It may seem that the golden era of the disaster movies had remained in the 2010’s, with such titles as The Impossible (2012), The Wave (2015) and Deepwater Horizon (2016). However, this assumption is completely wrong, and this thriller proves not only that the disaster films are in great demand, but also that they can be made so well today.
Set in the aftermath of an unexpected earthquake, the movie starts by showing that it has reduced Seoul to rubble. In such catastrophic obstacles only one apartment building, called Hwang Gung Apartments, mysteriously remains untouched.
Its residents, considering themselves to be special as if they were chosen by somebody to stay alive, decide to reconstruct the city. Along the way, they begin to confront each other and, moreover, their common dilemmas challenging their moral principles.
Beginning as a black comedy featuring people who are seemingly free to do what they want with society...
Set in the aftermath of an unexpected earthquake, the movie starts by showing that it has reduced Seoul to rubble. In such catastrophic obstacles only one apartment building, called Hwang Gung Apartments, mysteriously remains untouched.
Its residents, considering themselves to be special as if they were chosen by somebody to stay alive, decide to reconstruct the city. Along the way, they begin to confront each other and, moreover, their common dilemmas challenging their moral principles.
Beginning as a black comedy featuring people who are seemingly free to do what they want with society...
- 5/1/2024
- by info@startefacts.com (Ava Raxa)
- STartefacts.com
CAA has come on board to advise on the worldwide sales of “Pleasant Outcast,” the post-apocalyptic Korean thriller series from Lotte Cultureworks (“Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days”) and Climax Studio. “Pleasant Outcast” is set to premiere at Canneseries, which kicks off April 5.
The 10-part series is a companion piece to the Korean box office smash hit film “Concrete Utopia,” which was selected as South Korea’s Oscar contender and sold to 185 countries.
“Pleasant Outcast” is co-directed by Min Yong-keun (“Soulmate”) and Yang Soo-hee. It’s based on the same best-selling webtoon, “Cheerful Outcast.” While “Concrete Utopia” was based on the second part of “Cheerful Outcast,” “Pleasant Outcast” is based on the first part of the flagship title.
“Pleasant Outcast” was written by Kim Bo-tong, creator and co-writer of Netflix’s “D.P.” and Min Young-keun. Kim Bo-tong is also signed to CAA.
Described as being in the...
The 10-part series is a companion piece to the Korean box office smash hit film “Concrete Utopia,” which was selected as South Korea’s Oscar contender and sold to 185 countries.
“Pleasant Outcast” is co-directed by Min Yong-keun (“Soulmate”) and Yang Soo-hee. It’s based on the same best-selling webtoon, “Cheerful Outcast.” While “Concrete Utopia” was based on the second part of “Cheerful Outcast,” “Pleasant Outcast” is based on the first part of the flagship title.
“Pleasant Outcast” was written by Kim Bo-tong, creator and co-writer of Netflix’s “D.P.” and Min Young-keun. Kim Bo-tong is also signed to CAA.
Described as being in the...
- 4/4/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
“Pleasant Outcast,” a 10-part Korean series that is set to appear at Canneseries next month, is a companion piece to “Concrete Utopia,” the hit film from last year that was selected as South Korea’s Oscar contender.
Both the Lotte Cultureworks series and “Concrete Utopia,” a dystopian drama-thriller set in a post-apocalyptic Seoul, are adapted from best-selling webtoon “Cheerful Outcast,” by Kim Soong Nyung. The film was frequently compared to William Golding’s seminal novel from the 1954 “Lord of the Flies” and its 1964 film adaptation.
Using the first part of the webtoon, the series follows Dong-hyun, a high school junior, who barely survives his day-to-day bullying at school. “When he wishes all were dead, an unexplained powerful earthquake destroys his school. Trapped in isolated circumstances, the hierarchy and power reshuffle as students struggle to survive, while continuous collapses and accidents kill more students. In this collapsed and extreme world, the...
Both the Lotte Cultureworks series and “Concrete Utopia,” a dystopian drama-thriller set in a post-apocalyptic Seoul, are adapted from best-selling webtoon “Cheerful Outcast,” by Kim Soong Nyung. The film was frequently compared to William Golding’s seminal novel from the 1954 “Lord of the Flies” and its 1964 film adaptation.
Using the first part of the webtoon, the series follows Dong-hyun, a high school junior, who barely survives his day-to-day bullying at school. “When he wishes all were dead, an unexplained powerful earthquake destroys his school. Trapped in isolated circumstances, the hierarchy and power reshuffle as students struggle to survive, while continuous collapses and accidents kill more students. In this collapsed and extreme world, the...
- 3/13/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best International Feature Wim Wenders’ ‘Perfect Days’
Weekly Commentary: The United Kingdom is poised to win its first Academy Award with Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” and what a deserved win it will be.
But while I have the floor: it’s time for the...
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best International Feature Wim Wenders’ ‘Perfect Days’
Weekly Commentary: The United Kingdom is poised to win its first Academy Award with Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” and what a deserved win it will be.
But while I have the floor: it’s time for the...
- 3/7/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Choi Yoonhee has been named as the new CEO of Barunson E&a, the Korean sales and production firm that is making a splash at the European Film Market in Berlin this week.
Choi, who joined the firm in 2021 from Cj Enm, takes over from Gene Hong (Brian) Park and Kwak Sin Ae. She joined as MD, overseeing domestic and international operations, and in April 2023 was upped to COO.
Barunson E&a has been in operation since 1996, though was not involved in international sales all that duration. Notable past titles include Bong Joon-ho’s “Mother” and Oscar-winner “Parasite,” on which Cj and Choi headed international distribution. Barunson E&a has also been behind Kim Jee-woon’s “The Good, the Bad, the Weird” and his more recent “Cobweb.”
The company’s upcoming slate also includes the next two features from director Bong Joon-ho, as well as projects from directors Kim Sung-hoon and...
Choi, who joined the firm in 2021 from Cj Enm, takes over from Gene Hong (Brian) Park and Kwak Sin Ae. She joined as MD, overseeing domestic and international operations, and in April 2023 was upped to COO.
Barunson E&a has been in operation since 1996, though was not involved in international sales all that duration. Notable past titles include Bong Joon-ho’s “Mother” and Oscar-winner “Parasite,” on which Cj and Choi headed international distribution. Barunson E&a has also been behind Kim Jee-woon’s “The Good, the Bad, the Weird” and his more recent “Cobweb.”
The company’s upcoming slate also includes the next two features from director Bong Joon-ho, as well as projects from directors Kim Sung-hoon and...
- 2/13/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix revealed its annual slate of Korean films and series on Monday, and 2024 is shaping up to be another strong year of K-content, including returns for some of the streamer’s most popular global shows.
As previously announced, there will be a second season of Netflix’s marquee international show Squid Game coming this year but no release date has been confirmed yet. There will be second seasons for reality survival series Physical 100, the fantasy series Hellbound, the reality show Zombieverse and mystery drama Gyeongseong Creature.
Among the new series, the standout is the period drama Uprising which is co-written and co-produced by famed Korean auteur Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Decision to Leave). There is also a host of series adaptations of popular webtoons including A Killer Paradox, The 8 Show and Parasyte: The Grey.
Netflix will also debut some intriguing Korean reality shows this year, that have the potential to get people talking.
As previously announced, there will be a second season of Netflix’s marquee international show Squid Game coming this year but no release date has been confirmed yet. There will be second seasons for reality survival series Physical 100, the fantasy series Hellbound, the reality show Zombieverse and mystery drama Gyeongseong Creature.
Among the new series, the standout is the period drama Uprising which is co-written and co-produced by famed Korean auteur Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Decision to Leave). There is also a host of series adaptations of popular webtoons including A Killer Paradox, The 8 Show and Parasyte: The Grey.
Netflix will also debut some intriguing Korean reality shows this year, that have the potential to get people talking.
