Hwang Jung-Min 황정민 [Upcoming Movies: “12.12: The Day”, “Mission Cross”, “Veteran 2”, “Hope”]

[rubie]

Source: CINE21

NO.1072 2016-09-20 ~ 2016-09-27

[rubie]

September 23, 2016

(Movie Review) 'Asura: The City of Madness': raw and tense

By Shim Sun-ah

SEOUL, Sept. 23 (Yonhap) -- A bleak and brutal crime action drama, "Asura: The City of Madness," is thrilling and so unabashedly violent it leaves you dizzy when the ending credits roll.

It has enough raw energy for at least 10 films and more than enough violence to traumatize those who would recoil at profanity, slaughter or guys lying on the floor bleeding from a stomach wound for most of its running time.

The energy comes from the four main characters brilliantly acted by the high-testosterone cast that includes Jung Woo-sung, Hwang Jung-min, Kwak Do-won and Ju Ji-hun. Driven by desires for money or power, two cops step into the dark criminal world and become entangled in a thick web of crime, betrayal and trickery. As the villains turn on each other to survive in a living hell with no exit, the energy explodes like a dynamite.

A still from "Asura: The City of Madness" (Yonhap)

A still from "Asura: The City of Madness" (Yonhap)

Leading the cast is Jung as Han Do-gyeong, a crooked cop who handles all shady affairs for Park Sung-bae (Hwang Jung-min), the corrupt mayor of a fictional city of Annam. Han is in desperate need of money to pay for hospital bills for his wife suffering from terminal cancer.

The movie opens with Han's voice-over narration as the camera shows the view of a hillside shantytown marked for urban redevelopment. The city is ruled by Park, a tricky politician who smiles nicely before voters but does not hesitate to get his hands dirty behind the scenes, including election law violations, kidnapping and murder instigation.

When Han is embroiled in an accidental murder while carrying out an order related to a lawsuit against Park, he is blackmailed by prosecutor Kim Cha-in (Kwak Do-won). Kim proposes an under-the-table deal to give him immunity in exchange for working as an informant so they can secure evidence that can put the mayor behind bars.

A still from "Asura: The City of Madness" (Yonhap)

Although he always emphasizes his pride as a crusader of justice in public, Kim resorts to illegal means such as blackmailing, assault and torture to get what he wants. His only interest is ascending higher on the power ladder in the prosecution by catching the eye of his superior who has a dark connection with opponents in the redevelopment.

Rounding out the list of villains is Mun Seon-mo (Ju Ji-hun), a rookie cop who quits his job to become the mayor's enforcer with the help of Han. After that, the naive man gradually tries to edge his senior out to become Park's right-hand man.

But the movie's narrative is a bit clumsy. Viewers don't really understand what enrages Han that much in the car-chase scene and why he abruptly advises his junior Seon-mo not to believe the mayor too much while he himself appears to remain indecisive between the two powers at that time.

Yet the real hero of the film is cinematographer Lee Mo-gae's camerawork. The sequence of car chase on a slippery rain-drenched road, in particular, was completely overwhelming with its speed and intensity. The film is full of an atmosphere of despair and demise ranging from the bleak landscape of the shantytown to the bloodstained ending scene.

The film is the 7th feature by the veteran director Kim Sung-soo best known for "Beat" (1997)," which made its lead star Jung a 90s' icon of youth. This filmography also includes "City of The Rising Sun" (1999), "Musa-The Warrior" (2001) and "The Flu" (2013).

"Asura: The City of Madness" was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival last month. It will open in local theaters on Sept. 28.

sshim@yna.co.kr

[rubie]

September 28, 2016

‘Asura’ expected to draw big crowds

Directed by Kim Sung-soo, “Asura: The City of Madness” is predicted to become a blockbuster hit this fall. 

Nearly 250,000 people had reserved tickets for the movie in advance of its Wednesday release, with estimated ticket sales of over 1.6 billion won ($1.46 million), according to data from the Korean Film Council as of Wednesday morning.

The recent summer blockbuster “Train to Busan” currently holds the record for the highest number of pre-sale reservations, with over 320,000 pre-sold ticket. 

Crime thriller “Asura” is expected to dethrone “The Age of Shadows” -- which surpassed 7 million viewers Tuesday -- from its current top spot at the local box office, according to industry watchers. 

Starring actors Hwang Jung-min, Jung Woo-sung and Kwak Do-won, “Asura” depicts the dark reality of modern-day politics and law enforcement. 

