Discoveries from South Korea World Cinema

A would be marathon runner falls in love with a orphan girl from Korea.

Park Duk Joon is an old man living by himself. Every night, he suffers from insomnia attacks brought on by disturbing flashes from his dark past. He tries in vain to pray and find solace in religion. His only friend is Mrs. Lee, a church elder who gives him weekly church bulletins. Mrs. Lee invites him to a testimonial at her church. Duk Joon is surprised to see the face of the speaker. He is Lim Gwang Han, Duk Joon's former superior officer from his days as a police interrogator in the 80s. They meet for the first time in years, Gwang Han brings up Duk Joon's painful past again.

In the Chinese martial arts/fantasy opus Monkey War: New Pilgrims to the West - a sequel to the original Monkey War - the brave Monkey King launches out on a quest to build a new life for himself. But as he marches westward, he encounters a series of nearly insurmountable foes (including a pig demon and a horde of angry demonic spirits who attempt to eat his monastic tutor) and trials that he must overcome to reach a state of tranquility. (Rotten Tomatoes)

"With no money and no backer, the U.S. Military is the only answer. Help me!" A dirt-poor high school graduate KATUSA tries hard

Clashes between Korean Independence fighters, the retreating Japanese military, the Soviet Army, and bandits at the end of WWII.

Jin-woo lives in his friend's house and he likes his friend's sister. Although he has a girlfriend, he's constantly looking for a chance to approach the sister. However, he doesn't get the nerve to do so until he approaches her with the excuse that wearing a woman's panties on an important day brings luck.

Dong Chan is a prickly broadcasting director at MBS who meets and immediately clashes with Nam Hee, a reporter he meets at a wedding reception. Through their constant bickering, they end up falling in love despite their initial dislike of each other. His passiveness in love results in a comedic struggle as the two tries to deal with their physical attraction.

Due to her father's debts, Yun Go-na marries Song Kye-nam but she is unhappy because of Kye-nam's self-indulgent lifestyle. Go-na takes her daughter, Min-hi, and goes to Seoul where she gets a job as a hostess. One day, Mun Byung-kil proposes to Go-na. Troubled by her situation, Go-na turns him down. But Go-na is touched by his sincerity and marries him. The three live happily as a family but then Kye-nam shows up and demands his daughter Min-hi. However, Ky0e-nam goes away when he realizes which is real happiness of his daughter.

One day, detective Incheol (Jung Chan) visits Wido. The island is high with hopes for redevelopment as it has been designated as a cultural tourism trial site. Incheol was dispatched to the island to determine the cause of Jong-gu's death who is thought to have been killed in a landslide. But from the first day of his arrival, the islanders' behavior struck Incheol as strange. They wanted him to quietly conclude the case and leave. Incheol, who would even accept dirty money to treat his wife's illness, decides to leave. That night, another case of suicide takes place and Incheol could feel that the residents' bizarre behavior and the series of accidents are not irrelevant. Now, Incheol's investigation reveals the dirty truth the islanders have been hiding.

A fox and a raccoon are thrown out of heaven for their sins and land in Young-gu's village. The fox and the raccoon fight viciously all night because only one of them can return to heaven alive. But the raccoon is outwitted by the fox and is injured severely. The raccoon, now transformed into a pretty young woman, is found unconscious in front of Young-gu's house. Young-gu's parents take her in as Young-gu's bride. But the fox has turned into a Hong Kong Granny Ghost and is killing children to drink their blood and eating their livers. Young-gu and the raccoon team up to fight the fox and the fox finally is killed when a lightening strikes its tail s only weak point. The raccoon bids farewell to Young-gu and ascends to heaven on a rope.

Yeon-su, the police officer, is dispatched to an island and starts to witness strange situations. Yae-un, who lives in the island after she lost her parents when she was young, and the others´ behavior terrifies Yeon-su. Film director Park who constantly focused on stories related to human greed and collapse, deeply explores the guilt of human and the possibility of redemption again.

During the Joseon dynasty, the adviser Choi manages to place his natural son on the throne. His ambitions are upset by the appearance of Young-mun, a man whose parents he had killed.

A girl meets a talking stone and goes on a short picnic with it.

PLAVE, the group that has now become legendary, brings you an intense performance that only they can deliver. The historic moment when the first virtual idol group entered the Gocheok Sky Dome — the overwhelming energy of [DASH: Quantum Leap] Encore, a night filled with shared emotion, now unfolds on the big screen! From “Dash,” the anthem that signaled the start of a new generation, to the heartfelt fan songs dedicated solely to PLLI, relive the dreamlike moments achieved together in theaters once more.

Hye-ri finds out her long-time boyfriend, Hoon, has been cheating on her with another girl named Soo-ah. Soo-ah, confronted totally unprepared, gets wildly drawn to Hye-ri at first sight.

The story of the life of a hard-working woman in an advertising agency who drinks coffee continuously.

Features powerful performances, in-depth interviews with the 13 members, and commentaries on their past, present, and future they will create with CARATs.

A documentary that reports on the the rescue failure of the Sewol incident. In the days of media control, Park Geun-hye and her government sabotaged the screening of "Diving Bell" at the Busan International Film Festival.