- 2/6/2024
- by Abid Rahman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Stars: Ma Dong-seok, Lee Hee-joon, Lee Joon-young, No Jeong-ee, Ahn Ji-hye | Written by Kim Bo-Tong, Kwak Jae-Min | Directed by Heo Myeong Haeng
Badland Hunters is the latest film starring action hero Ma Dong-seok, and that is bad news for Korea. He was in Train to Busan in which the country was overrun with zombies, and in Ashfall where a massive volcanic eruption laid waste to the entire Korean Peninsula. And the amount of property damage he wracked up in The Outlaws and its sequels The Roundup and The Roundup: No Way Out would bankrupt most insurance companies.
In the opening scenes, Seoul is levelled by a catastrophic earthquake as the military are about to arrest Yang Gi-su for the murders and human experiments he’s committed trying to bring his daughter back from the dead. The building collapses on him, but you know he’ll be back later in the film.
Badland Hunters is the latest film starring action hero Ma Dong-seok, and that is bad news for Korea. He was in Train to Busan in which the country was overrun with zombies, and in Ashfall where a massive volcanic eruption laid waste to the entire Korean Peninsula. And the amount of property damage he wracked up in The Outlaws and its sequels The Roundup and The Roundup: No Way Out would bankrupt most insurance companies.
In the opening scenes, Seoul is levelled by a catastrophic earthquake as the military are about to arrest Yang Gi-su for the murders and human experiments he’s committed trying to bring his daughter back from the dead. The building collapses on him, but you know he’ll be back later in the film.
- 1/31/2024
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
There is a way to make apocalyptic or dystopian movies that can be fun. Filmmakers add a bit too much gravity to the scenario, but Badland Hunters is cool for being adventurous and humorous about it. It does so in the way the characters react to the situation, always having room for levity. But there is an emotional core, especially with regards to Nam San’s character, that shines through, even after the mayhem created by the action scenes dominates the movie. This movie can be seen as the fight between a good father and a bad one, and it is fun to watch unfold even though it’s too obvious. The movie is set three years after the events shown in Concrete Utopia. The people who were fortunate enough to survive the great earthquake had set up their own society and were trying to get through life. But nearby,...
- 1/30/2024
- by Ayush Awasthi
- Film Fugitives
If you’re looking for a popcorn action film, then Badland Hunters is the perfect weekend watch. This is one of those leave your brain behind and enjoy the ride kind of films that solely focuses on the action and the fun rather than wasting any time on the characters. No, really, I didn’t even catch all the names, and there’s no time to get emotional because the film keeps us at more than arm’s length from the characters. Badland Hunters is set 3 years after the events of Concrete Utopia, where a devastating earthquake (much like in 2012) destroyed the planet and stole Thanos’ dream job, eliminating half of the planet, or at least, South Korea. In Concrete Utopia, we follow the story of the residents of an apartment building, which is the only one left standing after the earthquake. A miracle building, if you will, the film...
- 1/27/2024
- by Ruchika Bhat
- Film Fugitives
For some reason, the sequel to Concrete Utopia is a Netflix original and was released on the platform before most of the globe had a chance to watch the first part. I suppose Badland Hunters isn’t really a sequel so much as a film that exists in the same universe as Concrete Utopia. The film stars Ma Dong-Seok (Don Lee) in his first Netflix original in the leading role of a huntsman in the dystopian ruins of South Korea after a devastating earthquake. Badland Hunters is the story of his search for a little girl, who is under his protection but gets taken away under the pretense of her being offered clean water and protection. In this lawless badland, though, there are many enemies, so will our huntsman be able to save the girl? Or will he end up losing to the dark side? Before we get into the nitty-gritty details of the film,...
- 1/27/2024
- by Ruchika Bhat
- Film Fugitives
One of South Korea’s biggest hits of last year is set to hit stateside. Concrete Utopia is a film that gained acclaim and was a massive hit at the Korean box office in 2023 with an earning of $28.0 million from 3.85 million admissions when the film opened on August 9 of last year. The film was also a Korean Oscar contender. Variety’s review of the film stated, “[Concrete Utopia] places its characters in a desperate, scary, do-or-die situation and then refuses to tell the audience what to think about them. It’s a fractious, blood-soaked drama about the will to survive that feels like Earthquake crossed with Lord of the Flies.”
Variety is now reporting that Concrete Utopia has secured a U.S. streaming release on a platform called Rakuten Viki, a service that specializes in Asian content. The streaming platform has licensed exclusive rights to the film in the U.
Variety is now reporting that Concrete Utopia has secured a U.S. streaming release on a platform called Rakuten Viki, a service that specializes in Asian content. The streaming platform has licensed exclusive rights to the film in the U.
- 1/26/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Badland Hunters is Netflix’s latest entry into the world of Korean cinema, and it makes for a gritty post-apocalyptic actioner featuring one of Korea’s biggest stars, Don Lee. However, there’s some confusion about whether it’s a sequel or not. Last year, one of Korea’s biggest blockbusters was Concrete Utopia. Critically acclaimed for its dystopian vision, that film was a tour de force for veteran lead actor Lee Byung-hun. It also won numerous Korean film awards and was South Korea’s entry for the Best International Feature Film category for this year’s Academy Awards. However, it did not make the shortlist.
Concrete Utopia is about a devastating earthquake that reduces Seoul to rubble. Everything is in ruins except the Imperial Palace Apartments. The apartment dwellers covet their resources and keep outsiders out, building a utopia lead by Yeong-tak (Lee). The film was lauded for its keen observations on power,...
Concrete Utopia is about a devastating earthquake that reduces Seoul to rubble. Everything is in ruins except the Imperial Palace Apartments. The apartment dwellers covet their resources and keep outsiders out, building a utopia lead by Yeong-tak (Lee). The film was lauded for its keen observations on power,...
- 1/26/2024
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
A total of 35 films from 24 countries and regions have been shortlisted to compete for 16 awards at this year's Asian Film Awards.
Renowned Japanese director Kurosawa Kiyoshi will serve as the Jury President for this year's Awards. As the first Japanese director to hold this position, Kurosawa Kiyoshi is deeply honored. He will lead the Jury and over 200 Voting Members in selecting the winners for this year's Asian Film Awards.
The winners of other Afa awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, Excellence in Asian Cinema Award, Afa Next Generation Award, and Rising Star Award, will be announced later.
The 17th Asian Film Awards Nomination List
Best Film
12.12: The Day (South Korea)
Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Paradise
Perfect Days (Japan)
Snow Leopard (Mainland China)
Best Director
Kim Sung-soo | 12.12: The Day (South Korea)
Gu Xiaogang | Dwelling by the West Lake (Mainland China)
Hamaguchi Ryusuke | Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Kore-eda Hirokazu...
Renowned Japanese director Kurosawa Kiyoshi will serve as the Jury President for this year's Awards. As the first Japanese director to hold this position, Kurosawa Kiyoshi is deeply honored. He will lead the Jury and over 200 Voting Members in selecting the winners for this year's Asian Film Awards.
The winners of other Afa awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, Excellence in Asian Cinema Award, Afa Next Generation Award, and Rising Star Award, will be announced later.
The 17th Asian Film Awards Nomination List
Best Film
12.12: The Day (South Korea)
Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Paradise
Perfect Days (Japan)
Snow Leopard (Mainland China)
Best Director
Kim Sung-soo | 12.12: The Day (South Korea)
Gu Xiaogang | Dwelling by the West Lake (Mainland China)
Hamaguchi Ryusuke | Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Kore-eda Hirokazu...
- 1/12/2024
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
‘Snow Leopard’, ‘Paradise’, ‘The Goldfinger’ and ‘Godzilla Minus One’ also land multiple nods.
South Korean box office hit 12.12: The Day and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist lead the nominations for the 17th Asian Film Awards, with six nods each including best film.
Also up for best film is Prasanna Vithanage’s Paradise from Sri Lanka-India, Wim Wenders Perfect Days from Japan and Chinese feature Snow Leopard by the late Pema Tseden.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Hong Kong on March 10 and will be decided by a...
