In the snowy hills of Park City this year, North Korea refugee documentary “Beyond Utopia” made a splash. This 115-minute feature keeps its viewers at the edge of their seats. In follows the harrowing defection journeys for the Roh family, which includes two children and an octogenarian, and records the brutal capture and torture of Soyeon Lee's son at the North Korean border.
Throughout the course of the film, the proximity to the subject material is quite jarring. The American film crew witnesses the Roh family and Pastor Kim, their South Korean guardian, through the Yalu River, China, the jungles of Laos, and eventually reaching the Thai shores of the Mekong River.
Now, in light of awards season, we revisit our own close encounter with the team – an in-person interview with producers Sue Mi Terry, Rachel Cohen, and documentary subjects Pastor Kim and Soyeon Lee – at the Larsen office in San Francisco.
Throughout the course of the film, the proximity to the subject material is quite jarring. The American film crew witnesses the Roh family and Pastor Kim, their South Korean guardian, through the Yalu River, China, the jungles of Laos, and eventually reaching the Thai shores of the Mekong River.
Now, in light of awards season, we revisit our own close encounter with the team – an in-person interview with producers Sue Mi Terry, Rachel Cohen, and documentary subjects Pastor Kim and Soyeon Lee – at the Larsen office in San Francisco.
- 12/21/2023
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Exclusive: Award-winning House of Sand & Fog filmmaker Vadim Perelman has been attached to direct the movie Marinus, we hear, about the heroic rescue of 14K Korean evacuees by sea toward the end of the Korean War.
Adapted by J. Craig Stiles (Miranda’s Victim) off the book Ship of Miracles, Marinus follows a merchant marine captain, who along with a Korean doctor, commanded a ship that was rated to carry 65 passengers and ended up saving thousands – all while being pursued by enemy subs, fighter planes and contending with a Communist spy on board.
Despite the odds, not one soul perished. In fact, five babies were born during the journey, and they arrived safely at a South Korean harbor on Christmas Day. The captain was so touched by the experience that he later became a Benedictine monk. He has passed on, but is currently up for sainthood with the Catholic Church.
Adapted by J. Craig Stiles (Miranda’s Victim) off the book Ship of Miracles, Marinus follows a merchant marine captain, who along with a Korean doctor, commanded a ship that was rated to carry 65 passengers and ended up saving thousands – all while being pursued by enemy subs, fighter planes and contending with a Communist spy on board.
Despite the odds, not one soul perished. In fact, five babies were born during the journey, and they arrived safely at a South Korean harbor on Christmas Day. The captain was so touched by the experience that he later became a Benedictine monk. He has passed on, but is currently up for sainthood with the Catholic Church.
- 10/23/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Bad Kids’ Are As Good As ‘Gold’
“The Bad Kids,” a hit series from Chinese streamer iQiyi, is to be remade as a Japanese feature film “Gold Boy.” The 12-episode gritty crime thriller depicts the troubles that arise after three children accidentally film a murder. The series was previously licensed to Japanese pay-tv group Wowow.
The film is to be directed by Kaneko Shusuke, director of two of the hit “Death Note” franchise films, with screenwriter Minato Takehiko, producer Yoshida Takio (Venice Silver Lion winner with “Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman”), and lead actor Okada Masaki (“Drive My Car”) on board.
Variety previously shortlisted the original series as being among the 15 best international TV series of 2020. The series was adapted from the novel of the same name by Chinese suspense writer Chen Zijin and presented by iQIYI and co-produced by Eternity Pictures, with Han Sanping, former head of China Film Group,...
“The Bad Kids,” a hit series from Chinese streamer iQiyi, is to be remade as a Japanese feature film “Gold Boy.” The 12-episode gritty crime thriller depicts the troubles that arise after three children accidentally film a murder. The series was previously licensed to Japanese pay-tv group Wowow.
The film is to be directed by Kaneko Shusuke, director of two of the hit “Death Note” franchise films, with screenwriter Minato Takehiko, producer Yoshida Takio (Venice Silver Lion winner with “Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman”), and lead actor Okada Masaki (“Drive My Car”) on board.
Variety previously shortlisted the original series as being among the 15 best international TV series of 2020. The series was adapted from the novel of the same name by Chinese suspense writer Chen Zijin and presented by iQIYI and co-produced by Eternity Pictures, with Han Sanping, former head of China Film Group,...
