Zhang Lu (장률 (張律))

Korea is well represented at this year's Hong Kong Film Festival by a large number of independent films.

Most of the films are competing in the 'Asian Digital Competition' underlining Korea's growing strength in the digital film arena. The films competing in the section this year are the Pusan New Currents winner, "I'm in Trouble!" directed by So Sang-min, ...More

Asian films will highlight the 60th anniversary of the Berlin International Film Festival, both bookending the main program and dominating the Forum section of the top-tier fest. While films from China and Japan open and close the fest (Feb 11 – 20), Korean films show a strong presence throughout with a total of 7 features and 2 shorts selected.

In the festival's Forum sidebar are 3 Korean features. Among them So Sang-min's "I'm in Trouble!" (winner of Pusan's 2009 New Currents award) and ...More

Korean films "Actresses" (left) and "The Naked Kitchen" (Right)

Eight Korean films -- including "Actresses", "The Naked Kitchen" and "A Brand New Life" -- are up for presentation at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival, which kicks off in Germany on Thursday.

This year, the film festival -- which is considered one of the most prestigious film events in Europe alongside Cannes, Venice and Rotterdam -- will show more than 400 films from around the world.

In addition to the following Korean movies invited to the film fest, two Asian productions have also been selected for the opening and closing films; "Apart Together", directed by Chinese filmmaker Wang Quan'an to open the event while Japanese film "Younger Brother" by Yoji Yamada will close the festival on February 21....More

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

The past year was a fruitful one for local independent cinema, with Lee Chung-ryoul's documentary "Old Partner" rewriting box office history for the genre and Yang Ik-joon's "Breathless" blazing through international film festivals. The festivity culminates with the Seoul Independent Film Festival (SIFF), which continues through Friday in Spongehouse Myeongdong (Joongang Cinema).

The annual year-end event kicked off on Dec. 11 under the theme "Hit and Run". This year SIFF received a whopping record of 722 submissions, up about 100 from last year. A total of 45 works (34 shorts, 11 features) have been selected to compete for several cash prizes. The awards, including the grand prize, amount to 51 million won and will be g...More

On Nov. 11, 1977, a massive explosion ripped through the railyard at Iri Station in North Jeolla, a major junction for trains heading up and down the west coast of the peninsula.

It was an accident. Dynamite being carried on a train from Incheon south to Gwangju somehow caught on fire. Fifty-seven people were killed.

Chinese director Zhang Lu's "Iri" is set during the 30th anniversary of the catastrophe, and in Jin-seo's (Yoon Jin-seo) 30th year.

She and her brother are live-in caretakers at an old folks' home...More