Welcome! First launched by Darcy Paquet in 1999, this site has grown with the help of many volunteers to provide a comprehensive introduction to Korean cinema.
Now Screening in Korea:
Exhuma
dir. Jang Jae-hyun
The third feature by director Jang Jae-hyun (The Priests, Svaha: The Sixth Finger) has emerged as the first major hit of 2024, injecting a strong note of optimism into the local film industry. Starring Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hae-jin and Lee Do-hyun, the occult horror film focuses on a small group of shamans and feng shui experts who discover something sinister while exhuming a grave. The film also screened in the Forum section at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival.
Upcoming Film Festivals
41st Busan International Short Film Festival
(April 25-30)
25th Jeonju International Film Festival
(May 1-10)
12th Muju Film Festival
(Jun 5-9)
28th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival
(July 4-14)
Subtitled Screenings in Korea
Screenings with English Subtitles
(run by KOFIC)
"All in Korean" Facebook Page
(run by volunteers)
Read more about this site and its creators
at the About Koreanfilm.org page
Visit our Links page
Inactive Pages
Site contact: darcy@koreanfilm.org
Personal blogs of our contributors:
Kyu Hyun · Tom
Navigating this Site
Keep up with new reviews and updates to the site on our What's New page
Ask questions, or discuss about Korean films at our Facebook page
Do a Search of Koreanfilm.org
Film Reviews
Browse by year at the links below, or check
our Review Index sorted by title
2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2021
2020 · 2019 · 2018 · 2017 · 2016
2015 · 2014 · 2013 · 2012 · 2011
2010 · 2009 · 2008 · 2007 · 2006
2005 · 2004 · 2003 · 2002 · 2001
2000 · 1999 · 1998 · 1997 · 1996
1990-95 · 1980s · 1970s · 1960s · 1945-59
Documentaries · "The Korean Connection"
DVDs and Blu-rays · Music Videos · TV Dramas
Special Pages
Our Film Festival Reports contain impressions of films, retrospectives, and other issues from festivals in Korea and elsewhere. Our most recent report is from the 2022 Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.
If you're searching for Books About Korean Cinema, this page will provide information, summaries and tables of contents for all the major book releases.
We've done a number of Interviews with Korean Filmmakers over the years. Our most recent interview is Melissa Kim's 2018 talk with director/actor Moon So-ri.
At the end of each year our Top Ten Lists bring together our thoughts and picks for the best Korean films of the year.
Visit our Directors' Pages for detailed introductions to the work of a few specific filmmakers.
Highlighted Essays
Still Waiting For Good News: Korean Cinema in 2021
(from the Far East Film Festival)
by Darcy Paquet
Park Chul-soo: South Korea's Neglected Auteur
by Adam Hartzell
Taking in a Few South Korean Baseball Films
by Adam Hartzell
A Short History of Korean Film
by Darcy Paquet
A History of Korean Animation
by Tom Giammarco
Best Films of the 21st Century's First Decade
by various contributors
Click for the Complete List of Essays
at Koreanfilm.org