- 3/29/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Seoul, Aug 12 (Ians) South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday granted his first special pardons to Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong, Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin and 1,691 others on the occasion of next week’s Liberation Day anniversary.
The government announced the pardons to be effective from Liberation Day on August 15, reports Yonhap News Agency.
Former President Lee Myung-bak had initially been widely expected to benefit from the pardons but was not included in the list.
Also excluded was former South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyoung-soo, one of the closest associates of former President Moon Jae-in.
The most prominent beneficiary is Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee, the report said.
“I will work hard for the national economy,” Lee told reporters in front of the Seoul Central District Court upon the pardon announcement.
Lee is currently standing trial in a separate accounting fraud case involving the 2015 merger of Samsung affiliates.
He was...
The government announced the pardons to be effective from Liberation Day on August 15, reports Yonhap News Agency.
Former President Lee Myung-bak had initially been widely expected to benefit from the pardons but was not included in the list.
Also excluded was former South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyoung-soo, one of the closest associates of former President Moon Jae-in.
The most prominent beneficiary is Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee, the report said.
“I will work hard for the national economy,” Lee told reporters in front of the Seoul Central District Court upon the pardon announcement.
Lee is currently standing trial in a separate accounting fraud case involving the 2015 merger of Samsung affiliates.
He was...
- 8/12/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
North Korea allegedly launched an intercontinental ballistic missile Thursday, according to South Korean and Japanese officials, marking the first time the country has performed such a test since 2017. News of the test comes just weeks after U.S. and South Korean defense officials warned the North’s recent missile testing activity suggested the country was gearing up for an eventual full-scale Icbm launch.
“This launch is a brazen violation of multiple Un Security Council resolutions and needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region,” read a...
“This launch is a brazen violation of multiple Un Security Council resolutions and needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region,” read a...
- 3/24/2022
- by Kat Bouza
- Rollingstone.com
New York, Sep 21 (Ians) K-pop band BTS brought their message for the environment to the global stage on Monday at the 76th United Nations General Assembly, reports Billboard.com. At the Un Assembly, BTS were introduced by South Korean President Moon Jae-In, who called them “probably the artistes most loved by people around the world,” […]...
- 9/21/2021
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
“This is a very serious and deep question,” says Rm, the 26-year-old leader of the world’s biggest band. He pauses to think. We’re talking about utopian and dystopian futures, about how the boundary-smashing, hegemony-overturning global success of his group, the wildly talented seven-member South Korean juggernaut BTS, feels like a glimpse of a new and better world, of an interconnected 21st century actually living up to its promise.
BTS’ downright magical levels of charisma, their genre-defying, sleek-but-personal music, even their casually nontoxic, skin-care-intensive brand of masculinity — every bit...
BTS’ downright magical levels of charisma, their genre-defying, sleek-but-personal music, even their casually nontoxic, skin-care-intensive brand of masculinity — every bit...
- 5/13/2021
- by Brian Hiatt
- Rollingstone.com
Bong Joon-ho’s film highlights how South Koreans struggle as the gap between rich and poor widens
Few would begrudge South Koreans their moment of joy after Parasite’s historic success at the Oscars. Not only was Bong Joon-ho’s film the first non-English language production in the Academy Awards’ 92-year history to win best picture – one of four Oscars on the night for the director and his crew – it was long-overdue recognition by the global movie industry of the brilliance of South Korean cinema.
But the celebrations, led by the country’s president, Moon Jae-in, concealed an uncomfortable truth about Bong’s masterpiece. Centring on the tension between the Kims, a basement-dwelling family of “dirt spoons” in Seoul, and the Parks, a family at the opposite end of the social spectrum, Parasite’s plot is predicated on the widening gap between the haves and the have nots in Asia’s fourth-biggest economy.
Few would begrudge South Koreans their moment of joy after Parasite’s historic success at the Oscars. Not only was Bong Joon-ho’s film the first non-English language production in the Academy Awards’ 92-year history to win best picture – one of four Oscars on the night for the director and his crew – it was long-overdue recognition by the global movie industry of the brilliance of South Korean cinema.
