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South Korean Cult-Horror Series ‘Hellbound’ Returns at BIFF

In this picture taken on October 2, 2024, (L-R) South Korean actors Im Seong-Jae, Kim Hyun-joo and Kim Sung-cheol arrive on the red carpet during the opening ceremony of the 29th Busan International Film Festival in Busan. (AFP)
In this picture taken on October 2, 2024, (L-R) South Korean actors Im Seong-Jae, Kim Hyun-joo and Kim Sung-cheol arrive on the red carpet during the opening ceremony of the 29th Busan International Film Festival in Busan. (AFP)
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South Korean Cult-Horror Series ‘Hellbound’ Returns at BIFF

In this picture taken on October 2, 2024, (L-R) South Korean actors Im Seong-Jae, Kim Hyun-joo and Kim Sung-cheol arrive on the red carpet during the opening ceremony of the 29th Busan International Film Festival in Busan. (AFP)
In this picture taken on October 2, 2024, (L-R) South Korean actors Im Seong-Jae, Kim Hyun-joo and Kim Sung-cheol arrive on the red carpet during the opening ceremony of the 29th Busan International Film Festival in Busan. (AFP)

Netflix's Korean cult-horror thriller "Hellbound" returned for its much anticipated second season with a world premiere at Busan International Film Festival, showcasing intense performances from the new cast members, particularly Moon Geun-young.

Created by Yeon Sang-ho, known for zombie flick "Train to Busan", the first season of "Hellbound" achieved critical and commercial success with its portrayal of a world where supernatural beings suddenly appear to tell people of their impending death, followed by monstrous entities that drag the condemned to hell.

Yeon, whose early works included a dark animated film about a Korean cult organization, elevates the dystopian thriller into a more philosophical realm in its second season, while still delivering the spectacle of creatures, violence, and collective religious hysteria.

"I believe that the concept of disaster in the work 'Hellbound' refers more to a mental or ideological catastrophe than to a physical disaster," director Yeon said at a BIFF event late Friday.

The show had to let go of actor Yoo Ah-in, who played a key character in season one, after he was charged with illegal drug use. Yoo was subsequently found guilty.

Kim Sung-cheol takes on the role of the charismatic leader of a cult that arose amid the horrific supernatural deaths that triggered a wave of social media frenzy, delivering a convincing portrayal of this intricate character.

But the most captivating -- and gut-wrenching -- performance of the second season arguably belongs to Moon Geun-young, a much beloved former teen actress in South Korea, who portrays a young wife gradually transforming into a deranged cult fanatic.

Yeon said he decided to cast Moon after seeing her in a 2021 TV drama where she portrayed a tormented wife who succumbs to alcoholism while caring for her alcoholic husband.

Moon did not attend this year's BIFF, but fellow cast member Kim Hyun-joo said: "Moon Geun-young made a tremendous contribution. I already knew (she was immensely talented), but I was pleasantly surprised and delighted by her performance."

The series was featured at BIFF in its big-screen theaters, even as the festival faces criticism from cinephiles for selecting a streaming title, "Uprising", also from Netflix, as its opening film this year.

Cineastes blame OTT streaming platforms for some of the challenges encountered by the traditional theater market and independent filmmakers.

"BIFF has been a key player in showcasing fresh Asian films by young, emerging talents in the region, and this has been their priority," Kay Heeyoung Kim, owner of the film studio K-Dragon, told AFP.

"But the lines between traditional independent cinema and big-budget streaming titles have blurred at this year's festival, which is unfortunate to see."

Yeon, who began his career as an independent animated filmmaker, along with his work "Hellbound," is credited with increasing the global visibility of South Korean content in recent years, alongside works like "Squid Game" and "Pachinko."

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Entertainment

Eurovision Fever Hits Host City Vienna

The Austrian capital is pulling out all the stops to host the 70th edition of the world's most-watched song contest. Joe Klamar / AFP
The Austrian capital is pulling out all the stops to host the 70th edition of the world's most-watched song contest. Joe Klamar / AFP
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Eurovision Fever Hits Host City Vienna

The Austrian capital is pulling out all the stops to host the 70th edition of the world's most-watched song contest. Joe Klamar / AFP
The Austrian capital is pulling out all the stops to host the 70th edition of the world's most-watched song contest. Joe Klamar / AFP

Eurovision fever was set to hit Vienna on Sunday with events planned for thousands of fans in advance of the song contest's grand final on May 16, with the build-up once again facing calls for a boycott over Israel's participation.

The Austrian capital is pulling out all the stops to host the 70th edition of the world's most-watched song contest, with many side events scheduled in the run-up, AFP said.

On Sunday afternoon, it will roll out the carpet -- which at Eurovision is not red but turquoise -- to welcome a parade of the 35 delegations from participating countries, as part of a colorful opening ceremony set to begin at 1200 GMT.

On the agenda: the best - and worst - from seven decades of the music competition on a giant screen in front of the neo-Gothic city hall, in a square turned into a secured area reserved for fans.

Today, the contest reaches more than 170 million people on television and online around the world, and its content generates billions of views across digital platforms.

Finland is the heavy favorite this year, hoping to hit the jackpot with an entry pairing brooding singer Pete Parkkonen with radiant violinist Linda Lampenius.

Instruments are usually pre-recorded but organizers the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) have made an exception to allow Lampenius to play live, according to the Nordic country's media.

- Hundreds of police -

Spain, Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands and Slovenia have decided to snub this year's edition in protest at Israel's participation.

