News

Fresh from the Cannes premiere of action thriller I, The Executioner, South Korean filmmaker Ryoo Seung-wan is preparing to shoot espionage action feature Humint later this year.

Filming is set to begin in October with a cast including Zo In-sung, Park Jeong-min, Park Hae-joon and Nana. Produced by Filmmakers R&k it will be distributed by New. International sales are handled by Contents Panda.

Humint stands for Human Intelligence, a term used in the military to refer to the collection of information through people rather than gathering intelligence via more technical means.

The story will depict North and South Korean...

Ryoo Seung-wan, the South Korean film director who was last month in Cannes with “I, The Executioner,” says that his next picture will be an espionage action movie.

It is pitched as “depicting North and South Korean secret agents clashing while [also] uncovering crimes occurring at the border with Vladivostok, Russia.”

Currently titled, “Humint,” a reference to espionage industry’s shorthand for collection of intelligence through humans, rather than signals or data, the new film is to be produced by his Filmmaker R&k company and distributed by New.

Ryoo also says that throughout his career he has sought to change genres and that “Humint” will represent a “more mature espionage action” picture than some of his previous efforts.

Ryoo will release “I, The Executioner” at an unspecified date in the second half of this year. He has already settled the casting of “Humint” and has scheduled full-scale production of the...

Markets

Berlin’s just concluded European Film Market (EFM), which had a physical edition this year after two online editions in 2021 and 2022 due to the pandemic, has reported “record results” according to the organizers. There were 230 stands and 612 companies from 78 countries and more than 11,500 market participants from 132 countries. Some 773 films were shown in 1,533 screenings, including 647 online screenings and 599 market premieres. The total number of buyers also rose to 1,302. 629 film projects were presented on the new Producers & Project Pages.

“After the past two irregular years, we’re pleased to return to the physical in full force, and with a vibrant, bustling and strong market. The exhibition areas at Gropius Bau and the Marriott Hotel were sold out, and the exhibitors reported strong sales and good business. The decision to group all the market happenings together with the Berlinale Series Market and the market screenings at Potsdamer Platz, and to provide the industry with an efficient infrastructure,...

In scripted content, or “The Godfather,” people should never take sides against the family. As proven by some of 2021 and 2022 top launches, from “Kin,” a Rte One No. 1 launch in Ireland, to South Africa’s “House of Zwide” (E.TV) and Fox’s “The Cleaning Lady,” family bonds continue to dominate no matter the genre.

“The main reason for family being so strong in so many shows, is that if you really want to break out in a linear way, you have to create co-viewing potential,” observes Avril Blondelot, head of content insight at Glance, who co-presented on Monday In Cannes the conference session One TV Year in the World: Cracking Audience Trends.

An analysis of global TV trends which marks one of the highlights at the first day of of the MipTV trade fair, the session was presented with Frédéric Vaulpre, Glance vice president, and Beatrice Rossmanith, Tape Consultancy clients service director.

NBC's "This Is Us" is in the home stretch of its final season, with the series finale set to air on May 24, 2022, which means stars like Milo Ventimiglia are already lining up more work. In January, we heard that Ventimiglia was lining up a hockey drama called "Hometown Saints," which would keep him attached to NBC through his production company, Divide Pictures. However, a new report indicates that he also has another project he is developing for rival network ABC.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ventimiglia will executive produce and star in a drama for ABC called "The Company You Keep," which involves a con-man...

The post Milo Ventimiglia to Star in ABC Conman Drama The Company You Keep appeared first on /Film.

Yet another mystery film with A-list stars is about to get its long-anticipated release in South Korea, with Yoon Jong-seok’s “Confession” getting ready for a release imminently.

Synopsis

Yoo Min-ho is the CEO of an It company. He becomes a suspect in a murder case that occurred in a sealed room.

Yang Shin-ae becomes Yoo Min-ho’s lawyer. She hasn’t lost a case yet in her career. Meanwhile, Kim Se-hee is the person who holds the key to the case.

“Confession” stars So Ji-sub, returning to the big screening after the 2018 melodrama “Be With You” as Yoo Min-ho and Kim Yun-jin as Yang Shin-ae in her second film appearance this year after “Pawn”. Singer/actress Nana (“The Swindlers”) plays the mysterious Kim Se-hee. “Confession” releases in Korean cinemas on December 16th, 2020.

From the “Oceans’ Eleven” series and it’s many spinoffs over the years, it’s obvious how the multi-star driven heist caper film has become a big aspect of big-budget Hollywood. Traveling to South Korea for their own spin on the formula, this energetic offering from director Jang Chang-won comes July 30th on digital and Blu-Ray from WellGo USA.

After being one of many victims in a legendary con, scam artist Hwang Ji-sung finds that the man responsible for pulling off the caper, Jang Doo-chil didn’t commit suicide as was reported but is still very much alive. Learning that the political ramifications of the event won’t bring Doo-chil to justice, he decides to come together with police officer Park Hee-su and his off-the-books team Kwak Seung-geon Ko Suk-dong, and Choon-ja (Nana) in order to finally bring the man to justice. Moving to various other members of Do-chil’s criminal empire,...

Ryu Jun-yeol has had quite the upward career graph. Beginning his career as an important part of an ensemble of young actors in 2015’s “Socialphobia”, he begun making his mark on South Korean cinema in 2017 with important supporting roles in “A Taxi Driver”, “The King” and “Heart Blackened”, some of the year’s biggest films in which he shared screen space with South Korean bigwigs such as Song Kang-ho, Jung Woo-sung and Choi Min-sik respectively. He followed that up with more prominent roles in films such as “Little Forest” and “Believer” the following year. Now, 2019 brings with it his first leading roles in the financial thriller “Money” by director Park Noo-ri.