Meanwhile, both “Asura” and “The Age of Shadows” are scheduled to be screened at the 11th annual Korean Film Festival in Paris, which will take place in the French city from Oct. 25 to Nov. 1.

By Kim Yu-young (ivykim@heraldcorp.com)

[rubie]

 OFFICIAL WEBSITE

September 27, 2016

Sitges Invites 14 Films for 49th Edition
Five Features Selected for Official Fantastic Competition

by Pierce Conran / KoBiz

The Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia is leaning particularly heavily on Korean films this year, with 14 titles peppered throughout its 2016 program, including 13 features and one short. Five Korean films will compete in the festival’s signature Official Fantastic Competition.

Big names will be featured in the competition lineup, including NA Hong-jin, with THE WAILING, PARK Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden and both YEON Sang-ho’s animation Seoul Station and live action smash TRAIN TO BUSAN. A new name at the festival also competing will be KIM Sang-chan with Karaoke Crazies.

KIM Jee-woon will feature in the Orbita section with his new Colonial Era smash The Age of Shadows along with IM Sang-soo’s Intimate Enemies, PARK Hoon-jung’s The Tiger and KIM Seong-hun’s Tunnel.

Also playing in the coastal town will be LEE Hae-young’s The Silenced in Seven Chances, the horror omnibus Horror Stories III in Panorama Fantastic and KIM Ji-hyeon’s Throttled in Anima’t Shorts. Finally, the open air Brigadoon section will also feature NA Hong-jin’s The Chaser and KIM Jee-woon’s The Good, The Bad, And The Weird, both from 2008.

Among the Korean guests at Sitges this year will be Tunnel actress BAE Doo-na, along with director KIM Seong-hun and Karaoke Crazies director KIM Sang-chan.

The 49th edition of the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival will unspool from October 7th to 16th.

[rubie]

September 29, 2016

'Asura' opens strong in S. Korea

SEOUL, Sept. 29 (Yonhap) -- "Asura: The City of Madness" broke an opening-day record for R-rated films, drawing an audience of about 480,000, data showed Thursday.

The crime action drama by director Kim Sung-soo sold 476,527 tickets Wednesday, its opening day in South Korea, according to the real-time box-office tally from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).

The previous record was 360,280 set by the Korean film "Hwayi: A Monster Boy" on Oct. 9, 2013, which was a national holiday. But Asura's performance is unusual for a film that hit the silver screen on a normal weekday.

The movie tells the story of a crooked cop, a corrupt mayor and brutal prosecutor who all do evil things for their own gains. The movie is set in the fictional city of Annam that is struggling to deal with crime and other irregularities. It stars Jung Woo-sung, Hwang Jung-min and Kwak Do-won in the three main roles.

The official poster of the Korean crime action film "Asura: The City of Madness" (Yonhap)

sshim@yna.co.kr

[rubie]

September 28, 2016

"Asura: The City of Madness" hits 480,000 on first day

Source: Nate via Hancinema.net

The movie "Asura: The City of Madness" made a record on the first day of release.

According to the Korean Film Council, "Asura: The City of Madness" hit a number of 476,527 on the 29th.

The initial record breaker was "Hwai" on the 9th of October 2013 with 362,280. This was also a holiday as it was 'Hangeul Day'. "Asura: The City of Madness" did a better job on a normal day.

"Asura: The City of Madness" is based in the city of Annam, a virtual city which is a playground for crime where Han Do-kyeong (Jeong Woo-seong) a detective, Park Seong-bae (Hwang Jeong-min) a corrupt major and Kim Cha-in (Kwak Do-won) a prosecutor commit crime for their own benefits.

[rubie]

October 3, 2016

‘Asura’ tops weekend box office

Crime-noir “Asura: The City of Madness” topped the local weekend box office, drawing some 826,655 admissions on Oct. 1-2, according to the Korean Film Council.

The film has sold over 1.8 million tickets since its Sept. 28 opening, when it broke the record for best-selling rated “R” movie on its opening day.

The bloody thriller, starring a handful of Korean cinema’s A-listers, including Jung Woo-sung, Hwang Jung-min and Kwak Do-won, tells the story of the political underworld and its corrupt players. Mayor Park Sung-bae, played by Hwang, commissions cop Han Do-kyung, played by Jung, to cover up his illegal dealings, while prosecutor Kim Cha-in, played by Kwak, employs his own brand of ruthlessness to chase out the criminals.