South Korean box office hit 12.12: The Day and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist lead the nominations for the 17th Asian Film Awards, with six nods each including best film.
Also up for best film is Prasanna Vithanage’s Paradise from Sri Lanka-India, Wim Wenders Perfect Days from Japan and Chinese feature Snow Leopard by the late Pema Tseden.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Hong Kong on March 10 and will be decided by a...
- 1/12/2024
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s latest feature, Evil Does Not Exist, and the period action pic 12.12: The Day, from Korea, lead the nominations at this year’s Asian Film Awards.
Both films received six nominations, including Best Film and Best Director. Directed by Kim Sung-soo, whose credits include Asura: The City Of Madness and The Flu, 12.12: The Day is set against the backdrop of the real-life military coup of 1979, which resulted in an eight-year military junta in South Korea. The cast includes Hwang Jung-min (The Wailing), Jung Woo-sung (Asura: The City Of Madness), and Lee Sung-min (The Spy Gone North). Released on November 22, the film sailed past the 12 million admissions mark at the Korean box office over the Christmas holiday period, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2023 in the market.
Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist — which debuted out of Venice — follows Takumi and his daughter Hana, who live...
Both films received six nominations, including Best Film and Best Director. Directed by Kim Sung-soo, whose credits include Asura: The City Of Madness and The Flu, 12.12: The Day is set against the backdrop of the real-life military coup of 1979, which resulted in an eight-year military junta in South Korea. The cast includes Hwang Jung-min (The Wailing), Jung Woo-sung (Asura: The City Of Madness), and Lee Sung-min (The Spy Gone North). Released on November 22, the film sailed past the 12 million admissions mark at the Korean box office over the Christmas holiday period, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2023 in the market.
Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist — which debuted out of Venice — follows Takumi and his daughter Hana, who live...
- 1/12/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Hit local titles include ’12.12: The Day’ and ‘The Roundup: No Way Out’.
South Korea’s box office admissions recorded a rise of 11% in 2023, boosted by two local hits, but saw 44.8% fewer cinemagoers than in pre-Covid 2019.
There was a total of 125.1 million admissions in 2023, according to the Korea Box-office Information System (Kobis), demonstrating steady growth year-on-year.
However, with audiences still not returning to cinemas at pre-pandemic levels, the number is a 44.8% decrease from 2019, which was year before the Covid-19 outbreak but also the all-time highest box office year on record in terms of admissions and gross.
Total box office gross...
South Korea’s box office admissions recorded a rise of 11% in 2023, boosted by two local hits, but saw 44.8% fewer cinemagoers than in pre-Covid 2019.
There was a total of 125.1 million admissions in 2023, according to the Korea Box-office Information System (Kobis), demonstrating steady growth year-on-year.
However, with audiences still not returning to cinemas at pre-pandemic levels, the number is a 44.8% decrease from 2019, which was year before the Covid-19 outbreak but also the all-time highest box office year on record in terms of admissions and gross.
Total box office gross...
- 1/3/2024
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
A strong December for local films helped make up for an otherwise miserable 2023 at the South Korean box office – previously the fifth largest cinema territory worldwide.
And while theatrical markets in other major territories have recovered to reach at or near pre-pandemic levels, Korea finished 44% below 2019.
Data from the Korean Film Council’s Kobis tracking service showed annual gross revenues of KRW1.261 trillion ($964 million at Jan 2024 rates of exchange) in 2023. That represented a gain of 9% on 2022, but it was far below the KRW1.91 trillion ($1.46 billion) recorded in 2019, the last pre-covid year.
The bleak trend was mirrored in terms of attendance or ticket sales, which remains the country’s preferred performance measure. Cinema attendance reached 125 million in 2023, an 11% increase compared with the 113 million recorded in 2022, but 45% below 2019’s 227 million.
Kobis’ monthly data describe a year of peaks and troughs. Powered by holdover title “Avatar: The Way of Water,” 2023 started brightly enough,...
And while theatrical markets in other major territories have recovered to reach at or near pre-pandemic levels, Korea finished 44% below 2019.
Data from the Korean Film Council’s Kobis tracking service showed annual gross revenues of KRW1.261 trillion ($964 million at Jan 2024 rates of exchange) in 2023. That represented a gain of 9% on 2022, but it was far below the KRW1.91 trillion ($1.46 billion) recorded in 2019, the last pre-covid year.
The bleak trend was mirrored in terms of attendance or ticket sales, which remains the country’s preferred performance measure. Cinema attendance reached 125 million in 2023, an 11% increase compared with the 113 million recorded in 2022, but 45% below 2019’s 227 million.
Kobis’ monthly data describe a year of peaks and troughs. Powered by holdover title “Avatar: The Way of Water,” 2023 started brightly enough,...
- 1/3/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences branches began voting today to determine the shortlists in 10 categories for the upcoming 96th Academy Awards. These categories, along with the number of films to be named, are: documentary feature (15), documentary short subject (15), international feature (15), makeup and hairstyling (10), sound (10), original score (15), original song (15), animated short film (15), live action short film (15), and visual effects (10).
The shortlist voting period runs from Dec. 14-18, with the finalists announced on Dec. 21. Nominations voting will occur from Jan. 11-16, and the official nominees in all categories will be revealed on Jan. 23.
The Academy comprises nearly 10,000 eligible voting members, each belonging to one of 18 branches. Each branch nominates for its respective category. However, four branches (as of now) don’t represent specific awards categories: casting directors, executives, marketing/public relations and the recently created production and technology.
Of note is that each branch member casts a ballot for best picture,...
The shortlist voting period runs from Dec. 14-18, with the finalists announced on Dec. 21. Nominations voting will occur from Jan. 11-16, and the official nominees in all categories will be revealed on Jan. 23.
The Academy comprises nearly 10,000 eligible voting members, each belonging to one of 18 branches. Each branch nominates for its respective category. However, four branches (as of now) don’t represent specific awards categories: casting directors, executives, marketing/public relations and the recently created production and technology.
Of note is that each branch member casts a ballot for best picture,...
- 12/14/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Chicago – There is a thoughtfulness in the top South Korean films that cannot be duplicated in any other cinema culture. Along with now classics like “Oldboy” and “Parasite,” another Korean visionary emerges with a story about humanity … co-writer and director Um Tae-hwa has created a “Concrete Utopia.” The film is in U.S. theaters on December 15th.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
After a massive earthquake, Seoul has swiftly been reduced to rubble. Everything in the city has collapsed, except for one building … Hwang Gung Apartments. Banding together for the sake of their survival, the residents of the apartment elect ‘Yeong-tak’ (Lee Byung-hun) as their Representative. Under his leadership, the building stands as a safe and peaceful utopia for its residents. But amidst the continual threats to their survival unexpected conflicts begin to arise among them, and the closed society is in danger of its own collapse.
Director Um Tae-hwa (inset) of ‘Concrete Utopia...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
After a massive earthquake, Seoul has swiftly been reduced to rubble. Everything in the city has collapsed, except for one building … Hwang Gung Apartments. Banding together for the sake of their survival, the residents of the apartment elect ‘Yeong-tak’ (Lee Byung-hun) as their Representative. Under his leadership, the building stands as a safe and peaceful utopia for its residents. But amidst the continual threats to their survival unexpected conflicts begin to arise among them, and the closed society is in danger of its own collapse.
Director Um Tae-hwa (inset) of ‘Concrete Utopia...
- 12/12/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Deadline on Monday launched the streaming site for its Contenders Film: International, featuring the full panel videos from Saturday’s award-season showcase of 12 movies submitted by their countries to this year’s Oscar International Feature race.
Click here to launch the streaming site.
Actors who took part in the discussions included South Korean entry Concrete Utopia‘s Lee Byung-hun, Renée Soutendijk from Netherlands’ Sweet Dreams, Eli Skorcheva from Bulgaria’s Blaga’s Lessons and Eliane Umuhire from Belgium’s Omen.
