BUSAN -- Director Darren Aronofsky joined the list of Hollywood figures denouncing Harvey Weinstein’s history of sexually harassing actresses at the Busan International Film Festival on Friday. “Sexual abuse of any type anywhere is unacceptable, unlawful, disgusting and needs to be battled by everyone. Men and women have to have absolutely no tolerance for it,” he told reporters at a press conference at the Busan Cinema Center. Bigwig producer Weinstein, who was exposed last week for sexually ha

BUSAN -- Sundance Film Festival co-founder Sterling Van Wagenen joined the growing number of film industry insiders speaking out against film producer Harvey Weinstein, whose long history of sexual harassment has shaken up Hollywood.“I think it’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Sterling told The Korea Herald in Busan on Friday, addressing revelations made by the New York Times and New Yorker as well as numerous actresses. Sterling Van Wagenen speaks with The Korea Herald at Novotel Ambassador Haeu

Since its founding in 1996, the Busan International Film Festival has marked the transition from summer to fall in Korea. Asia’s largest film festival is screening some 298 films from 75 countries from Thursday to Oct. 21 this year. The main categories are New Currents, which awards the two best feature films by up-and-coming Asian directors; Gala Presentation, the screening of works by master filmmakers; and A Window on Asian Cinema, which showcases films that push boundaries by Asian directors

BUSAN -- The 22nd Busan International Film Festival officially opened Thursday evening at the Busan Cinema Center, the mood considerably lighter than last year, when political turmoil and a boycott by Korean filmmakers shadowed the event.Crowds filled the outdoor stage where the opening ceremony took place despite drizzle and wind. The red carpet featured a significantly busier array of celebrities than in 2016, including prominent Korean actors such as Son Ye-jin, Cho Jin-woong and Moon So-ri.

Korean fans have pinpointed the source of K-pop celebrities’ charm: the contrast between stars’ onstage and offstage personas.Online K-pop fan communities have been recently flooded with compilations of clips featuring stars, from EXO’s Baekyun to BTS’ V, and their different attitudes on and off stage.Wanna One’s Kang Daniel, who is enjoying massive popularity after nabbing first place in the second season of the K-pop idol audition program “Produce 101,” is said to embody the epitome of such co

Hyun Bin and Yoo Ji-tae embark on an unusual partnership in the upcoming film “The Swindlers.” Hyun plays Hwang Ji-sung, a scam artist who only pulls tricks on other scammers. Yoo plays prosecutor Park Hee-soo, who teams up with Hwang to catch another notorious scam artist. “What I talked about the most with the director was how to express the fluidity of the character,” Hyun said at a press conference Wednesday. “The setup that he only scams other scammers was interesting. Hyun Bin (left) and Y

A documentary that sheds light on the ardent defenders of impeached former President Park Geun-hye will hit theaters on Oct. 26 -- the date of her military dictator father’s 1979 assassination. The film’s title is “Mis-President.” When said out loud, the first syllable is intentionally meant to be mistaken for either “miss” or “myth,” director Kim Jae-hwan said a press statement issued Tuesday. 　“I explained to a foreign correspondent friend that the generation that shares the ‘myth’ of Park Chu

Hollywood has been shaken by last week’s New York Times expose on major film producer Harvey Weinstein‘s alleged history of sexual harassment of actresses and employees spanning nearly three decades. Weinstein has since been fired from the Weinstein Company, which he cofounded, and actresses, film industry insiders and friends have been voicing their opinions on the issue, condemning or defending the film industry bigwig. The so-called “couch casting,” where actresses are forced to trade sexual

Using Korean words has risen as a trend among K-pop and K-drama fans worldwide. Certain words and slang that recur frequently in Korean popular culture are being incorporated into the everyday language of fans. Such words include “oppa,” the term females use to affectionately call older males, and “aegyo,” which refers to a display of cuteness. Korean words are sometimes altered for an English-friendly spelling and pronunciation. “Kyeopta” (originally pronounced “gwiyeopda”) means “that’s cute,”

Korean director Lee Jae-gyu (also known as J. Q. Lee) will be remaking the 2016 film “Perfect Strangers” by Italian director Paolo Genovese, local media reported Monday.　Lee made his directorial debut in 2014 with the historical drama “The Fatal Encounter,” based on the assassination attempt on King Jeongjo and starring Hyun Bin. He also directed hit television drama series such as 2008’s “Beethoven Virus” and 2012’s “The King 2 Hearts.” 　“Perfect Strangers” (Medusa Film)The original “Perfect St