“Asura” was penned and helmed by filmmaker Kim Sung-su, known for his gritty portrayal of gangsters and masculinity in previous works like “Beat” (1997) and “City of the Rising Sun” (1999). It screened at the Toronto International Film Festival last month.

By Rumy Doo (doo@heraldcorp.com)

[rubie]

October 3, 2016

[Just Out on Blu-ray] Korean movie "A Violent Prosecutor"

Source: Hancinema.net

Korean movie "A Violent Prosecutor" is available to order on Blu-ray limited edition with English subtitles from YESASIA.

Order from YESASIA

[rubie]

October 4, 2016

R-Rated Crime Thriller Tops 2-Million Viewer Mark in 1 Week

Source: The Chosun Ilbo / TV Report

The crime thriller "Asura: The City of Madness" has hit the 2-million mark in cinema attendance since its release last Wednesday.

The number of viewers exceeded 2 million on Monday, just six days after its release, according to the Korea Film Council.

Given that it is rated R, it is quite a feat.

The flick is drawing favorable reviews thanks to the impressive performances by its star-studded cast including Jung Woo-sung, Hwang Jung-min and Kwak Do-won.

It tells the story of a political underworld rampant with corruption and kickbacks.

[rubie]

October 8, 2016

[USA] "The Wailing" Available on DVD and Blu-ray + ***Blu-ray Giveaway*** First-come, First-served

Source: Hancinema.net

Suspicion leads to hysteria when rural villagers link a series of brutal murders to the arrival of a mysterious stranger in the supernatural thriller "The Wailing", debuting on digital September 6, and on Blu-ray™ and DVD October 4 from Well Go USA Entertainment. Over six years in the making, director Na Hong-jin's meticulously crafted follow-up to the globally acclaimed films "The Yellow Sea" and "The Chaser" smashed box office records upon its debut in South Korea, where fans made many return viewings in order to catch new clues and debate what's sure to be the most talked-about ending of 2016. "The Wailing" stars Kwak Do-won ("The Man From Nowhere"), Hwang Jeong-min (New World), Jun Kunimura (Kill Bill: Vol: 1 & 2) and Cheon Woo-hee ("The Beauty Inside"). Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 100% rating, "The Wailing" won the PRIX AQCC (Association québécoise des critiques de cinéma) at the 2016 Fantasia International Film Festival.
 
Synopsis: 
In this unbelievably tense supernatural thriller, a foreigner's mysterious appearance in a quiet, rural village causes suspicion among the locals - suspicion which quickly turns to hysteria as the townspeople begin killing each other in brutal outbursts for seemingly no reason. As the investigating officer watches his daughter fall under the same savage spell, he agrees to consult a shaman for answers - unknowingly escalating the situation into something far more dangerous.

[rubie]

 OFFICIAL WEBSITE

October 18, 2016

‘The Wailing’ wins big at Sitges Festival

Source: INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

The mystery-thriller “The Wailing,” directed by Na Hong-jin (“The Yellow Sea”) and starring high profile actors Hwang Jung-min (“New World”) and Kunimura Jun (“Like Father, Like Son”), was awarded the Best Film of the Focus Asian Selection and Best Cinematography at the 49th Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, held in Barcelona, Spain from Oct. 7 to 16.

“I’m very glad to be able to have been honored with the award,” said the movie’s director of photography Hong Kyung-pyo after nabbing the best Cinematography award. “I want to express gratitude to all the staff members and director Na Hong-jin.”

The film, which hit local theaters in May and sold more than 6.8 million tickets, became the first Korean movie to receive the Best Cinematography award at the Spanish film festival. 

The Best Film of the Focus Asian Selection award is also very meaningful in that “The Wailing” won over other competitive Korean megahits “Train to Busan,” “The Handmaiden” and “The Age of Shadows.” The mystery-thriller became the third Korean film after “New World” (2013) and “Veteran” (2015) to be given the honor. 