They were joined among others by directors including J.A. Bayona from Netflix’s Society of the Snow, Hugh Welchman from Poland’s The Peasants, Noora Niasari from Australia’s Shayda, llker Çatak from Germany’s The Teachers’ Lounge, Concrete Utopia‘s Um Tae-hwa, Ena Sendijarević from Sweet Dreams, Stephan Komandarev from Blaga’s Lessons, Omar Hilal from Egypt’s Voy! Voy! Voy!, Jude Anthany Joseph from India’s 2018 – Everyone Is a Hero,...
Click here to launch the streaming site.
Actors who took part in the discussions included South Korean entry Concrete Utopia‘s Lee Byung-hun, Renée Soutendijk from Netherlands’ Sweet Dreams, Eli Skorcheva from Bulgaria’s Blaga’s Lessons and Eliane Umuhire from Belgium’s Omen.
They were joined among others by directors including J.A. Bayona from Netflix’s Society of the Snow, Hugh Welchman from Poland’s The Peasants, Noora Niasari from Australia’s Shayda, llker Çatak from Germany’s The Teachers’ Lounge, Concrete Utopia‘s Um Tae-hwa, Ena Sendijarević from Sweet Dreams, Stephan Komandarev from Blaga’s Lessons, Omar Hilal from Egypt’s Voy! Voy! Voy!, Jude Anthany Joseph from India’s 2018 – Everyone Is a Hero,...
- 12/11/2023
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline Film + TV
Every year since its creation in 1956, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) invites the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. The category was previously called the Best Foreign Language Film, but this was changed in April 2019 to Best International Feature Film, after the Academy deemed the word “Foreign” to be outdated.
The award is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue. For the 96th Academy Awards, the submitted motion pictures must be first released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline for submissions to the Academy was October 2, 2023, and 92 countries submitted a film. The 15-film shortlist will be announced on December 21, 2023, followed by the official nominations on January 23, 2024.
Here are this edition's Asian Submissions for Best International Feature Film.
The award is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue. For the 96th Academy Awards, the submitted motion pictures must be first released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline for submissions to the Academy was October 2, 2023, and 92 countries submitted a film. The 15-film shortlist will be announced on December 21, 2023, followed by the official nominations on January 23, 2024.
Here are this edition's Asian Submissions for Best International Feature Film.
- 12/11/2023
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Welcome to an exploration of the South Korean film Concrete Utopia and its cultural landscape. As we delve into the premise of this intriguing film, we’ll consider the intricate weave of cultural representation in cinema and how this particular movie may mirror aspects of South Korean culture. Exploring the Urban Canvas of Concrete Utopia The setting of Concrete Utopia is a striking depiction of a Seoul cityscape, with its formidable apartment complexes described as children’s blocks standing tall against the sky. This imagery resonates with the reality of urban South Korea, where such residential high-rises symbolize social progress and status.
- 12/10/2023
- by Steve Delikson
- TVovermind.com
Like the Japanese with their Godzilla movies, the Koreans are partial to a bit of post-apocalyptic social satire, and Um Tae-Hwa’s box office hit Concrete Utopia follows a path trailblazed in 2013 by Bong Joon-ho’s cult sci-fi Snowpiercer. Adapted from the popular webtoon Pleasant Outcast by Kim Soong Nyung and partly inspired by British writer J.G. Ballard’s 1975 novel High-Rise, it centers on a Korean apartment block whose residents become lawless after a terrifying earthquake rips through the country.
Although local superstar Lee Byung-hun steals the show as Yeong-tak, a charismatic rebel leader with a sinister secret, the story is seen through the eyes of a young couple — Ming-seong (Park Seo-joon) and Myeong-hwa (Park Bo-young) — who wake up one morning to find that their lives, and in fact the whole world, have changed forever.
Related: Deadline’s Contenders International – Full Coverage
Speaking about South Korea’s official Oscar submission...
Although local superstar Lee Byung-hun steals the show as Yeong-tak, a charismatic rebel leader with a sinister secret, the story is seen through the eyes of a young couple — Ming-seong (Park Seo-joon) and Myeong-hwa (Park Bo-young) — who wake up one morning to find that their lives, and in fact the whole world, have changed forever.
Related: Deadline’s Contenders International – Full Coverage
Speaking about South Korea’s official Oscar submission...
- 12/9/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Deadline’s Contenders Film: International award-season event launches Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. Pt, the latest in our series of showcases that this time turns the focus toward global cinema via discussions with the casts and creatives of 12 movies submitted by their countries for the 2024 Academy Awards’ International Feature race.
Click to sign up for and watch today’s livestream.
The 2023 Oscar ceremony was a triumph for international film. Going into the ceremony, Edward Berger’s All Quiet on the Western Front was a winner already, having earned a spectacular seven nominations. If that wasn’t enough, it came away with four statuettes: one for International Feature, and three for Cinematography, Music and Production Design. Clearly this can’t happen every year, but, like Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite before it, Berger’s World War I epic proved that boundaries are being broken down, and international film, once synonymous with arthouse,...
Click to sign up for and watch today’s livestream.
The 2023 Oscar ceremony was a triumph for international film. Going into the ceremony, Edward Berger’s All Quiet on the Western Front was a winner already, having earned a spectacular seven nominations. If that wasn’t enough, it came away with four statuettes: one for International Feature, and three for Cinematography, Music and Production Design. Clearly this can’t happen every year, but, like Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite before it, Berger’s World War I epic proved that boundaries are being broken down, and international film, once synonymous with arthouse,...
- 12/9/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
“Can’t people just be humane, peace-loving citizens?,” Min-sung (Park Seo-joon) asks at the beginning of “Concrete Utopia,” wondering aloud why the hundreds of apocalypse survivors using his apartment building as makeshift shelter can’t simply share resources and work together.
It’s a lovely sentiment, but writer/director Tae-hwa Eom appears to take his protagonist’s rhetorical question as a personal attack. From there on out, he devotes every subsequent frame of his film to explaining why humans are apparently incapable of doing anything good for each other. In the film’s view, only one human institution is strong enough to stand steadfast when our innate barbarism rears its ugly head: the condo board.
“Concrete Utopia” opens with a brutal earthquake that reduces Seoul to rubble and instantly forces its surviving population to revert to a hunter-gatherer society. The film wisely wastes zero time explaining why the disaster took place,...
It’s a lovely sentiment, but writer/director Tae-hwa Eom appears to take his protagonist’s rhetorical question as a personal attack. From there on out, he devotes every subsequent frame of his film to explaining why humans are apparently incapable of doing anything good for each other. In the film’s view, only one human institution is strong enough to stand steadfast when our innate barbarism rears its ugly head: the condo board.
“Concrete Utopia” opens with a brutal earthquake that reduces Seoul to rubble and instantly forces its surviving population to revert to a hunter-gatherer society. The film wisely wastes zero time explaining why the disaster took place,...
- 12/8/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
In a moment of pride for India, Director Atlee’s latest cinematic masterpiece, “Jawan,” starring the iconic Shah Rukh Khan, has garnered international recognition. The film has been nominated in the prestigious Best Feature category at the Astra Awards 2024, placing it alongside remarkable contenders from around the globe.
Atlee, a seasoned director, has dedicated numerous years to the Indian film industry, leaving an indelible mark with his outstanding contributions. His diverse and impactful body of work has resonated with audiences both domestically and internationally, earning him a reputation as a cinematic maestro.
The nominees for Best International Feature are:
"Anatomy of a Fall” (France)
”Concrete Utopia” (South Korea)
”Fallen Leaves” (Finland)
”Jawan” (India)
”Perfect Days” (Japan)
”Radical” (Mexico)
”Society of the Snow” (Spain)
”The Taste of Things” (France)
”The Teacher’s… pic.twitter.com/WpeYQCpxH9
— Hollywood Creative Alliance (@TheHCAAwards) December 7, 2023
“Jawan” represents a significant stride for Indian cinema as it steps onto the global stage.