Filming of the much-anticipated crime flick “Drug King” featuring Bae Doo-na, Song Kang-ho and Jo Jung-suk has wrapped up, according to an Instagram post by Bae on Saturday. Bae uploaded a photo of herself receiving a bouquet of flowers from a member of the filming crew.“That’s a wrap,” Bae captioned the photo. Actor Song is also seen clapping in the picture.  (Bae Doo-na's Instagram)The film set in 1970s Korea traces the story of the infamous drug kingpin Lee Doo-sam, who was a major distributo

Historical drama “The Fortress” topped the Korean box office by a wide margin over the Chuseok holiday.　The film amassed 424,409 viewers across the country Saturday, according to the Korean Film Council’s statistics, ranking first place daily for five consecutive days since Tuesday. 　 “The Fortress” (CJ Entertainment)The film directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk tells the story of the 1636 Chinese invasion of Joseon and stars Lee Byung-hun, Kim Yoon-seok and Park Hae-il. It has sold over 2.6 million tick

While family-themed films and blockbuster flicks have traditionally fared well in the holiday box office, some moviegoers may want to peruse more low-key indie pieces during the long Chuseok break, lasting stretching from Sept. 30 to Oct. 9. 　A number of Korean cinemas specializing in indie pieces, such as Indie Space, are offering a selection of delightful small-scale films. “Goodbye My Hero” (Cinema Dal)Unemployed father, young son In “Good Bye My Hero,” a documentary film by director Han Youn

Directors have called Park Hae-il a “blank sheet,” an actor who absorbs and completely transforms through the roles bestowed upon him. With boyish features and a difficult-to-fathom aura about him, Korean film fans say he possesses a Janus-like charm, similar to the Roman god of duplicity – you can’t quite tell whether he embodies good or evil. Park says he’s familiar with the description. “Director Yim Soon-rye told me I was like a white canvas that could become any color, after filming ‘Waikik

Koreans this year will enjoy the longest Chuseok holiday ever, stretching from Sept. 30 until Oct. 9 for many people. And many young Koreans are opting to spend at least a portion of the mini-vacation alone, surveys show. Six out of 10 twenty-somethings said they will be spending the holiday alone, according a survey of 1,190 people conducted by part-time job listing portal site Alba Chunkuk Tuesday. The reasons behind the solo-holiday were part-time jobs at 27.2 percent and the stress of relati

Kingsman: The Golden Circle (UK)Opened Sept. 27Action, adventure. Directed by Matthew VaughnThe headquarters of Kingsman, hidden inside a tailors shop, has been destroyed and the fate of the planet is at risk once more. Eggsy (Taron Egerton), now a full agent with a year of experience under his belt, and Merlin (Mark Strong) follow the Doomsday protocol and seek the help of Kingsman’s American counterpart Statesman, located in a Bourbon whiskey distillery in Kentucky. The elite agents from both

“Welcome! First Time in Korea?” the travel reality show featuring foreign visitors in Korea starred a quartet of Russian friends in its Thursday episode.The episode featured Russian-Korean social media personality Svetlana Yoo and her three Russian friends Regina, Elena and Anastasia in Korea.　 “Welcome! First Time in Korea?” (MBC every1)The girls, in their 20s, planned out their travel around shopping for cutesy items and visiting animal cafes around Seoul. 　Upon their arrival in Korea, Yoo’s t

“The Good Doctor,” the ABC remake of a Korean television series, got off to a good start in the US.The first episode of the show which aired Monday evening at 10 pm (Eastern Standard Time) topped ratings in its time slot. 　The show amassed a 2.4 percent viewership among viewers aged 18 to 49, meaning that some 1.18 million viewers tuned in, according to American ratings site TV By The Numbers. 　NBC’s “The Brave” and CBS’ “Scorpion” trailed behind at 1.3 and 1.0 percent, respectively.　In the US,

Kim Yoon-seok’s criteria for choosing film projects is simple. 　“I pick the best scripts,” he said in an interview Tuesday at a cafe in Palpan-dong, Seoul.　The acclaimed actor, known for his gloomy gravitas, has starred in films such as Na Hong-jin’s 2008 thriller “The Chaser.” 　French novelist Guillaume Musso proclaimed himself a fan of Kim, which is how Korean producers were able to obtain remake rights for Musso’s novel “Will You Be There?” The film, with Kim taking the lead role, opened in K

From comedians to singers, a handful of Korean celebrities are crossing over to YouTube to create content in their respective fields or share their hobbies.　K-pop duo Akdong Musician’s Suhyun opened beauty channel “Mochi Peach” in June; girl group f(x)’s Amber started comedy and daily life channel “What The Pineapple!” in 2015; former girl group 2NE1’s Sandara Park launched a channel of her daily activities, called “Dara TV,” in June.　A range of other channels are also available, set up by comed