By Jin Min-ji

[rubie]

October 20, 2016

Awards Galore for Korean Films at Sitges
THE WAILING, TRAIN TO BUSAN and THE HANDMAIDEN Triumph in Catalonia

by Pierce Conran / KoBiz

Always a fan of Korean cinema, the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia this year screened 14 films from the Far East Asian filmmaking powerhouse and come awards time, a trio of those managed to walk away with five awards between them. All three Korean prize winners debuted at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

While the much-buzzed about Sundance indie Swiss Army Man picked up the festival’s top prize in the Official Fantàstic Selection, YEON Sang-ho’s TRAIN TO BUSAN drove off with the Best Director Award as well as the Award for Best Special Effects, which went to JUNG Hwang-su. Also in the main competition, NA Hong-jin’s THE WAILING picked up the Award for Best Cinematography for lenser HONG Kyeong-pyo and PARK Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden was given the Grand Audience Award. 

In the Focus Àsia section, THE WAILING was also triumphant, making it the fifth Korean film to take the prize in just the last six years, following Veteran (2015), MAD SAD BAD (2014), New World (2013) and The Unjust (2010). NA previously won the same prize in 2008 for The Chaser.

Sitges welcomed several Korean guests this year, including Tunnel director KIM Seong-hun and star BAE Doo-na, as well as The Silenced (2015) director LEE Hae-young and Karaoke Crazies helmer KIM Sang-chan.

[rubie]

October 20, 2015

VETERAN Triumphs at the 25th Buil Film Awards
DONGJU and THE HANDMAIDEN Earn 3 Prizes Each

by Pierce Conran / KoBiz

The Buil Film Awards, one of the oldest and most prestigious film awards ceremonies in South Korea, which is hosted by the Busan Ilbo, held its 25th edition on October 7th, during the Busan International Film Festival. This year’s Best Film Award winner was RYOO Seung-wan’s Veteran, which also took home the Best Cinematography Award for CHOI Yeong-hwan.

The biggest prize-winners this year were LEE Joon-ik’s DONGJU; The Portrait of A Poet and PARK Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden. DONGJU earned awards for Best Director, Best Screenplay (SHIN Yeon-shick) and Best Music (Mowg). The Handmaiden was awarded for Best New Actress (KIM Tae-ri) and Best Art Director (RYU Seong-hee), while it also received the Buil Readers' Jury Award.

The remaining performance prizes went to LEE Byung-hun for Inside Men (Best Actor), SON Ye-jin for The Truth Beneath (Best Actress), KIM Eui-sung for TRAIN TO BUSAN (Best Supporting Actor), PARK So-dam for The Priests (Best Supporting Actress) and TAE In-ho for Shadow Island (Best New Actor). Among the remaining prizes, YOON Ga-eun earned the Best New Director Award for The World of Us and YEON Sang-ho picked up the YU Hyun-mok Film Arts Award for TRAIN TO BUSAN.

This year’s prizes, while all are the beneficiaries of critical acclaim, represented a mix of films which both scored and missed at the box office over the course of the past year. 

[rubie]

Published on September 21, 2016 by London East Asia Film Festival

LEAFF 2016 Supporting Messages #1

Supporting messages from Director Park Chan-wook, Actor Jung Woo-sung, Actor Lee Byung-hun, Actor Song Joong-ki, Director Ryoo Seung-wan, Actor Hwang Jung Min, Actor Lee Gyeung-young, Actress Kim Su-an for the 1st London East Asia Film Festival! 

October 18, 2016

Asian film festival launches in London

By Shim Sun-ah

SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Yonhap) -- An inaugural Asian film festival will open in London this week to increase Europeans' awareness of mainly Korean films, the South Korean culture ministry said Tuesday.

The London East Asia Film Festival will screen 40 films from eight Asian countries, including South Korea, Japan and China at various theaters in the city.

Since this year's festival focus is on Korean films, more than half of the films invited were from South Korea.

They include the opening film, director Kim Jee-woon's double agent film "The Age of Shadows," Park Chan-wook's erotic thriller "The Handmaiden," and "Tunnel," a disaster flick by Kim Seong-hun. Among other Korean films on the list are Kang Woo-suk's "The Map Against the World" and "Sprits' Homecoming" by Cho Jung-rae, and "The World of Us" by Yoon Ga-eun.

In addition, the lineup also includes the latest works by Asian master directors such as "Beautiful 2016" co-directed by China's Jia Zhangke and "Creepy" by Kiyoshi Kurosawa of Japan.

After the screening of some of the films, there will be guest visit events involving 12 helmers, six actors and six producers. A retrospective for award-winning director Park Chan-wook was also prepared for fans of Korean films.

"Three" by Hong Kong director Johnnie To will close the 11-day festival on Oct. 30.