Atlee, a seasoned director, has dedicated numerous years to the Indian film industry, leaving an indelible mark with his outstanding contributions. His diverse and impactful body of work has resonated with audiences both domestically and internationally, earning him a reputation as a cinematic maestro.
The nominees for Best International Feature are:
"Anatomy of a Fall” (France)
”Concrete Utopia” (South Korea)
”Fallen Leaves” (Finland)
”Jawan” (India)
”Perfect Days” (Japan)
”Radical” (Mexico)
”Society of the Snow” (Spain)
”The Taste of Things” (France)
”The Teacher’s… pic.twitter.com/WpeYQCpxH9
— Hollywood Creative Alliance (@TheHCAAwards) December 7, 2023
“Jawan” represents a significant stride for Indian cinema as it steps onto the global stage.
- 12/8/2023
- by Editorial Desk
- GlamSham
In a moment of pride for India, Director Atlee’s latest cinematic masterpiece, “Jawan,” starring the iconic Shah Rukh Khan, has garnered international recognition. The film has been nominated in the prestigious Best Feature category at the Astra Awards 2024, placing it alongside remarkable contenders from around the globe.
Atlee, a seasoned director, has dedicated numerous years to the Indian film industry, leaving an indelible mark with his outstanding contributions. His diverse and impactful body of work has resonated with audiences both domestically and internationally, earning him a reputation as a cinematic maestro.
The nominees for Best International Feature are:
"Anatomy of a Fall” (France)
”Concrete Utopia” (South Korea)
”Fallen Leaves” (Finland)
”Jawan” (India)
”Perfect Days” (Japan)
”Radical” (Mexico)
”Society of the Snow” (Spain)
”The Taste of Things” (France)
”The Teacher’s… pic.twitter.com/WpeYQCpxH9
— Hollywood Creative Alliance (@TheHCAAwards) December 7, 2023
“Jawan” represents a significant stride for Indian cinema as it steps onto the global stage.
Atlee, a seasoned director, has dedicated numerous years to the Indian film industry, leaving an indelible mark with his outstanding contributions. His diverse and impactful body of work has resonated with audiences both domestically and internationally, earning him a reputation as a cinematic maestro.
The nominees for Best International Feature are:
"Anatomy of a Fall” (France)
”Concrete Utopia” (South Korea)
”Fallen Leaves” (Finland)
”Jawan” (India)
”Perfect Days” (Japan)
”Radical” (Mexico)
”Society of the Snow” (Spain)
”The Taste of Things” (France)
”The Teacher’s… pic.twitter.com/WpeYQCpxH9
— Hollywood Creative Alliance (@TheHCAAwards) December 7, 2023
“Jawan” represents a significant stride for Indian cinema as it steps onto the global stage.
- 12/8/2023
- by Editorial Desk
Shortlist of 15 films to be announced December 21, nominations out on January 23, 2024.
The Academy has announced eligible features in the categories of international feature film, animation, and documentary for the 96th Academy Awards on March 10, 2024.
The shortlist of 15 films will be announced on December 21, and the nominations announcement is January 23, 2024.
International
Eighty-eight countries or regions have submitted films eligible for consideration in the international feature film category. An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (more than 40 minutes long) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track. Namibia is a first-time entrant.
Academy members...
The Academy has announced eligible features in the categories of international feature film, animation, and documentary for the 96th Academy Awards on March 10, 2024.
The shortlist of 15 films will be announced on December 21, and the nominations announcement is January 23, 2024.
International
Eighty-eight countries or regions have submitted films eligible for consideration in the international feature film category. An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (more than 40 minutes long) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track. Namibia is a first-time entrant.
Academy members...
- 12/7/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Just as Pulp Fiction triggered a wave of inferior gangster flicks with a penchant for witty, fast-paced dialogue and Get Out paved the way for several socially conscious horror efforts, the seeds of Parasite’s widespread influence are beginning to sprout. The disaster movie Concrete Utopia would have still existed were it not for the unprecedented international success of Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar winner, of course, but I doubt producers would have been as eager to give blockbuster funding to a similarly class-conscious satire (which just happens to unfold under near-apocalyptic circumstances) if they didn’t sense similar breakout potential.
It’s not necessarily a criticism that the third film by director Um Tae-hwa follows closely in Bong’s footsteps, marrying his love for the country’s early wave of issue-driven melodramas––as was the case with Parasite, the influence of Kim Ki-young’s The Housemaid looms large––with contemporary big-budget spectacle.
It’s not necessarily a criticism that the third film by director Um Tae-hwa follows closely in Bong’s footsteps, marrying his love for the country’s early wave of issue-driven melodramas––as was the case with Parasite, the influence of Kim Ki-young’s The Housemaid looms large––with contemporary big-budget spectacle.
- 12/5/2023
- by Alistair Ryder
- The Film Stage
Concrete Utopia
With Concrete Utopia, South Korea has once again hit the sweet spot between making a film of sufficient quality and depth to go for the big awards – it’s the country’s official Oscar submission for 2024 – and making one which is entertaining enough to pull in the crowds. Set in the aftermath of a disaster which sees massive earthquakes shatter the concrete infrastructure of Seoul, it focuses on the inhabitants of the last apartment building standing, and the increasingly extreme decisions they make as they try to survive. Playing the man whom they elect as their leader is one of Korea’s most popular actors, Lee Byung-hun, and the director is Um Tae-hwa. In the run-up to its US release I met the two of them at a press conference where they discussed the film’s satirical themes and its complex characters.
Concrete Utopia director Um Tae-hwa Photo:...
With Concrete Utopia, South Korea has once again hit the sweet spot between making a film of sufficient quality and depth to go for the big awards – it’s the country’s official Oscar submission for 2024 – and making one which is entertaining enough to pull in the crowds. Set in the aftermath of a disaster which sees massive earthquakes shatter the concrete infrastructure of Seoul, it focuses on the inhabitants of the last apartment building standing, and the increasingly extreme decisions they make as they try to survive. Playing the man whom they elect as their leader is one of Korea’s most popular actors, Lee Byung-hun, and the director is Um Tae-hwa. In the run-up to its US release I met the two of them at a press conference where they discussed the film’s satirical themes and its complex characters.
Concrete Utopia director Um Tae-hwa Photo:...
- 12/3/2023
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
In Cormac McCarthy’s 2022 novel The Passenger, a character muses that, when a nuclear bomb set the sky above Hiroshima on fire, those who survived the blast didn’t immediately connect what had happened to the war, but rather assumed that the world had ended. The destruction we see in Um Tae-hwa’s Concrete Utopia feels similarly apocalyptic: When an earthquake rips through the heart of Seoul, the streets split open and buildings crumble, largely reducing the entire city to rubble in a matter of seconds. From this moment on, we never find out what’s happening outside of the city, with the film effectively keying us to the perspectives of a community of survivors for whom the world is essentially their immediate vicinity.
In the midst of all this destruction, Imperial Palace Apartments is the only building in Seoul left standing. To help them survive their grim new reality,...
In the midst of all this destruction, Imperial Palace Apartments is the only building in Seoul left standing. To help them survive their grim new reality,...
- 12/3/2023
- by Ross McIndoe
- Slant Magazine
by Pawel.Mizgalewicz
There are subtle societal metaphors in art, and there is „Concrete Utopia”, in which the earthquake happens right at the end of the opening titles, and seemingly destroys the whole Korea, if not the whole world. Whole, that is, beside one apartment complex, which magically stays completely untouched. The whole premise of the movie is that every inhabitant of the Hwang Gung complex luckily survived, but a bunch of other people did as well – and so, they start the first day of the post-apocalypse without a home, while the inhabitants do have one. The only home in the world. As you can imagine, the situation gets very tense very fast, kick-starting a deeply uneasy, disturbing thriller. Within just minutes of the film's opening, we see people fighting desperately for one can of peaches. By the way, it's also the winter of the century outside, with minus 26 degrees.
