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Some 17 years ago, viewers were both maddened and mesmerized by the tactile fever dream that was M, a cornucopia of sound and motion that is, for the moment, Lee Myung-se's last feature-length testament to the cinema medium he so adores. Though it doesn't quite qualify as a full feature return, Lee is back on stage presenting the richly cinematic four-part anthology film The Killers. Lee spearheaded this project as a creative producer and directed its final segment. Also in the formidable directing roster are Kim Jong-kwan (The Table), Roh Deok (Very Ordinary Couple) and Chang Hang-joon (Forgotten). The film essentially features four adaptions of Ernest Hemingway's famous 1927 short story of the same name, in which two hitmen enter a small town diner one...

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The Killers anthology brings together four renowned Korean directors for a creative examination of the criminal underworld. Released in 2024, the film draws inspiration from Ernest Hemingway’s short story “The Killers” as well as Edward Hopper’s iconic painting “Nighthawks,” both of which depict ominous encounters between hitmen and their targets. Through four distinct short films, Kim Jong-kwan, Roh Deok, Jang Hang-jun, and Lee Myung-se put their own singular spin on this pulpy premise.

Kim opens with “Metamorphosis,” throwing viewers into a neo-noir world of blurred reality and vengeance. A down-on-his-luck man awakens in a lavish underground bar owned by an alluring yet mysterious woman who offers a path to retaliation. Roh follows with the dark comedy “Contractors,” skewering outsourcing absurdity through the botched handoff of a murder contract down an incompetent chain of hires.

Shifting tones, Jang’s “Everyone is Waiting for the Man” ratchets tension in a quaint...

Korean genre cinema has become a stable internationally as we witness a plethora of horror, science-fiction and thriller projects being released every year. Considering this wide array of works, Korean directors have offered their takes on popular tropes, themes and characters with the idea of the killer being one of many. Even though the output in mainstream cinema has followed the roots of this type of character more or less quite directly, the anthology feature “The Killers” aims to show the possibilities this concept offers, blending it with elements of horror and even going back to silent cinema. Directors Kim Jong-kwan, Roh Deok, Chang Hang-jun and Lee Myung-Se have created the four segments, each of which showcases one facet of the hitman character, while also experimenting with various aesthetic and narrative styles.

The Killers is screening at Fantasia International Film Festival

In the first episode titled “Metamorphosis” we encounter Wan-chul...

The annual New York Asian Film Festival is about to kick off this summer.

Presented by the New York Asian Film Foundation and Film at Lincoln Center, the 23rd edition of the festival will take place from July 12 through 22 at Film at Lincoln Center, with additional screenings from July 22 through 28 at the Sva Theatre and July 13–15, 18–21, and 23–25 at Look Cinemas W57, plus a special collaborative presentation of films at the Korean Cultural Center New York.

This year’s lineup marks the largest list of premieres, with 20 films debuting including the North American premiere of “Fly Me to the Moon” and “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In,” which debuted at Cannes.

The opening night selection is the world premiere of Park Beom-su’s “Victory,” a cheerleading epic that’s billed as “Bring It On” meets “Parasite.” Lee Hye-ri (of 3rd-gen K-pop band Girl’s Day) will be in attendance with co-star Park Se-wan and director Park.

Soi Cheang’s Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In will close out the 23rd edition of the New York Asian Film Festival while Hong Kong actor Tai Bo is set to receive the Star Asia lifetime achievement award.

Tai is best known for 2019Twilight’s Kiss which earned him a Hong Kong film award and a Golden Horse nomination. He won a Golden Horse supporting actor award for 2000’s The Cabbie while his work in 1984’s Gung Buk was also critically well received. Tai’s other credits include Police Story, Back Home and, most recently, Berlin 2024 title All Shall Be Well.