The film festival was organized by Jeon Hye-jung, former executive director of the London Korean Film Festival who currently leads the Korean Artists Development Agency, with help from the British cultural scene, including the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

"Britain, the biggest film market in Europe, is like an advance base for the world film market," said Jeon, director of the London East Asia Film Festival who has made various efforts to increase the British people's awareness of Korean films over the past 10 years. "Korean films are now taking a central role in the Asian film market but now is the time to ponder over accompanied growth of Korean and other Asian films considering the fast growth of Chinese capital," she said of the reason for launching the Asian film fest.

sshim@yna.co.kr

[rubie]

Capture of cast from clip above

Actor Song Joong-ki, Director Ryoo Seung-wan, Actor Hwang Jung Min, Actor Lee Gyeung-young, Actress Kim Su-an 

[rubie]

October 21, 2016

Korean film festival to kick off in Frankfurt

By Park Jin-hai The Korea Times

A Korean film festival, organized by students of Korean studies and local K-film fans, will be held in Frankfurt, Germany, next week.

The fifth Project K-The Korean Film Festival, co-hosted by the Korean Consulate in Frankfurt and Project K, consisting of University of Frankfurt students undertaking Korean studies and other young Germans interested in Korean culture, will run a five day program at CineStar Metropolis, Frankfurt between Oct. 26 and 30.

A total of 27 Korean films will be featured at the festival. The opening film will be director Yoon Ga-eun's "The World of Us," which was invited to the 66th Berlin International Film Festival, while Kim Seong-hun's disaster movie "Tunnel" will close the event.

Five other films, including "The Handmaiden" by Park Chan-wook, "Train to Busan" by Yeon Sang-ho and "Inside Men" by Woo Min-ho, will be screened in the Must See section.

Korean box office hits, such as "The Last Princess" and "Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet," and independent movies and animated films will also be shown. 

Kim Sung-soo, the director of the recently released crime-noir "Asura: The City of Madness," and its lead actor Jung Woo-sung will hold a fan meeting at the festival, Friday.

During the festival, visitors can also participate in events to enjoy Korean calligraphy, traditional handmade paper and costumes as well as a K-pop dance contest.

"Through cooperation with local film distributors and related organizations, the Korean film festival has been supporting the export of Korean films and expanding their fan base. It has grown into a center for spreading Korean films and culture in Germany," said Baek Bum-heum, Korean consulate general in Frankfurt.

jinhai@ktimes.co

[rubie]

November 2, 2016

AFM: South Korea’s CJ Entertainment Scores Deals on Three Titles

Sonia Kil Variety.com

South Korea’s leading investor-distributor, CJ Entertainment, has scored multiple deals for “Asura: The City of Madness,” “My Annoying Brother,” and “The Housemaid” ahead of the American Film Market.

Hardboiled crime actioner “Asura” has been acquired for distribution in several territories in Asia, following earlier theatrical releases in Australia, New Zealand, and North America. Directed by Kim Sung-soo, “Asura” was sold by CJ to Splendid for German-speaking Europe, and to Medyavizyon for Turkey. Within Asia it was picked up by Deltamac for Hong Kong and Macau, Long Shong for Taiwan, M Pictures for Thailand, Viva Entertainment for The Philippines and by Bloomsbury for Mongolia. JBG Pictures picked up the film for Australia and New Zealand, where it opened on Oct. 13.

It had its premiere in the Toronto film festival and opened in North America via CJ America on Oct. 7.

The company’s upcoming  family drama “Brother,” starring top K-pop idol band EXO’s Doh Kyung-soo (a.k.a. D.O.), was licensed to Deltamac, Viva, and Bloomsbury. Cai Chang acquired “Brother” for Taiwan. CJ’s international branches will handle its theatrical releases in China, Indonesia, Vietnam, and North America.

JBG Pictures, Cai Chang, Viva and Medyavizyon also acquired CJ’s co-production with Vietnam, “Housemaid,” which opened in Vietnam through VSTV in September.

At the American Film Market, CJ is unveiling crime action drama “Master,” starring some of Korea’s biggest screen stars such as Lee Byung-hun (“The Magnificent Seven”) and Gang Dong-won (“The Priests”); and action comedy “Saigon Bodyguards,” the company’s another ambitious co-production with Vietnam.

[rubie]

November 3, 2016

Korea’s top 10 movie stars of 2016

HeraldPOP compiled a list of the top 10 Korean movie stars in terms of their films’ box office sales. 