There are subtle societal metaphors in art, and there is „Concrete Utopia”, in which the earthquake happens right at the end of the opening titles, and seemingly destroys the whole Korea, if not the whole world. Whole, that is, beside one apartment complex, which magically stays completely untouched. The whole premise of the movie is that every inhabitant of the Hwang Gung complex luckily survived, but a bunch of other people did as well – and so, they start the first day of the post-apocalypse without a home, while the inhabitants do have one. The only home in the world. As you can imagine, the situation gets very tense very fast, kick-starting a deeply uneasy, disturbing thriller. Within just minutes of the film's opening, we see people fighting desperately for one can of peaches. By the way, it's also the winter of the century outside, with minus 26 degrees.
- 11/29/2023
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
Ringing Korea’S Grand Bell
“Concrete Utopia,” South Korea’s Oscar contender, was Wednesday named best film at the country’s annual Grand Bell Awards. It also won prizes for best actor, best supporting actress, art direction, sound mixing and visual effects. A disaster movie set in a devastated Seoul, it makes an unusual Academy Awards selection, but has gained high praise from reviewers. Variety this week said the film felt like “’Earthquake’ crossed with ‘Lord of the Flies’.”
The Grand Bell’s best director award nevertheless went to Ryoo Seung-wan for “Smugglers,” while Ahn Tae-jin took the best new director award for “The Night Owl.”
In the other half of the event, Disney+’s “Moving” was named best series, earning Han Hyo-joo the best series actress award to boot.
The Grand Bell Awards, aka Daejong Film Awards, are organized by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea.
Cineasia Honors
The...
“Concrete Utopia,” South Korea’s Oscar contender, was Wednesday named best film at the country’s annual Grand Bell Awards. It also won prizes for best actor, best supporting actress, art direction, sound mixing and visual effects. A disaster movie set in a devastated Seoul, it makes an unusual Academy Awards selection, but has gained high praise from reviewers. Variety this week said the film felt like “’Earthquake’ crossed with ‘Lord of the Flies’.”
The Grand Bell’s best director award nevertheless went to Ryoo Seung-wan for “Smugglers,” while Ahn Tae-jin took the best new director award for “The Night Owl.”
In the other half of the event, Disney+’s “Moving” was named best series, earning Han Hyo-joo the best series actress award to boot.
The Grand Bell Awards, aka Daejong Film Awards, are organized by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea.
Cineasia Honors
The...
- 11/16/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Ninety-seven times out of 100, a movie makes its moral judgments for us. Yes, there’s a haunting ambiguity to films like “The Conformist” or “Taxi Driver” or “Tár.” But when was the last time you saw moral ambiguity in a genre movie? Even the “Mad Max” films, in their visionary savagery, draw a clean line between nobility and treachery, speed-demon heroism and outlaw selfishness. But “Concrete Utopia” is a dystopian disaster movie with a difference. This year’s South Korean entry in the Oscar competition for best international feature, it places its characters in a desperate, scary, do-or-die situation and then refuses to tell the audience what to think about them. It’s a fractious, blood-soaked drama about the will to survive that feels like “Earthquake” crossed with “Lord of the Flies.” What’s gripping is that you watch it and think, “If I were in this movie, what would I do?...
- 11/12/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Marvel Studios is back with its first new movie since “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and, should the release schedule hold, its last new movie until the third “Deadpool,” which doesn’t come out until next July.
This being a Marvel movie, there are characters old and new to keep track of, as our heroes jet across the galaxy in an attempt to thwart a massive threat to our world and countless others.
Here’s a complete cast and character guide for “The Marvels.” The only folks we have left out are the ones you definitely don’t want spoiled.
Marvel Studios Brie Larson as Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel
Carol Danvers is a former test pilot turned superhero, whose origins were traced in “Captain Marvel” and who was last seen in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” lending a hand in what is now canonically referred to as the Battle of Earth.
This being a Marvel movie, there are characters old and new to keep track of, as our heroes jet across the galaxy in an attempt to thwart a massive threat to our world and countless others.
Here’s a complete cast and character guide for “The Marvels.” The only folks we have left out are the ones you definitely don’t want spoiled.
Marvel Studios Brie Larson as Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel
Carol Danvers is a former test pilot turned superhero, whose origins were traced in “Captain Marvel” and who was last seen in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” lending a hand in what is now canonically referred to as the Battle of Earth.
- 11/10/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
A post-apocalyptic narrative morosely overlooking the never-ending rubble around a towering apartment building doesn’t immediately sound like something you’d relate any of your worldly experiences to. But South Korea’s entry for the 96th Academy Awards pulls you into its dystopian landscape as smoothly as you’d hopefully get accustomed to a far worse life should a similar tragedy befall ours. Um Tae-hwa contemplates the inescapable and, in extreme circumstances, glaring follies of mankind in the fallen concrete jungle of earthquake-struck Seoul. The result is as though you’ve swallowed a rock, and with each turn, it takes through your helpless intestines, Concrete Utopia makes its devastating presence known to you.
Spoilers Ahead
Plot Synopsis: What Happens In The Film?
There’s not much to judge, really. A large chunk of Seoul’s crowd comforting themselves with the faint dream of luxury in affordable apartments is something middle-class...
Spoilers Ahead
Plot Synopsis: What Happens In The Film?
There’s not much to judge, really. A large chunk of Seoul’s crowd comforting themselves with the faint dream of luxury in affordable apartments is something middle-class...
- 11/10/2023
- by Lopamudra Mukherjee
- Film Fugitives
Park Bo-young (박보영) is a highly acclaimed South Korean actress known for her versatile acting skills and captivating performances. With a career spanning over a decade, Park has established herself as one of the industry’s most talented and sought-after actresses.
Born on February 12, 1990, Park made her debut in 2006 with a supporting role in the popular television series, Secret Campus. Although initially playing minor roles in television, her breakthrough came in 2008 with the comedy film, Scandal Makers, where she portrayed a single teen mom reconnecting with her celebrity father. The film’s success propelled Park into the spotlight and showcased her exceptional talent and charm.
In 2012, Park made a remarkable comeback with the fantasy romance film, A Werewolf Boy, which became one of the most successful Korean melodramas in history. This film not only solidified her position as a leading lady but also demonstrated her ability to bring depth and emotion to her characters.
Born on February 12, 1990, Park made her debut in 2006 with a supporting role in the popular television series, Secret Campus. Although initially playing minor roles in television, her breakthrough came in 2008 with the comedy film, Scandal Makers, where she portrayed a single teen mom reconnecting with her celebrity father. The film’s success propelled Park into the spotlight and showcased her exceptional talent and charm.
In 2012, Park made a remarkable comeback with the fantasy romance film, A Werewolf Boy, which became one of the most successful Korean melodramas in history. This film not only solidified her position as a leading lady but also demonstrated her ability to bring depth and emotion to her characters.
- 11/3/2023
- by Movies Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
The London East Asia Film festival came to a close on Sunday night with the UK premiere of Concrete Utopia, Korea’s entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2024 Oscars. After the event’s Best Film award went to Iron Mask, by Kim Sung Hwan, artistic director Hyejung Jeon presented its Rising Star award to Hong Xa-bin for his performance in Kim Chang-hoon’s Hopeless and its Best Actor award to Concrete Utopia’s Park Bo-young.
Actress Park later returned after the film for a Q&a with director, Um Tae-hwa, to discuss the film’s themes of survival, which suddenly seemed shockingly relevant after recent events in Ukraine and Israel/Gaza.
Starring Lee Byung-hun, Um’s film is a dystopian fable that recalls British writer J.G. Ballard in its depiction of a South Korean high-rise that is somehow left unscathed after a terrifying earthquake rips through the country.
Actress Park later returned after the film for a Q&a with director, Um Tae-hwa, to discuss the film’s themes of survival, which suddenly seemed shockingly relevant after recent events in Ukraine and Israel/Gaza.
Starring Lee Byung-hun, Um’s film is a dystopian fable that recalls British writer J.G. Ballard in its depiction of a South Korean high-rise that is somehow left unscathed after a terrifying earthquake rips through the country.