But the celebrations, led by the country’s president, Moon Jae-in, concealed an uncomfortable truth about Bong’s masterpiece. Centring on the tension between the Kims, a basement-dwelling family of “dirt spoons” in Seoul, and the Parks, a family at the opposite end of the social spectrum, Parasite’s plot is predicated on the widening gap between the haves and the have nots in Asia’s fourth-biggest economy.
- 2/16/2020
- by Justin McCurry and Nemo Kim
- The Guardian - Film News
Political producer Jenna Gibson has been named managing editorial producer at CBS News. In her newly expanded role, Gibson will continue to manage major political and international guest bookings while taking on additional editorial responsibilities, as well as coordinate political contributors across the Network.
“Jenna has played a key role in some of our highest-profile political bookings at CBS News,” said Chris Isham, CBS News vice president and Washington bureau chief. “As we head into 2020 and beyond, Jenna will be a central part of our political coverage and play an important role in our expanding efforts to produce engaging and original journalism.”
Gibson was previously a senior editorial producer where she oversaw political bookings for CBS This Morning, the CBS Evening News, and CBS News coverage for special events. She negotiated CBS This Morning’s historic broadcast, live from the White House, and has landed interviews with every living president of the United States,...
“Jenna has played a key role in some of our highest-profile political bookings at CBS News,” said Chris Isham, CBS News vice president and Washington bureau chief. “As we head into 2020 and beyond, Jenna will be a central part of our political coverage and play an important role in our expanding efforts to produce engaging and original journalism.”
Gibson was previously a senior editorial producer where she oversaw political bookings for CBS This Morning, the CBS Evening News, and CBS News coverage for special events. She negotiated CBS This Morning’s historic broadcast, live from the White House, and has landed interviews with every living president of the United States,...
- 2/10/2020
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Newly minted four-time Oscar winner Bong Joon Ho is being hailed in his native South Korea and elsewhere today for Parasite’s history-making achievement in becoming the first foreign-language film to win the Best Picture Academy Award. From social media salutes to an official message from President Moon Jae-in, the Bonghive is abuzz.
Moon congratulated Parasite and Bong for “instilling pride and courage in our people as we come together to weather difficulties.” He was likely referring to the coronavirus epidemic that has engulfed Asia and will see the Korean government airlift about 150 nationals and their family members from Wuhan, China, tomorrow.
Added Moon, “An amusing yet sad movie, Parasite also conveys social messages in a novel, outstanding and successful way. It reminds us of how touching and powerful a movie can be. The government will stand with those in the film industry so that they can stretch their imagination...
Moon congratulated Parasite and Bong for “instilling pride and courage in our people as we come together to weather difficulties.” He was likely referring to the coronavirus epidemic that has engulfed Asia and will see the Korean government airlift about 150 nationals and their family members from Wuhan, China, tomorrow.
Added Moon, “An amusing yet sad movie, Parasite also conveys social messages in a novel, outstanding and successful way. It reminds us of how touching and powerful a movie can be. The government will stand with those in the film industry so that they can stretch their imagination...
- 2/10/2020
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” made history at the 92nd Academy Awards Sunday night, winning the Oscar for best original screenplay, best international feature, best director and best picture (the first foreign language film to take the top prize). And as the cast and crew celebrated in Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, so too did South Korea.
President Moon Jae In tweeted a congratulatory message, writing, “I join all Koreans in congratulating the film ‘Parasite’ for winning Oscars in four categories at the Academy Awards … I am especially grateful to them instilling pride and courage in our people as we come together to weather difficulties.”
He added, “An amusing yet sad movie, ‘Parasite’ also conveys social messages in a novel, outstanding and successful way. It reminds us of how touching and powerful a movie can be. The Government will stand with those in the film industry so that they can stretch...
President Moon Jae In tweeted a congratulatory message, writing, “I join all Koreans in congratulating the film ‘Parasite’ for winning Oscars in four categories at the Academy Awards … I am especially grateful to them instilling pride and courage in our people as we come together to weather difficulties.”
He added, “An amusing yet sad movie, ‘Parasite’ also conveys social messages in a novel, outstanding and successful way. It reminds us of how touching and powerful a movie can be. The Government will stand with those in the film industry so that they can stretch...
- 2/10/2020
- by Lawrence Yee
- The Wrap
President Donald Trump is apparently quite jealous of former President Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize, which the former won in 2009 for “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people.” So, in the fall, the United States government, at Trump’s request, asked Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to nominate him for the prize for his negotiations with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, an unnamed Japanese government source told the Asahi Shimbun.