No. 10: Son Ye-jin (5,861,609 viewers)
No. 9: Yoo Hae-jin (5,868,506 viewers)
No. 8: Lee Jung-jae (7,074,714 viewers)
No. 7: Song Kang-ho (7,499,766 viewers)
No. 6: Oh Dal-soo (8,000,421 viewers)
No. 5: Kwak Do-won (9,472,847 viewers)
No. 4: Kang Dong-won (9,706,695 viewers) 
No. 3: Ha Jung-woo (11,408,347 viewers)
No. 2: Gong Yoo (19,268,927 viewers)
No. 1: Hwang Jung-min (21,909,564 viewers)

There are still 2 more months to go in 2016 so the list could still change.

By Lee Sang-won (sangdoze@heraldcorp.com

[rubie]

November 3, 2016

South Korean films to hit British theaters

LONDON, Nov. 3 (Yonhap) -- British movie theaters will launch a special event of screening dozens of South Korean films on Thursday (local time), on the sidelines of the Europe's largest Korean film fest.

Set to run from Thursday to Nov. 27, the Korean film screening event will play a total of 61 Korean films that competed in 10 sections of the 11th London Korean Film Festival (LKFF).

During the 25-day event, the films will be screened in five British cities, including London and Manchester. In downtown London, 10 cinemas participated in the film screening.

A still from "Asura: The City of Madness" (Yonhap)

The screening event will open with summer thriller "The Truth Beneath," directed by Lee Kyoung-mi. Starring actress Son Ye-jin and actor Kim Joo-hyuk, the 103-minute film had launched in Korea on June 23.

On the opening day, director Kim Sung-soo of crime action film "Asura : The City of Madness" will meet his British fans and talk about his film. The 132-minute film, starring actors Jung Woo-sung, Hwang Jung-min, Ju Ji-hoon and Kwak Do-won, is one of the most recent works among the participating films. Tickets for the film sold out in only two days, according to the organizers.

One of the historic films on the roster is "The Widow," a romance-drama film launched in 1955. The 75-minute film, directed Park Nam-ok, describes the life of an afflicted widow who strives to survive in a patriarchal society. Nam is South Korea's first female filmmaker and one of the 10 participants in the screening event.

Launched in 2006, the LKFF is hosted by British Council Korea, the Korean leg of British non-profit cultural and educational organization British Council, and supported by South Korea's Korean Film Council.

[rubie]

November 14, 2016

THE WAILING Leads 37th Blue Dragon Nominations
TRAIN TO BUSAN Close Behind with 10 Nods

by Pierce Conran / KoBiz
 
The Blue Dragon Awards, the most prestigious awards body of the Korean film industry, has announced the nominations for its 37th edition, which will take place at the end of the month. Leading this year’s crop is NA Hong-jin’s THE WAILING with 11 nominations, while YEON Sang-ho’s TRAIN TO BUSAN isn’t far behind with 10 nods in 9 categories. 

Also heavily nominated were PARK Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden (8), KIM Jee-woon’s The Age of Shadows (7), WOO Min-ho’s Inside Men (6), KIM Seong-hun’s Tunnel (6), JANG Jae-hyun’s The Priests (5), KIM Sung-soo’s Asura : The City of Madness (5) and LEE Joon-ik’s DONGJU; The Portrait of A Poet (4).

In what has been a strong year for commercial Korean films, this year’s Best Film category features The Age of Shadows, TRAIN TO BUSAN, THE WAILING, DONGJU; The Portrait of A Poet, Inside Men and The Handmaiden. Minus TRAIN TO BUSAN, the same films were nominated for the Best Director prize. YEON Sang-ho was nominated for the Best New Director Prize, alongside KIM Tae-gon (Familyhood), LEE Il-hyung (A Violent Prosecutor), JANG Jae-hyun (The Priests) and YOON Ga-eun (The World of Us).

In the Best Actress category, the nominees are SON Ye-jin (The Last Princess), HAN Ye-ri (Worst Woman), KIM Min-hee (The Handmaiden), KIM Hye-soo (Familyhood) and YOUN Yuh-jung (The Bacchus Lady), while the Best Actor contenders are JUNG Woo-sung (Asura : The City of Madness), LEE Byung-hun (Inside Men), SONG Kang-ho (The Age of Shadows), KWAK Do-won (THE WAILING) and HA Jung-woo (Tunnel).

The 37th Blue Dragon Awards will take place on November 25th.