Ko-pick: Korean Actors Embark on Int’l Productions: The Era of Global Casting

The Korean content industry in the 2020s has entered a phase of further internationalization with US streamers financing both films and series, while non-Korean actors are starring in Korean productions. Korean actors are also increasingly featuring in US cont...

Ko-pick: We Cry Different Tears: The Language of Sacrifice in Korean and Filipino Melodrama

Melodrama is a cornerstone genre of both Korean and Filipino cinema, with expressions rooted in specific cultural histories of trauma, faith, and resilience. While sacrifice is a core narrative engine in both Korean and Filipino melodrama, serving as the ultim...

Ko-pick: Busan’s ACFM Reaffirms its role as Global Business Platform with 20th Edition

Professionals from the film industry including producers, distributors, sales agents, and financiers often congregate at film markets around the world that usually run alongside film festivals. One of the leading events is the European Film Market that takes p...

Ko-pick: The Busan International Film Festival: The Future of Asia’s Film Hub

On September 17, the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) kicks off with the Asian premiere of Park Chan-wook’s new film No Other Choice (2025). This year is significant because it celebrates its 30th edition. As such, it has an impressive lineup of films...

Ko-pick: Overseas Production & Post-Production in Korean Film Industry

The production of Korean films, like other film industries, has been shaped by Hollywood, not least through its studio system. It’s also echoing Hollywood with its global ambitions. Taking benefit of tax incentives and cheaper labor, while also seeking to capi...

Ko-pick: Evolving Studio Ecosystem in Streaming Era

Korea’s studio system has developed and evolved over the last thirty years with the rise of its leading studios CJ ENM, Lotte, Showbox and then later with NEW and Plus M Entertainment. Hollywood studios and streamers led by Netflix have further accelerated the...

Ko-pick: From Seoul’s DMC to the Port City of Busan: Korea’s Content Hubs

Korean films and shows that continue to attract much attention have benefited from the country’s advanced technological infrastructure that has been developed over the last two decades. It’s evolved at such a quick pace with the help of its huge pool of talent...

Ko-pick: Korean Genre Films Attracting Attention from Global Investors & Talent

The rise of Korean cinema on the global stage has not gone unnoticed in Hollywood and beyond. This isn’t new with Disney investing in Korean genre films as early as the 2000s seen through Ahn Byeong-ki’s horror film The Phone (2002). Disney has since heavily i...

Ko-pick: Merchandise and Theme Cafes Entice Viewers Back to Korea’s Theaters

Korea’s multiplexes have been seeking different ways to pull audiences back to cinemas. In the 2010s, Korea’s film industry was not only growing but it was booming attracting over 200 million viewers to theaters between 2012 and 2019. Over half of these admiss...

Ko-pick: Sustainability of Korean Independent Films

In parallel with the rise of Korea’s commercial industry and the building of its studio system that has seen Korean cinema flourish both on the local and international stage, Korean independent films have also left an indelible mark both home and abroad. They ...