Returning to his home after serving a prison term, Ma-Ryong gets angry because his wife became a whore. But he forgives her past and hands $100,000 which he got as a bonus from a secret mission he was to take, telling her to go to a remote place with his mother. In the meantime, Ma-Dae, a boss of Hong-Kong operating criminal organization, is negotiating with Sasaki in Japan for purchase of some firearms. Ma-Ryong is to execute this secret mission. With the Interpol's intervention, Ma-Ryong is to break up the Sasaki gang with Dae-Ho.

One morning, while chatting with friends, thirty-year-old Kim Ji-mi discovers that a video of herself has been uploaded to a porn site.

One day, Seung-gyu stumbles upon a video of his boyfriend, being intimate with another man. Shocked and confused, Seung-gyu sets out to uncover the truth behind the footage...

Lee Su-geun's rise to Korean comedy stardom went hand in hand with his mastery over picking up social cues. Now, he's ready to share his know-hows.

The hostess Oh Hak-ja has not experienced true love yet. Though outwardly, Hak-ja seems to distrust men, she earnestly thirsts for love. Hak-ja tries to find true love with a young man named Ji Suk-wu but he betrays her. Promising to meet again, Suk-wu goes abroad but Hak-ja falls into despair when he doesn't return.

A short film that depicts the dissatisfaction and ridiculous situation of the staff and actors who film in difficult conditions

On that familiar night, a sense of anxiety and fearful emotions came over me. Countless thoughts and questions followed.

Seung-hyeon who grew up lonely, falls in love with Hye-joo, a beautiful woman sitting next to him during a spontaneous bus trip. The two people became close and he followed her to an island with a mysterious ambiance and enjoyed an intense sex that day... Two years after being lovers, Seung-hyeon was diagnosed with acute cerebral hemorrhage and his father, who had been away for a long time, came back home to hold his son's funeral.

Li-hwa graduates college and becomes a reporter. On a rainy day, she remembers an old boyfriend, Suk-gi. She goes to Eroika to look for him. Instead, Li-hwa meets Suk-gi's friend, Su-hwan, and she falls in love with him. On the other hand, while on a story, Li-hwa meets Kwang-jun who is a night teacher. She is drawn to his sincere humanity. As time passes, Kwang-jun comes to know Li-hwa's feelings. Together, they help children and offer guidance to prostitutes. Kwang-jun and Li-hwa have true love for each other but they part when Kwang-jun's non-permitted building is demolished. Hyun-wu ended up as a mental patient from the shock he received from his mother's scandalous behavior. He meets Li-hwa and receives her devoted care. Finally, Hyun-wu recovers completely and the two confirm their love. And the next day, Hyun-wu returns to society as a healthy man.

The movie depicts the sorrows of growing old – a man suffering from dementia finds himself losing parts of his dignity day by day. In the end, it is the power of family's love that embraces that quiet walk into the night.

First, the tale of a doctor who hides the accidental death of his son. Second, the story of a sculptress who kills and makes a sculpture out of a habitual sex offender who breaks into her home. Third, the story of a detective who administers euthanasia to satisfy the wishes of a terminally ill younger brother. Last, the tale of a young girl who develops psychological problems after her mother is killed by her abusive father

Old man, Moon-ho, spends his time masturbating because of Alzheimer. Yoon-jeong works as caretaker for Moon-ho. One day, Yoon-jeong finds Moon-ho completely recovered from dementia…

When Gina Kim turned twenty-two, she decided to leave her home in Korea and not return. Taking advantage of an opportunity to study abroad, she was anxious to escape her mother’s authority and avoid a similar fate as an overweight, underappreciated housewife. Traumatized by her decision, the filmmaker began to develop symptoms of anorexia and proceeded to document her mental decline and eventual recovery. Combining video performance art with an intimate home-movie diary, this self-documented coming-of-age story demonstrates how video technologies can be used to capture the most intimate, confessional voice of a filmmaker.

Hi-won is a news reporter for a magazine. She runs into Min Seung-wu who was once her lover when she was a teacher. Hi-won is attracted by Seung-wu's charm but her parents do not approve of their relationship for his past of misfortune having grown up an orphan. She is proposed to marry Song Yun-sik whom she was fixed up by a matchmaker but that only assures her of her love for Seung-wu. Seung-wu decides to move to France for her sake and for his family, cherishing his memory of the time they spent together on the night of his farewell party. As he heads to the airport, she marries an ordinary man.

They're a five-member girl group, Thriller. They might have chosen different paths in life but when it comes to music, they share the same ideals, led by their manager Seok. Taking after his policeman father, Seok is a man's man, helping the girls through their failures and sharing their happiness in success. He's a righteous, strong man ready to protect them whenever they fall in danger. And, sure enough, danger comes! Driven away by their conflicts and different personalities, the girls find themselves in trouble, one of them becoming a victim of rape. But fear not, Seok will try to get every single one of those responsible for such a crime. And when Seok gets angry, he becomes a Crazy Boy.

