Korean theaters roll out Oscar showcase programs
Major chains offer nominees lineup ahead of March 2 ceremony
Awards season is kicking into high gear as the 97th Academy Awards nominations have arrived after multiple delays due to wildfires in Los Angeles.
Riding the awards season wave, South Korea's leading theater chains are treating film enthusiasts to a wide array of special screenings featuring major Oscar-nominated films. Running through February and March, these exclusive showcases offer both unreleased works and recent hits before the March 2 ceremony.
Multiplex chain CGV leads the charge with 15 nominated films -- six unreleased works and nine recent releases -- across 17 locations through March 11, delivering the country's most comprehensive Oscar showcase.
The lineup features best picture nominees "Anora," "The Brutalist," "A Complete Unknown," and "Emilia Perez," alongside other multi-category contenders like Latvia's "Flow" (nominations for animated and internationalfeature) and "The Wild Robot" (animated feature, Sound). "September 5" joins the lineup with its original screenplay nomination.
Detailed schedules and ticketing options are available through the CGV mobile app and official website.
To spice up the viewing experience, CGV offers limited-edition collectibles for select films, available on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendees of "Emilia Perez" will receive special 2025 Oscar-themed voting ballots, while fans of "Conclave," "Flow," "Maria," and "Substance" can collect A3-sized posters. Art House Club members are eligible to receive a movie review notebook to jot down their reflections on the screenings.
Lotte Cinema takes a focused approach through March 4 with seven major contenders, including awards frontrunner "The Brutalist," which leads its slate with nominations for best picture, actor (Adrien Brody), and supporting actress (Felicity Jones).
The cinema chain is adding to the excitement with an Oscar prediction bracket -- moviegoers who nail their picks across categories can take home prizes. Interested moviegoers can find complete details and grab tickets through the Lotte Cinema website and mobile app.
Megabox showcases five nominees through Feb. 23 at its premium settings. The Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown," featuring best actor nominee Timothee Chalamet, takes the spotlight with the theatre chain's signature Dolby Cinema and Atmos Sound presentations amplifying its musical focus.
The chain sweetens the deal with a tiered rewards system -- multiple viewings unlock discounts and free tickets, plus exclusive poster giveaways for select screenings.
Arthouse cinema Cinecube will show 13 nominees through March 18 at its Gwanghwamun location. The program ranges from best picture contenders to technical achievement nominees like "Maria" for cinematography. Cinecube's full Oscar season program, along with booking information, is available through its website, mobile app, and social media channels.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
4 days ago
- Korea Herald
Witness the power of images to change the world: The First SmallRig Awards Announce 22 Global Winners
SHENZHEN, China, June 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2025 International Image Culture Week kicked off in Shenzhen with the highly anticipated 2025 SmallRig Awards Ceremony, where 22 prestigious awards were presented to exceptional global creators. The 2025 International Image Culture Week covers three main sections: 2025 Visionary Storytellers Industry Forum, SmallRig Awards Ceremony, and public image experience activities such as The Social Impact Image Pitching Sessions, Filmmaking Class. As one of the core events of this year's International Imaging Culture Week, the SmallRig Awards Ceremony saw creators and guests from around the world dressed in elegant attire. The international judging panel, headed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Ruby Yang, made a full appearance. Out of 3,891 submissions from 120 countries and regions, a distinguished international jury led by Oscar-winning filmmaker Ruby Yang selected the winning works across 22 categories, including 12 Bronze, 5 Silver, and 2 Gold Awards, as well as the Emerging Talent Award, Audience Choice Award, and Outstanding Achievements Award. Zhou Yang, the founder and CEO of SmallRig, Leqi Innovation, shared the inspiration behind establishing the SmallRig Awards. "This award belongs to all those who believe in the transformative power of visual storytelling and strive to make a difference through their work. We aim to foster ongoing creativity, communication, and sharing of social impact stories through visual media." The SmallRig Image Development Fund will also be launched to promote the creation of meaningful content, facilitate exchange, and connect creators with impactful initiatives. Additionally, Xi Zhinong, a globally renowned wildlife photographer, gave a keynote address titled "Presence Is a Photographer's Duty." With four decades of field photography experience, Xi spoke about the critical importance of being on-site to capture the truth of nature. Xi called on photographers to uphold professional integrity and use their craft to preserve nature: "The power of images in nature conservation lies in being present and telling the truth." Following the awards, the event hosted a global roundtable series titled "Dialogues