At a White House press conference on Friday, Trump said that Abe had given him “the...
At a White House press conference on Friday, Trump said that Abe had given him “the...
- 2/17/2019
- by Peter Wade
- Rollingstone.com
President Donald Trump and special counsel Robert Mueller, the man investigating his campaign, are both on the shortlist for Time Person of the Year in 2018.
The 10 nominees on the shortlist were announced on NBC News’ Today on Monday. The annual designation names figures who have impacted current events. Trump previously received the title in 2016.
Vladimir Putin, who was named Person of the Year in 2007, was included on the list in part because Trump’s friendliness with the Russian president has come under scrutiny in the wake of Russia’s efforts to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.
In Finland in July,...
The 10 nominees on the shortlist were announced on NBC News’ Today on Monday. The annual designation names figures who have impacted current events. Trump previously received the title in 2016.
Vladimir Putin, who was named Person of the Year in 2007, was included on the list in part because Trump’s friendliness with the Russian president has come under scrutiny in the wake of Russia’s efforts to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.
In Finland in July,...
- 12/10/2018
- by Emily Zauzmer
- PEOPLE.com
Donald Trump Talks “Talented” Kim Jong-Un & New North Korea “Bond”: “Adversaries Can Become Friends”
Donald Trump took questions from global media during a surreal, 60-minute media session after his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in Singapore.
Here are some of the key comments from his session:
“We’ve had a tremendous 24 hours, a tremendous three months actually,” Trump said. “My meeting with Chairman Kim was honest, direct and productive.” Trump said Kim is “already destroying a major missile site”. This detail was not in their joint declaration because the two leaders agreed it after the document was signed, he said. “We can replace the horrors of battle with the blessings of peace,” Trump continued. “There’s no limit to what North Korea can achieve when it gives up its nuclear weapons,” he said. “Anyone can make war, but only the most courageous can make peace.” The President also added that without Otto Warmbier “this wouldn’t have happened”. Otto Warmbier was the...
Here are some of the key comments from his session:
“We’ve had a tremendous 24 hours, a tremendous three months actually,” Trump said. “My meeting with Chairman Kim was honest, direct and productive.” Trump said Kim is “already destroying a major missile site”. This detail was not in their joint declaration because the two leaders agreed it after the document was signed, he said. “We can replace the horrors of battle with the blessings of peace,” Trump continued. “There’s no limit to what North Korea can achieve when it gives up its nuclear weapons,” he said. “Anyone can make war, but only the most courageous can make peace.” The President also added that without Otto Warmbier “this wouldn’t have happened”. Otto Warmbier was the...
- 6/12/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Ivanka Trump spoke with South Korean president Moon Jae-in and said that she will use her visit to the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang to pressure North Korea to halt its nuclear program. Ivanka Trump To Attend Olympic Games President Donald Trump‘s daughter will be heading up the U.S. delegation at this weekend’s closing Olympic ceremony in the South […]
Source: uInterview
The post Ivanka Trump Arrives In South Korea As Head Of U.S. Olympic Delegation At Closing Ceremonies appeared first on uInterview.
Source: uInterview
The post Ivanka Trump Arrives In South Korea As Head Of U.S. Olympic Delegation At Closing Ceremonies appeared first on uInterview.
- 2/24/2018
- by Hillary Luehring-Jones
- Uinterview
As countries start to celebrate their first gold medals of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, many athletes and sports fans from around the would are also using the event to speak out against the host country’s dog meat trade.
Close to 2 million dogs are slaughtered at South Korea’s 17,000 dog meat farms every year, surviving horrible conditions and abuse until they are killed. CNN anchor Randi Kaye is one of the countless animal lovers who wants to see the dog meat farms of Korea shut down and replaced with humane businesses.
Kaye started this fight by saving one dog,...
Close to 2 million dogs are slaughtered at South Korea’s 17,000 dog meat farms every year, surviving horrible conditions and abuse until they are killed. CNN anchor Randi Kaye is one of the countless animal lovers who wants to see the dog meat farms of Korea shut down and replaced with humane businesses.
Kaye started this fight by saving one dog,...
- 2/13/2018
- by Kelli Bender
- PEOPLE.com
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