April 27, 2021
Twitter/ParisMatchBe
Youn Yuh-jung made history on Sunday (April 27) as she became the first Korean performer to walk away from the Academy Awards with an acting prize, after picking up the best supporting actress award.
She was nominated for the American indie Minari, about a family of Korean immigrants in Arkansas in the 1980s.
As the first Korean actor to even be nominated for an acting award at the Oscars, Youn’s win is garnering massive media attention in South Korea, where it is dominating the headlines.
The media hubbub surrounding her awards campaign these past few months recalled the similar excitement surrounding director Bong Joon-ho and his film Parasite, which triumphed at the Academy Awards last year with 4 historic awards, including best picture and best director.
Exhibition highlights well-made Korean films in 21st century
Posted : 2021-03-01 16:36
Updated : 2021-03-02 10:41 A media display of women-centric films at the 21st Century Korean Films: The Age of Well-made Cinema exhibition at the Korean Film Museum, Seoul / Courtesy of Korean Film Archive
By Kwak Yeon-soo
The Korean Film Archive (KOFA) is holding a special exhibition, 21st Century Korean Films: The Age of Well-made Cinema, at the Korean Film Museum.
The exhibit features notable film trends that shaped the past two decades through video, media displays and an art wall displaying film posters, stills and pamphlets.
Korean cinema has enjoyed an unprecedented renaissance over the last 20 years, achieving quantitative and aesthetic growth. The global status of Korean films has increased dramatically thanks to Parasite, which became the first non-English-language movie to win the Best Picture award at the Oscars.
The DePaulia
Braden Turk, Contributing Writer|February 21, 2021
One year ago, “Parasite” made history when it won Best Picture and more at the 92nd Academy Awards. All eyes turned to the film and its director Bong Joon-ho attention that was very well-deserved. But even with Korean cinema finally being in the limelight, other important Korean directors have not shared Bong’s popularity.
The cast of “Parasite” celebrating their win at last year’s Oscars ceremony. (Reuters)
South Korea is home to some of the most interesting filmmakers working today, and “Parasite” should only be the beginning of widespread recognition of the country’s films abroad. Here are a few Korean directors whose films should share the spotlight with “Parasite.”
Analysis: Streaming wars could hurt local players, not Netflix
Posted : 2021-01-11 13:44
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Local players declare bid for OTT services, yet unlikely to leave a mark in Netflix-Disney Plus battle
By Park Han-sol
The year 2020, which was engulfed by the COVID-19 pandemic, proved to be a boon for streaming services. Social distancing led to an unprecedented mix of movie theater shutdowns and an ever-increasing thirst for entertainment among those spending more time at home ― a perfect combination to allow over-the-top (OTT) providers to thrive.
But this hint of success has attracted a number of both established and aspiring players to the industry, resulting in fierce competition. With many global OTT platforms now inching closer to enter the Korean market after Netflix, watchers are unsure whether domestic streaming services can survive the battle and make their mark.
Putting theatrical pieces together to trace forgotten part of early Korean film history
Posted : 2020-12-17 09:05
Korean Film Archive hosts academic conference examining cinematic ephemera from the era of Japanese colonization
By Park Han-sol
It is no surprise that the early days of the century-old Korean film industry movies were heavily influenced and defined by Japan until its brutal colonial rule eventually ended in 1945 with the Allies victory of World War II.
Over 150 films were reportedly made during the colonial period, but unfortunately only 16 have been successfully recovered by the Korean Film Archive (KOFA). Ahn Jong-hwa s Turning Point of the Youngsters, known as the earliest surviving Korean motion picture, is one of them.