MAENG Sa-seong excelled at his old school. However, at a new school located in an affluent neighborhood, the situation completely changes, and students make fun of him for being from a not-so-rich family. On the other hand, Hyun-jeong living next door to him is the best high school student in the country and never feels timid with anyone. MAENG Sa-seong is a daddy’s boy, for his father is so dedicated to him, while Hyun-jeong is bright and always confident, growing up without her father. Will Mr. MAENG succeed in forcing Kang-du, a redneck rogue, to move out?

A young homeless man happens to draw a series of illustrations over dusty surfaces, gradually recovering from the pains of his past.

Young-taek is a high school student. One day, a boy visits his house. It turns out that this boy is his father's lover. He can't believe that his father is gay but eventually accepts the fact. After he graduates from high school and attends university, he meets a senior classmate who becomes being in love with him. The senior classmate harasses him in the name of love. After he goes to serve in the army, he is sexually harassed by his sergeant who has a girlfriend. Young-taek has been homophobic, but after meeting different people, he reconsiders life and love.

A Korean family is separated during the Japanese colonial period and end up in different parts of Asia, and on different sides of the Korean Civil War.

A kind school teacher suddenly becomes heir to a large company on the condition she marries the owner's grandson. As she is interested in neither, they make a deal that if they manage to date for a full six months, he will inherit instead.

Su-young is a lesbian who plans to go on the first vacation with her girlfriend, Young-mi. But the day before the two leave for vacation, Su-young receives the news about her father’s hospitalization. Will she be able to safely go on the vacation with her girlfriend?

Near future in Seoul, Oliver and Claire are abandoned helper robots stuck in a rut. One day, Claire knocks on Oliver’s door to borrow a charger and they grow closer since then. Oliver hoping to meet his former owner again and Claire dreaming of seeing fireflies, the two decide to leave for Jeju Island. During the unexpected journey, they end up finding themselves falling in love. However, the joy of love soon fades away as Claire helplessly breaks down. With sad ending waiting for them, the two robots learn what love can bring.

A drama about the conflict between Captain Choi Hyeong-won, who has to silence a case to seize the last chance of promotion

A painter and a novelist share an abandoned apartment building. The painter takes in 99 stray dogs as the subjects of his next work but, as he does not have enough resources to feed them, the dogs turn feral. Meanwhile, the novelist begins to have an uneasy dread about what will happen when the painter's latest work is complete

Koo Kyo-hwan and Lee Ha-na are lovers The cash-strapped couple plans their own self-associated documentary, "Project Name: Love," blinded by the five million won advance fund. However, they suddenly break up due to differences in personality, artistry, and taste.

Kyung-eon lives with mom and her sister. Her mom is about to marry a man with a son and invites them to a meeting to introduce each other. After the meeting, Kyung-eon goes to meet her daddy, who hasn’t met for a long time.

During the Korean War in early 1950s, mother’s family comes and stays at Dong-man’s house. His uncle on father’s side is a North Korean partisan and the uncle on mother’s side dies while fighting as South Korean soldier. For this reason, his grandmothers don’t get alone. Dong-man tells a stranger that his partisan uncle is home and his father gets arrested.

On the 8th anniversary of death, judgment of the wandering spirits begin. The day the fate of the perpetrator and victim cross paths and buried memories awake, wrongdoings are judged, and grudges are dispelled.

Ji-yeong has a biking accident and is aided by a boy who is practicing to become an Olympic marathon runner. The young man falls ill during a practice and is forced to give up his dream due to a previously undiagnosed heart disease. Ji-yeong wants to help him, but her parents don't allow it, so she steals a camera to pawn for the money for the boy's hospital bill.

A Korea-Japan collaboration, this romance comedy is about a top model who decides to put on weight for love.

A man and a woman are talking to each other. Their conversation is audible but inaudible. Once their conversation is heading to the climax, her tears are going up. The situation is reversed. Did he hear or did she hear?

When his 'liberal' wife dies, middle aged Jang Tae-yeon stays single for the sake of his only child. When he meets Hwang Yu-young, who is in her twenties, by chance, Tae-yeon gets remarried. Yu-young becomes a young housewife enjoying a well-to-do life. However, as the days go by, she grows more disgruntled by the generation gap between her and her husband. Tae-yeon gets more caught up with his friends. When he finds out of his wife's gradual transformation into becoming a 'liberal' wife, he dies from the shock. Yu-young regrets her husband's death and she realizes too late what it means to be a housewife.

High school students Chi-Hyun and Myung-Soo always takes care of their best friend Kyung-Sook, who is terminally ill with leukemia. Kyung-Sook's last wish is to kiss his first love before he dies, but he has never experienced falling in love. For Kyung-Sook, Chi-Hyun and Myung-Soo look for a girl who could become Kyung-Sook's first love. By chance, they meet Kook-Hwa and they succeed in connecting Kyung-Sook with Kook-Hwa. But, Chi-Hyun becomes heartbroken watching Kyung-Sook and Kook-Hwa falling in love.

Four young women hit the road in search of adventure and escape from their stressful lives.

A middle-aged lady, Myung-ja becomes one of the candidates for an amateur swimming competition. Myung-ja doesn’t want to let a teenage girl, Ji-gyu get the chance.