on Social Impact Images." Two themed discussions, "The Power of Storytelling in Social Impact Images" and "See It, Change It: The Potential of Impact Visuals", included prominent guests such as Ruby Yang, filmmaker Gu Tao, German documentary award-winner Uli Gaulke, as well as scholars, authors, and media leaders from China and abroad. The event also marked the launch of the SmallRig Social Impact Media Alliance, a global initiative uniting prominent media organizations to co-create, distribute, and incubate impactful visual content. Moreover, the Social Impact Image Pitching Sessions have successfully gathered 124 proposals from creators across more than ten countries, such as China, US, Belgium, etc. These submissions feature a rich array of 18 series, 53 short films, and 53 feature films, focusing on different topics such as disability care, ecological protection, and the preservation of intangible cultural heritage, all presented through various formats, including documentaries, animation, and experimental films. To recognize excellence, the sessions awarded prizes to the top 10 works, while the esteemed Chinese independent film streaming platform CathayPlay has introduced the CathayPlay International Communication Honor at the event. About SmallRig Founded in 2013, SmallRig designs and builds complete accessory solutions including camera and phone rigs, battery, tripod and video light for content creation. SmallRig's accessories are widely used in live broadcasting, vlogging, professional video production, and other fields supported by over two million creators worldwide. SmallRig pioneered the User Co-Design (UCD) approach and the DreamRig program, with the ultimate goal of co-designing alongside global creators to help turn their dreams into reality.
Korea Herald
30-05-2025
- Korea Herald
CGV AI film contest showcases amateur filmmakers breaking ground
Theater chain's inaugural contest demonstrates how artificial intelligence tools lower creative barriers for newcomers Mutiplex chain CGV's AI-generated film contest concluded Friday with an awards ceremony at CGV Yongsan in Seoul, showcasing how AI tools can enable creators to create sophisticated cinematic works previously beyond their reach. The theater chain's inaugural event drew submissions from amateur and first-time filmmakers who leveraged generative AI to produce short films that would have previously required massive budgets. "The Wrong Visitor" by Hyun Hae-ri claimed the grand prize among five winners selected from 15 finalists. "I think AI filmmaking isn't 'film by AI' but 'film with AI,'" Hyun said in her acceptance speech. Her 11-minute short film centers on a character with a wolf's head and the body of a human who guides fellow animals through death. The contest particularly highlighted AI's democratizing potential through entries like "Galaxy Cat Express," which earned third place alongside a college student's production, "Pinocchio: Begins." Kim Young-hyun, creator of "Galaxy Cat Express," quit his previous job to pursue filmmaking after AI tools became available. "I used to dream about making those imaginative stories I loved watching as a kid with my parents — 'Terminator' and 'Predator,'" Kim said during his acceptance speech. "When AI tech started developing, I thought 'I can actually do this now' and quit my job to give it a shot." College students from Sogang and Yonsei universities created "Pinocchio: Begins," a cyberpunk reimagining featuring an android programmed to eliminate liars. Screenwriter Kang Da-bin, in accepting the award on behalf of director Ahn Ye-eun, highlighted their amateur status: "We weren't film experts or AI specialists, but we pulled all-nighters and made this movie with just 200,000 won ($145) in our hands. We hope this shows other young people that you can make it happen." The panel of judges included "Concrete Utopia" director Um Tae-hwa, author Kim Jung-hyuk, science YouTuber Kim Jae-hyeok and CJ ENM's AI production director Jung Chang-ik. Evaluation criteria weighted storytelling at 40 percent, creativity at 30 percent and technical execution at 30 percent. The screened works proved AI excels at generating convincing imagery for wild concepts — from the half-human, half-animal characters with intricate fur textures in "The Wrong Visitor" and the dark cyberpunk cityscapes of second-place winner "0KB," to the sweeping galactic vistas with floating spaceships in "Galaxy Cat Express." These sequences would typically require expensive video effects teams to create, but AI has enabled solo creators to achieve comparable results on minimal budgets. It may be one thing to create high-concept short videos resembling on-demand commercials, but it is quite another to craft coherent narrative films, however short. The technology's limitations showed clearly in the editing, where constant hard cuts between scenes prevented narratives from gaining momentum. Visual consistency also proved problematic, with characters' facial features and physical detail shifting between shots, resulting in jarring discontinuities. Notably, most entries relied heavily on English dialogue, suggesting AI's translation capabilities may help creators overcome language barriers. For now, the technology appears positioned to complement rather than replace human creativity — potentially threatening video effects roles while helping screenwriters and directors expand their creative possibilities.