- 10/31/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Concrete Utopia, South Korea’s International Film Oscar entry this year, will hit theaters in NY and LA on Dec. 8 with a wide release on Dec. 15. In the U.S, 815 Pictures and Seismic Releasing are releasing the Lotte Entertainment feature.
The movie opened in South Korea on Aug 9 and minted over $27M there, and close to $29M overall including Hong Kong and Vietnam.
The Um Tae-hwa directed disaster epic centers around a massive earthquake in Seoul. Everything in the city has collapsed, except for one building. Hwang Gung Apartments remains standing, as it was before that day. When survivors from the outside hear of this, they begin to gather at Hwang Gung Apartments. However, the original residents of the building start to feel threatened. Banding together for the sake of their survival, they elect ‘Young-tak’ as their Resident Delegate. Under his leadership, they strictly ban entry by outsiders...
The movie opened in South Korea on Aug 9 and minted over $27M there, and close to $29M overall including Hong Kong and Vietnam.
The Um Tae-hwa directed disaster epic centers around a massive earthquake in Seoul. Everything in the city has collapsed, except for one building. Hwang Gung Apartments remains standing, as it was before that day. When survivors from the outside hear of this, they begin to gather at Hwang Gung Apartments. However, the original residents of the building start to feel threatened. Banding together for the sake of their survival, they elect ‘Young-tak’ as their Resident Delegate. Under his leadership, they strictly ban entry by outsiders...
- 10/25/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
South Korean auteur Chung Ji-Young came to the eighth London East Asia Film Festival on Wednesday night with his latest film The Boys, which opens in its homeland on 1 November. Based on real events, which saw three innocent country boys imprisoned in 1999 for a callous murder-robbery in North Jeolla Province, the film stars Sol Kyung-gu as detective Joon-cheol. Once known as “Mad Dog”, Joon-cheol has mellowed over time, and when he receives information many years later that suggests the real criminals have gone free, Joon-cheol begins a crusade for justice — bringing down the wrath of the area’s corrupt lawmakers, who begin a campaign of intimidation intended to destroy his career and credibility.
Speaking after the movie, Director Chung acknowledged that, after 40 years in the film business, making films that have often ruffled some very important feathers, he did not have a particularly good relationship with the powers-that-be. “In short,...
Speaking after the movie, Director Chung acknowledged that, after 40 years in the film business, making films that have often ruffled some very important feathers, he did not have a particularly good relationship with the powers-that-be. “In short,...
- 10/19/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Chicago – The After Dark series at the 59th Chicago International Film Festival (Ciff) encompasses the “genre” category of films … horror, sci-fi, fantasy and the just plain bizarre. And the programmer behind it is film veteran Raul Benitez. For more info and After Dark line-ups, click After Dark.
After Dark: ’Concrete Utopia,’ on October 14th, Appearance by Director Um Tae-hwa
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival
Raul Benitez is a veteran curator, programmer and screener for various festivals and film entities, including his third year programming the After Dark series at the 59th Ciff. He is also the Senior Programmer for the Midwest Film Festival, and programs at Comfort Station Logan Square, Full Spectrum Features and Nightingale Cinema. He was honored with an “Esteemed Artist Award” in 2022 by the City of Chicago.
In a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Programmer Raul Benitez on everything “After Dark” …
In a Video Clip,...
After Dark: ’Concrete Utopia,’ on October 14th, Appearance by Director Um Tae-hwa
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival
Raul Benitez is a veteran curator, programmer and screener for various festivals and film entities, including his third year programming the After Dark series at the 59th Ciff. He is also the Senior Programmer for the Midwest Film Festival, and programs at Comfort Station Logan Square, Full Spectrum Features and Nightingale Cinema. He was honored with an “Esteemed Artist Award” in 2022 by the City of Chicago.
In a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Programmer Raul Benitez on everything “After Dark” …
In a Video Clip,...
- 10/12/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Disaster movies tend to focus on the spectacle of the actual disaster, on the big explosions and debris, and on the sense of awe at seeing big-scale destruction. "Concrete Utopia" is not like that. Instead, director Um Tae-hwa focuses on what comes after the disaster, telling a compelling and gripping human drama about immigration and economic disparity, laying out an allegory for Korea's unique relationship with real estate and class.
Indeed, the first thing to know about "Concrete Utopia," which was announced as Korea's entry to the Oscars, is that the earthquake that decimates Seoul is barely seen. What little we do see of it looks stunning, the VFX work in the movie rather impressively creating an apocalyptic event that decimates the city — but that is not the focus of the film. Rather than build up to it or show us how people survive in the middle of the disaster,...
Indeed, the first thing to know about "Concrete Utopia," which was announced as Korea's entry to the Oscars, is that the earthquake that decimates Seoul is barely seen. What little we do see of it looks stunning, the VFX work in the movie rather impressively creating an apocalyptic event that decimates the city — but that is not the focus of the film. Rather than build up to it or show us how people survive in the middle of the disaster,...
- 9/26/2023
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
Locally-made fantasy drama “Sleep” headed the Korean box office charts for the third successive weekend. But theaters were comatose ahead of bigger new releases timed for the Chuseok holiday season.
“Sleep” earned just $1.06 million between Friday and Sunday, with a 27.5% market share, according to data from Kobis the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council. Its cumulative after 19 days in cinemas now stands at $9.50 million.
The film’s three weekends at the top of the chart have coincided with low power competition and a month-long decline in cinema attendance. The nationwide box office aggregate for the latest weekend was worth just $3.85 million. That was the quietest box office weekend of 2023.
Korean comedy drama “Marrying the Mafia Returns” released on Thursday and took second place. Over its opening four days it managed $684,000, with $523,000 of that over the weekend proper.
Hollywood import, “Gran Turismo” also revved slowly. It opened on Wednesday...
“Sleep” earned just $1.06 million between Friday and Sunday, with a 27.5% market share, according to data from Kobis the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council. Its cumulative after 19 days in cinemas now stands at $9.50 million.
The film’s three weekends at the top of the chart have coincided with low power competition and a month-long decline in cinema attendance. The nationwide box office aggregate for the latest weekend was worth just $3.85 million. That was the quietest box office weekend of 2023.
Korean comedy drama “Marrying the Mafia Returns” released on Thursday and took second place. Over its opening four days it managed $684,000, with $523,000 of that over the weekend proper.
Hollywood import, “Gran Turismo” also revved slowly. It opened on Wednesday...
- 9/25/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The SXSW Sydney festival has set a 75-film screening schedule for its first edition. The selection skews heavily towards music, but is also distinctly international.
Headline titles include re-edited Talking Heads concert film “Stop Making Sense,” “Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles,” an exploration of iconic Australian musical act The Wiggles; drill rap documentary “Onefour: Against All Odds,” directed by Gabriel Gasparinatos; and the widely-acclaimed “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus,” directed by Neo Sora.
“The first ever SXSW Sydney Screen Festival aims to platform the most exciting new voices, new forms and new ways of creating on screen. We hope to inspire our audiences and industry, by unwrapping the future of screen innovation as it emerges,” said Ghita Loebenstein, the festival’s head of screen. “Like our Austin counterparts, our festival presents global programming from leading creators, and our unique offer is this distinctive Asia Pacific lens. We also thematically lean...
Headline titles include re-edited Talking Heads concert film “Stop Making Sense,” “Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles,” an exploration of iconic Australian musical act The Wiggles; drill rap documentary “Onefour: Against All Odds,” directed by Gabriel Gasparinatos; and the widely-acclaimed “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus,” directed by Neo Sora.
“The first ever SXSW Sydney Screen Festival aims to platform the most exciting new voices, new forms and new ways of creating on screen. We hope to inspire our audiences and industry, by unwrapping the future of screen innovation as it emerges,” said Ghita Loebenstein, the festival’s head of screen. “Like our Austin counterparts, our festival presents global programming from leading creators, and our unique offer is this distinctive Asia Pacific lens. We also thematically lean...
