News

Parasite producer Barunson E&a has a new CEO.

Yoonhee Choi has stepped in to take over from Gene Hong (Brian) Park and Kwak Sin Ae. She has been with Barunson E&a since 2021, when she was hired as Managing Director and was upped to COO in April last year.

Choi was previously at Cj Enm, serving as head of international sales for films such as the Barunson E&a-produced Oscar winner Parasite and The Spy Gone North and producer of titles such as Seobok, Hard Hit and Nothing Serious.

Barunson E&a’s upcoming slate also includes the next two features from Parasite director Bong Joon-ho and as well as projects from directors Kim Sung-hoon and Um Tae-hwa.

Since October 2022, it has been expanding its global footprint by launching International sales and production / financing arms, securing sales rights to its first non-Korean film, Giddens Ko’s Miss Shampoo, and investing in Indonesian thriller 13 Bombs,...

Exclusive: Stanley Nelson’s Firelight Films and Hulu have set Julianna Brannum (Now I Lay Me Down), Ivan MacDonald (Breaking the Silence) and Juan Carlos Dávila Santiago (When Reggaeton Was a Crime) as the first filmmakers to benefit from their new Hulu/Firelight Kindling Fund. Through the initiative, each will be awarded $25,000 to develop their original documentary feature or limited series for a first look by the companies.

The mid-career filmmakers, who are alums of Firelight’s artist programs, will be expected to develop their project into a robust treatment, pitch deck, budget, and schedule for the aforementioned first look, and in addition to the financial prize, will receive one-on-one professional development sessions on producing for Hulu with Hulu’s documentary division. Project pitches considered for additional development or greenlight from Hulu will, if selected, be co-produced with Firelight Films, executive produced by Nelson, for streaming on Hulu.

“Firelight Films...

Disney+ Asia Slate Takes Shape

Disney+ has set an Aug. 9 upload date for Korean series “Moving” from webtoon pioneer Kang Full.

The previously announced title forms part of a 20-component slate of films and series from East Asia that will release on the Disney-backed streaming platform in the second half of 2023 and through 2024.

Also from Korea is “The Worst of Evil,” a detective series in which a rural policemen is brought to the big city to bring down a DJ dealing in a potent new drug. It stars Ji Changwook, “Squid Game” actor Wi Hajun and Lim Semi.

Highlights from Japan include “Tokyo Revengers: Tenjiku Arc,” the latest instalments of a popular anime franchise, and the previously announced “Dragons of Wonderhatch,” a hybrid story set in both the “real world” and an anime land where dragons and humans coexist. The multi-dimensional story stars Nakajima Sena, Okudaira Daiken and Mackenyu.

The...

To begin on a personal note, I’m a big fan of supporting actors that progress to being leading men in their own right. Kwak Do-wan, Lee Sung-min, Yoo Hae-jin and Sung Dong-il are some names that spring immediately to mind when you think of such South Korean actors. With “Hard Hit”, director Kim Chang-ju’s debut thriller, yet another extremely reliable actor, Jo Woo-jin, makes the same jump in resounding style.

He plays Sung-kyu, an ace investment banker, who handles high-end VIP clients for his bank. The day has begun like any for him: he gets in his car and takes his daughter and son to drop them off at their respective schools. He has an important business meeting later in the day but it’s one that he will never get to, because a phone call is about to change his life. A phone call from a restricted...

“Black Widow” held on to top spot at the South Korean box office despite a challenge from the new release of local horror film “The Medium.” New release, “Space Jam: A New Legacy” made no impact.

The Disney-Marvel film saw weekend earnings of $4.09 million, a drop of 54% compared with the previous session. Since release on July 7, it has accumulated $19.2 million, putting it within $25,000 of the 2021 record currently enjoyed by “F9.”

“The Medium,” a highly-anticipated horror film that involves Thai director Banjong Pisanthanakun and Korean producer-director Na Hong-jin (“The Chaser”), came second over the weekend, earning $2.82 million.

The film was launched on Wednesday and had started brightly, initially beating “Black Widow.” Over five days it has accumulated $5.05 million.

While their screen counts were not hugely dissimilar – “Black Widow” had 1,577, against 1,402 for “The Medium” – the American film accounted for 48% of the nationwide box office market, compared with just 33% for “The Medium.”

The...