Korea Herald
27-05-2025
- Korea Herald
The best (lesser-known) things about Seoul for solo residents
A city perfect for solo dwellers has karaoke, barbecue joints and watering holes custom-made for a party of one I love to sing, but as a kid, belting out tunes on a karaoke machine usually meant rallying at least one friend to go to the local noraebang (singing room). For a boy who was a bit of a loner, this could be challenging. Then came the 2010s — and with them, a delightful invention: the coin noraebang (pay-per-song karaoke). A sanctuary for solo singers, it offered sweet salvation to those who want to sing their hearts out without the judgmental stares of others. Coin noraebang is just one of many urban pleasures catering to Seoul's growing population of solo dwellers. From one-person barbecue joints to bars and restaurants designed for a party of one, these spaces embrace those who choose to stay in their cocoon of voluntary solitude. And so, Seoul has become a haven for the "honjok," or people like me who choose to do things by themselves. Honjok is a portmanteau of 'hon' from the Korean word 'honja,' meaning alone, and 'jok,' meaning tribe. Movies, music and comics for solo escapes A common perception is that the 2020 outbreak of COVID-19 and the ensuing social distancing forced Koreans to spend more time by themselves, but this is only part of the story. A 2019 survey by the recruitment platform Saramin of 3,635 people showed that 67.7 percent of respondents identified as honjok, particularly 72.6 percent of those in their 20s. Being honjok doesn't mean being a loner, but rather taking the time to do as one pleases. The most popular reasons in the survey for doing things solo were "It's more convenient (72.5 percent)," "I don't have to be interrupted," and "There's no need to be emotionally spent," implying that the stress of social interaction puts pressure on many people. Going to the movies is widely considered an activity for couples, friends and family, but the pestering from the next seat -- "What just happened?" -- can be less than ideal. Local multiplex cinema franchises CGV and Megabox have adopted wide seats throughout their theaters, which have been promoted to one-person viewers. As mentioned, coin noraebang were among the first businesses to actively accommodate honjok, with some open around the clock and at cheaper prices than conventional karaoke. You can sing two or three songs for 1,000 won ($0.70), and most shops accept credit cards and offer time-based payment systems. If you are a fan of comics, comic book cafe chains like Beoltoon and Nolsoop are a great place to relax and read. Both chains operate similarly in that they offer not only a place to read comics but also sell simple dishes like tteokbokki and donkatsu that are of decent quality. Desks and chairs are available, but the preferred option is to hide out in isolated sections with curtains, blankets and cushions. It's actually a great place to kill a few hours or take a quick nap if you're caught between appointments. Grilling and booze, no friends required The popular 90s sitcom "Friends" had an episode in which the young adult character Rachel Green feels some shame and self-consciousness dining by herself. But a growing number of eateries here are offering dishes for solo diners, some installing one-person booths complete with dividers between seats to create partitioned areas for individuals. The founder of franchise eatery Ssaum Eui Gosu (Ssago) said his business started when he realized it was hard for a solo diner to find a place to eat bossam (boiled pork and side dishes). Ssago offers single portions of meat dishes that are more often eaten in groups, including bossam, samgyeopsal and jokbal, and most of its seats are tailored for those visiting alone. Barbecue joints are also typically for group dining, but some allow you to grill away by yourself. Hongo in Haebangchon, Yongsan-gu, takes its name from the Korean for "barbecue by yourself" and provides guests with mini grills in side-by-side seats. Seongsu-dong, known for its trendsetting establishments, has numerous one-person seats where individual diners can grill samgyeopsal and other types of barbecue. Each customer is blocked off from view by dividers, which can be easily removed if you want to sit with a friend. Mangwon-dong in Mapo-gu is another trendy neighborhood, and Chaeg Bar (book bar) is one destination in keeping with the honjok trend. As its name suggests, visitors have the option to pick up a book and read as they sip cocktails, although groups can sit in the "talking area" as well. The bars, eateries and other entertainment venues in Seoul are too numerous to cover in full, but what's certain is that honjok are a rapidly growing customer base, and businesses are attending to the needs of those who prefer to unwind and engage in their favorite activities by themselves.
