventional sport of cheerleading. Directed by Park Beom-su, the film follows the girls as they form a cheer club and bring their energetic routines to soccer games in their small coastal town.

While incorporating familiar elements of sports and coming-of-age movies, Victory stands out with its humor and heartwarming portrayal of friendship. Led by a captivating performance from Lee Hye-ri as Pil-sun, the movie celebrates the power of teamwork and spirit through even the most challenging of times.

It embraces the messiness of teenage life yet affirms the importance of passion, community, and perseverance. Above all, Victory spreads a contagious enthusiasm that leaves the viewer feeling uplifted.

Now mostly forgotten K-pop songs play on the radio as...

The 19th edition of the London Korean Film Festival (Lkff), organised by the Korean Cultural Centre UK (Kccuk) and supported by the Korean Film Council, is proud to unveil its 2024 programme. The London Korean Film Festival will take place at BFI Southbank, Ciné Lumière, and Institute of Contemporary Arts (Ica) from 1 November to 13 November. It will feature two strands; Cinema Now and Women’s Voices, as well as a programme from the BFI Echoes in Time: Korean Films of the Golden Age and New Cinema.

Opening Gala Film: Park Beom-su‘s Victory

Closing Gala Film: E.oni‘s Love In The Big City

Special Screening: Choi Dong-hoon‘s Alienoid: Return To The Future

Victory by Park Beom-su will open the festival on the 6 November at BFI Southbank with the director in attendance. In 1999, two rebellious teenagers start a cheerleading squad for their provincial high school, bringing confidence and solidarity to themselves,...

The upcoming South Korean film “Victory” has found success in securing distribution agreements across multiple international territories even before its domestic debut. The movie tells the story of two high school girls who form a cheerleading club on a remote Korean island in 1999.

Directed by Park Beom-su, “Victory” stars Lee Hye-ri as one of the main characters forming the cheerleading club. Lee has transitioned successfully from her previous career in K-pop music to acting roles. For her performance in “Victory,” she won the Screen International Rising Star Asia Award at the New York Asian Film Festival, where the movie premiered.

Seoul-based sales company Finecut announced that “Victory” has been picked up by distributors in at least six territories worldwide. This includes 815 Pictures distributing the movie in North America, and various partners in Asian markets such as Sky Films Entertainment in Taiwan and Lumix Media in Vietnam. Other territories securing releases are Indonesia,...

Korean cheerleading movie Victory is headed to U.S. cinemas. Ahead of its upcoming South Korean release, the film was pre-sold by Seoul-based sales outfit Finecut to 815 Pictures for a North American theatrical run.

Described as “an uplifting and heartwarming drama centered around a high-school dance duo,” the film follows the cheerleaders as they inspire an underdog school soccer team and the surrounding village on a remote Korean island. Directed by Park Beom-su, known for Single in Seoul and Red Carpet, the film premiered as the opening title at the recent New York Asian Film Festival, where one of its stars, Lee Hye-ri, was honored with the event’s screen international rising star Asia award.

Finecut also has inked deals for the movie across Asia, including to Sky Films Entertainment for Taiwan; Lumix Media for Vietnam; Pt Prima Cinema Multimedia for Indonesia; House of M for Thailand; Emphasis Video Entertainment...

South Korea’s Finecut has sold upcoming comedy-drama Victory to a raft of territories including North America ahead of its local release on Wednesday (August 14).

The film, centred on a Korean cheerleading squad, has been acquired by 815 Pictures for North America and Lumix Media for Vietnam, both of which will open the feature theatrically on August 16.

It has also been picked up for Taiwan (Sky Films Entertainment), Indonesia (Pt Prima Cinema Multimedia), Thailand (House of M) and Cambodia (Westec Media Limited), which are set to release the film from late August to September. Inflight rights have gone to Emphasis Video Entertainment.

A mash-up of cheerleading and soccer tropes, Victory is like a shiny, bright beach toy that breaks the first time you use it. The opening-night presentation at this year’s New York Asian Film Festival, it has enough hit tunes and dance routines for K-pop fans, as well as some melodrama for their parents.

Most of all, Victory is a showcase for Lee Hye-ri, the South Korean superstar known more familiarly as just “Hyeri.” A member of the Girl’s Day band, Hyeri forged a career on Korean TV as an adorable little sister or the “cute girl next door.” That led to modeling and social media, where she has millions of followers.

In Victory, she’s Pil-Sun, a misfit and outsider. With her bulky clothes and ratty hair, she’s almost afraid to be pretty. Branded a troublemaker at her high school In Geoje, an island off the southern coast of Korea,...

The annual New York Asian Film Festival is about to kick off this summer.

Presented by the New York Asian Film Foundation and Film at Lincoln Center, the 23rd edition of the festival will take place from July 12 through 22 at Film at Lincoln Center, with additional screenings from July 22 through 28 at the Sva Theatre and July 13–15, 18–21, and 23–25 at Look Cinemas W57, plus a special collaborative presentation of films at the Korean Cultural Center New York.

This year’s lineup marks the largest list of premieres, with 20 films debuting including the North American premiere of “Fly Me to the Moon” and “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In,” which debuted at Cannes.

The opening night selection is the world premiere of Park Beom-su’s “Victory,” a cheerleading epic that’s billed as “Bring It On” meets “Parasite.” Lee Hye-ri (of 3rd-gen K-pop band Girl’s Day) will be in attendance with co-star Park Se-wan and director Park.

Seoul-based sales company Finecut has acquired international sales rights to horror thriller Noise ahead of the upcoming European Film Market.

Presented by Kc Ventures and produced by Studio Finecut (Christmas Carol), the film is currently in post-production. Finecut will present first-look images at EFM.

The pic follows a woman with a hearing aid haunted by inexplicable sounds linked to her sister’s disappearance and attracting a malevolent presence. The synopsis reads: As the story unravels, a bone-chilling secret and mystery entity are revealed after the unnerving noises. The film delves into the unsettling issue of floor noise, a prevalent concern in contemporary societies.

Noise marks the feature debut of director Kim Soo-jin, whose short film The Line played the Cinefondation Selection at the 66th Cannes Film Festival. Lee Sun-bin takes on the role of a woman with a hearing aid searching for her missing sister. Kim Min-seok takes on the role of the missing sister’s boyfriend. The downstairs neighbor is portrayed by Rye Kyung-soo, known for The Bequeathed.

Recent Finecut sales titles include the drama Victory, directed by Park Beom-su (Red Carpet) and produced by Anna Lee’s Annapurna Films with backing from Mindmark. Set on a remote island, the film revolves around two girls who form a cheerleading club and start supporting the local under-achieving soccer team.

The cast was headed by Lee Hye-ri, a member of K-pop group Girl’s Day, and Park Se-wan (Life Is Beautiful), along with rising actor Lee Jeong-ha (Moving).