- 9/21/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
by Cláudio Alves
The Toronto International Film Festival represents an excellent opportunity to get in touch with cinema from all over the world. For Oscar obsessives, it provides a great chance to catch up with Best International Film submissions, especially as they're announced throughout the festival. I already covered some of them – Australia's Shayda, Bhutan's The Monk and the Gun, Brazil's Pictures of Ghosts, Chile's The Settlers, Finland's Fallen Leaves, Germany's The Teachers' Lounge, Romania's Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, South Korea's Concrete Utopia, and Turkey's About Dry Grasses. However, there are still some more TIFF titles to review.
They are the Netherlands's Sweet Dreams, Tunisia's Four Daughters, and Morocco's The Mother of All Lies. Though they haven't been officially selected, I also saw two of Norway's three finalists, A Happy Day and Songs of Earth…...
The Toronto International Film Festival represents an excellent opportunity to get in touch with cinema from all over the world. For Oscar obsessives, it provides a great chance to catch up with Best International Film submissions, especially as they're announced throughout the festival. I already covered some of them – Australia's Shayda, Bhutan's The Monk and the Gun, Brazil's Pictures of Ghosts, Chile's The Settlers, Finland's Fallen Leaves, Germany's The Teachers' Lounge, Romania's Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, South Korea's Concrete Utopia, and Turkey's About Dry Grasses. However, there are still some more TIFF titles to review.
They are the Netherlands's Sweet Dreams, Tunisia's Four Daughters, and Morocco's The Mother of All Lies. Though they haven't been officially selected, I also saw two of Norway's three finalists, A Happy Day and Songs of Earth…...
- 9/21/2023
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
Two Hollywood new releases, “A Haunting in Venice” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem” failed to make much of an impression on the South Korean box office in their opening weekend. Instead, local fantasy drama “Sleep” headed the chart for a second time.
“Sleep” earned $2.38 million in its second weekend, a creditably modest 20% weekend-on-weekend decline, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). Its market share held up decently too, at 39%. After 12 days in Korean cinemas the Cannes title has earned $7.67 million.
But the competition was weak. “A Haunting in Venice” was the week’s top new release, but it failed to reach the $1 million mark. Between Friday and Sunday, it earned $676,000 and over its opening five days made $980,000).
The nationwide box office aggregate was the second weakest weekend of 2023, coming in at a flimsy $6.15 million. Historically, mid-September is often a weak...
“Sleep” earned $2.38 million in its second weekend, a creditably modest 20% weekend-on-weekend decline, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). Its market share held up decently too, at 39%. After 12 days in Korean cinemas the Cannes title has earned $7.67 million.
But the competition was weak. “A Haunting in Venice” was the week’s top new release, but it failed to reach the $1 million mark. Between Friday and Sunday, it earned $676,000 and over its opening five days made $980,000).
The nationwide box office aggregate was the second weakest weekend of 2023, coming in at a flimsy $6.15 million. Historically, mid-September is often a weak...
- 9/18/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
"Our apartments belong to the residents!" A festival promo trailer is available for a Korean disaster movie called Concrete Utopia. It's currently playing at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival, after opening in Korea in August. Here's the pitch: residents of a concrete apartment complex are surprised to discover their building is the only one standing after a massive earthquake decimates Seoul. While no one knows for sure how far the ruins stretch, or what the cause of the earthquake may be, in the heart of Seoul there's only one building left standing. It is called Hwang Gung Apartments. As time passes, outsiders start coming in to escape the extreme cold. Before long, the apartment residents are unable to cope with the increasing numbers. Feeling a threat to their very survival, the residents enact a special measure. Starring Lee Byung-hun, Park Bo-young, and Park Seo-jun. Another intense survival movie that actually seems more & more like real life,...
- 9/13/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
by Cláudio Alves
Genre cinema has long been the home of social critique through allegory. Think back to Godzilla's reflection on Japan's atomic trauma or Night of the Living Dead's invention of the zombie movie as the place to study civilization's collapse. South Korea's new Oscar submission, Concrete Utopia, follows the tradition. Though, here, you'll find no Romero undead or radioactive kaiju to distract and reflect human folly at the viewer. Instead, Tae-hwa Eom's latest tackles the precepts of the disaster flick with a dash of post-apocalyptic dystopia, showing Humanity's self-made ruin in the aftermath of a massive earthquake that renders Seoul a wasteland…...
Genre cinema has long been the home of social critique through allegory. Think back to Godzilla's reflection on Japan's atomic trauma or Night of the Living Dead's invention of the zombie movie as the place to study civilization's collapse. South Korea's new Oscar submission, Concrete Utopia, follows the tradition. Though, here, you'll find no Romero undead or radioactive kaiju to distract and reflect human folly at the viewer. Instead, Tae-hwa Eom's latest tackles the precepts of the disaster flick with a dash of post-apocalyptic dystopia, showing Humanity's self-made ruin in the aftermath of a massive earthquake that renders Seoul a wasteland…...
- 9/11/2023
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
The South Korean box office got a new chart topper with mystery drama “Sleep,” but the weekend was a sleepy affair.
“Sleep” earned $2.97 million over the weekend, according to Friday to Sunday data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). Over its full opening five days, it grossed $3.97 million.
The film, which had its world premiere in Cannes in May, is the tale of a newly-married couple whose relationship is challenged by the man’s nightly disturbances, in which he claims that someone else is inside him. “Sleep” is directed by Jason Yu and produced by Lewis Kim at Lewis Pictures.
The top-ranked new release meant that “Oppenheimer” slipped to second place after three weeks on top. “Oppenheimer” earned $1.09 million to expand its cumulative total in Korea to $24.0 million. That is now the tenth highest score of 2023.
“Concrete Utopia,” the disaster action-drama that is Korea’s Oscars contender,...
“Sleep” earned $2.97 million over the weekend, according to Friday to Sunday data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). Over its full opening five days, it grossed $3.97 million.
The film, which had its world premiere in Cannes in May, is the tale of a newly-married couple whose relationship is challenged by the man’s nightly disturbances, in which he claims that someone else is inside him. “Sleep” is directed by Jason Yu and produced by Lewis Kim at Lewis Pictures.
The top-ranked new release meant that “Oppenheimer” slipped to second place after three weeks on top. “Oppenheimer” earned $1.09 million to expand its cumulative total in Korea to $24.0 million. That is now the tenth highest score of 2023.
“Concrete Utopia,” the disaster action-drama that is Korea’s Oscars contender,...
- 9/11/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
“Oppenheimer” remained the top performing film in South Korea for the third successive weekend. It earned $2.04 million for a 19-day cumulative total of $22.4 million.
The row of wins for “Oppenheimer” demonstrates again Korean audiences appreciation of top acting skills. But it also exposes the weakened selection of competing titles in the Korean market.
The top-ranked new release title was the drama thriller “Don’t Buy the Seller,” which landed in second position, according to weekend data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). It scored just $1.27 million over the weekend and $1.87 million over its opening five days.
That weakness pulled the nationwide cinema box office aggregate below trend and below $10 million for the second successive weekend. Takings across all cinemas between Friday and Sunday were just $7.21 million, down from $9.95 million a week earlier.
Previously, Korean cinemas had enjoyed weekend gross revenues of more than $10 million for the 16 weeks,...
The row of wins for “Oppenheimer” demonstrates again Korean audiences appreciation of top acting skills. But it also exposes the weakened selection of competing titles in the Korean market.
The top-ranked new release title was the drama thriller “Don’t Buy the Seller,” which landed in second position, according to weekend data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). It scored just $1.27 million over the weekend and $1.87 million over its opening five days.
That weakness pulled the nationwide cinema box office aggregate below trend and below $10 million for the second successive weekend. Takings across all cinemas between Friday and Sunday were just $7.21 million, down from $9.95 million a week earlier.
Previously, Korean cinemas had enjoyed weekend gross revenues of more than $10 million for the 16 weeks,...
- 9/4/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
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