“Money” is screening at New York Asian Film Festival

Jo Il-hyun, the son of raspberry farmers, comes from humble upbringings but dreams of becoming a stock broker and getting rich. He joins one of the top firms on the Yeouido,...

The rise of Ryu Jun-yeol as an actor has been an interesting one to watch. Starting his film career in the excellent 2015 social thriller “Socialphobia”, he really exploded on the scene in 2017 with three important and appreciated supporting roles in hit films “The King”, “A Taxi Driver” and “Heart Blackened”. These were followed by equally lauded roles in “Little Forest” and “Believer” in 2018. Only two months into the new year, we have the trailer for his second film of 2019, and his first leading role, in director Park Noo-ri’s “Money” (literal title).

Synopsis

Il-Hyun begins to work as a stock broker. His dream is to become rich. Il-Hyun meets a stock market scammer known as “Ticket Man”. He asks Il-Hyun to help in a stock market scam. Meanwhile, Han Ji-Cheol works for Financial Supervisory Service and has chased “Ticket Man” for a long time. He senses something suspicious with Il-Hyun.

Well Go USA Entertainment released a trailer for the horror thriller Rampant late last year. This zombie-esque feature is set to show on home entertainment formats later this month. The film, shot in South Korea, is set in the Joseon Era (1392-1910). And, director Sung-hoon Kim (Confidential Assignment) designed the film to be set near the Royal Court. Rampant was developed by Next Entertainment World, the same distributor behind Train to Busan (2016). And, this latest production stars: Kim Eui-Sung (Train to Busan), Hyun-Bin (The Swindlers), Jang Dong-Gun (The Warriors Way) and Jo Woo-Jin. All of the latest release details, on Rampant, are available here. Director Kim also spoke about Rampant in an interview. He says of the martial action: "I’m curious how foreigners will see the film’s artistic elements set in the Joseon era and our action sequences in which I made efforts to revive Oriental lines based...

“Majestically Epic” – Houston Chronicle

“Full of good, solid action” – eFilmCritic

Director Kim Kwang-Sik (“My Dear Desperado”) brings to life the first Korean action blockbuster to depict the Goguryeo dynasty in the epic story “The Great Battle”, ready for combat on digital, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD January 8 from Well Go USA Entertainment. Set during the Tang dynasty, the action-packed film is based on the historic 80-day battle between the Goguryeo and Tang forces known as The Siege of Ansi, that took place while the two groups were at war between 645-668 Ad. Kwang-Sik uses cutting-edge cinematic technologies to create spectacular action sequences in “The Great Battle” which stars Zo In-Sung (“The King”), Nam Joo-Hyuk (“Bride of the Water God”) and Park Sung-Woong (“The Swindlers”). The discs also come with a behind-the-scenes featurette with commentary from the director and cast.

Synopsis:

With epic scale and breathtaking action, “The Great Battle...

With a history as rich and vast as the peninsula of Korea’s, it is no surprise that films based on the lives of revered national figures are made in South Korea in plenty. It is, however, baffling that no film that focused specifically on the very eventful life of activist, freedom fighter and the last Premier of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, Kim Koo, had been made so far. He is finally given his just dues in Lee Won-tae’s biopic “Man of Will”, starring Cho Jin-woong and Song Seung-heon, which focuses on his early days when he was still called Kim Chang-soo.

The film starts with the fight that would change the course of Kim Chang-soo’s life, where he ends up killing a Japanese man. As it turns out, Kim Chang-soo killed the man because he suspects him of having assassinated the beloved Empress Myeongseong,...

South Korea hasn’t really done an exciting hostage negotiation film so far. Here to change that is hit-making production house Jk Films, whose latest film “The Negotiation” pits popular actors Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin against each other in a game of cat-and-mouse.

Synopsis

Not much is known about the plot at the moment, except that it is a criminal thriller movie about a kidnapper and a negotiator whose superior has been kidnapped.

Hyun Bin, who was last seen in the conman drama “The Swindlers“, stars in his first negative role as the kidnapper while Son Ye-jin, who last appeared in the romantic melodrama “Be With You“, plays the lead negotiator trying to secure the release of the hostages from the kidnapper’s clutches. Directed by Lee Jong-suk, who has previously worked as an assistant director on Jk Films’s hugely popular “Ode to My Father“, “The Negotiation” also...

Firangi and The Swindlers are International Cinema titles opening this weekend!Firangi and The Swindlers are International Cinema titles opening this weekend!Adriana Floridia12/1/2017 10:46:00 AMEvery week, select Cineplex theatres feature some of the most popular and exciting films from all around the world, from countries like China, India, Korea, The Philippines and more. If you want to try something different at the movies, or simply celebrate your own or a new culture on the big screen, we’re highlighting the International Cinema titles out this weekend that you’ll surely enjoy!

Firangi (Hindi w/ English subtitles)

It's 1920 and India's freedom movement is beginning to gain momentum. However, one man firmly believed that the Britishers were not as bad as they were being made out to be. The film stars Indian comedian Kapil Sharma. Firangi opens on December 1st at select Cineplex locations.

For showtimes, click here! The Swindlers...

Stars Hyun Bin and Yoo Ji-tae go toe-to-toe in this month's The Swindlers, a loose and jazzy caper thriller that mines Korea's abundant fascination with grifters. Or at least that's what it attempts to do, as this blatant ripoff of the work of director Choi Dong-hoon (Tazza: The High Rollers, The Thieves) is a grating star vehicle that smacks of smug ineptitude and a whole lot of cut corners. After swindling countless unsuspecting victims, a master con man disappears with a huge fortune and when the prosecution fails to track him down they write him off as dead. Later, ambitious prosecutor Hee-su catches wind that the man has resurfaced and he engages the help of three tricksters he shadily harbors on his payroll. Together they...

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