They have criticized Israel over its bombardment of Gaza in retaliation for the October 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian movement Hamas.

More than 1,000 artists or groups have also called for a boycott, including Peter Gabriel and Massive Attack.

Pro-Palestinian as well as pro-Israeli demonstrations are planned in Vienna with tight security helmed by several hundred police officers on duty every day until Saturday's finale.

Germany, France, Italy and Britain, which contribute the largest financial share, are guaranteed a place in the final.

Austria will also be on stage because local artist JJ won the previous edition. But this year, its contestant, Cosmo, is not expected to trouble the leaderboard.

Entertainment

The Cannes Film Festival Is About to Begin. Here Are the Key Films Making Their Debut

This image released by Neon shows Hwang Jung-min in a scene from "Hope." (Neon via AP)
This image released by Neon shows Hwang Jung-min in a scene from "Hope." (Neon via AP)
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The Cannes Film Festival Is About to Begin. Here Are the Key Films Making Their Debut

This image released by Neon shows Hwang Jung-min in a scene from "Hope." (Neon via AP)
This image released by Neon shows Hwang Jung-min in a scene from "Hope." (Neon via AP)

For 12 days this week, the eyes of the movie world will be on the Cannes Film Festival.

The Cote d’Azur spectacular will play host — starting on Tuesday — to some of the most anticipated movies of the year in a constant parade of red carpets and megawatt premieres. This year, Hollywood studios are mostly on the sidelines. But for more than 78 years, Cannes has been an unparalleled showcase, and sun-dappled circus, for some of the best in cinema.

Last year that included Oscar nominees like “Sentimental Value,” “The Secret Agent” and “It Was Just an Accident.” This year is just as likely to produce a crop of contenders. In recent years, movies like “Parasite” and “Anora” have launched at Cannes and gone on to win best picture at the Academy Awards.

Presiding over the jury deciding the Palme this year is South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook. At the opening ceremony Tuesday, Cannes will also bestow an honorary Palme d’Or on Peter Jackson. Later, Barbra Streisand will get one, too.

So there will be much to keep an eye on at this year’s Cannes, including “The White Lotus.” The HBO series has come to the Croisette — the Mediterranean city's famous promenade — to shoot its fourth season.

On the screen, these are some of the movies that should stir Cannes.

‘Hope’ Na Hong-jin isn’t as well-known as some of his fellow Korean filmmakers, but he may be poised for a breakout moment this year. His latest is a long-gestating sci-fi thriller that Cannes artistic director Thierry Fremaux said “constantly changes genres.” The cast has both Korean and Hollywood stars, including Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Taylor Russell.

‘Paper Tiger’ Though not initially announced as part of the festival competition slate, James Gray’s latest Queens-set drama was subsequently added. And it instantly became one of the most anticipated and star-studded American films at the festival. Gray, the filmmaker of “Armageddon Time” and “The Immigrant,” tells a story about two brothers (Adam Driver, Miles Teller) who become mixed up with the Russian mafia. Scarlett Johansson co-stars.

‘Fjord’ The Romanian director Cristian Mungiu is a heavyweight of European cinema because of films like the 2007 Palme d’Or winner “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” and 2022’s “R.M.N.” Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve star in his latest as a Romanian-Norwegian couple who move to the wife’s remote Norwegian hometown.

‘Fatherland’ Polish filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski is best known for a pair of black-and-white, powerfully succinct period dramas: “Ida” and “Cold War.” His latest makes it three. It stars Hanns Zischler as the German author Thomas Mann on a road trip following World War II. Accompanying him is his daughter, played by Sandra Hüller.

‘All of a Sudden’ The Japanese auteur Ryusuke Hamaguchi makes his French-language debut. Hamaguchi’s 2021 opus “Drive My Car” made history as the first Japanese film nominated for best picture. His 2023 follow-up, “Evil Does Not Exist,” was also acclaimed. “All of a Sudden,” starring Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto, is about a nursing home director and a terminally ill Japanese playwright.

‘Sheep in the Box’ Long revered for his delicate humanism, the Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda will unveil his latest. Kore-eda has already won the Palme d’Or, for 2018’s “Shoplifters.” But his three decades of moviemaking have made him a never-to-be-missed filmmaker of exquisite tenderness. The sci-fi “Sheep in the Box” is about a couple, grieving the loss of their son, who adopt an infant humanoid robot.

‘The Unknown’ The French filmmaker Arthur Harari three years ago co-wrote the Palme d’Or winner “Anatomy of a Fall” with his partner, Justine Triet. In “The Unknown,” Harari directs and cowrites a film about a photographer who, after photographing a woman at a party and then following her, wakes up in her body. Starring Léa Seydoux.

‘Minotaur’ The Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev has been behind some powerfully potent dramas, including 2014’s “Leviathan” and 2017’s “Loveless” — both of which were Oscar nominated. After a near-death experience during the pandemic, Zvyagintsev returns to Cannes with a business executive in crisis in rural Russia.

’John Lennon: The Last Interview’ Steven Soderbergh ’s documentary about John Lennon’s final interview, granted at the Dakota in New York just before he was killed, drew headlines after Soderbergh acknowledged using artificial intelligence to illustrate some of Lennon’s more philosophical musings. But the film, playing in Cannes as a special screening, promises to lend unparalleled intimacy with the great Beatle.

‘Bitter Christmas’ Pedro Almodovar is among the most regular filmmakers in Cannes. This festival, he'll debut “Bitter Christmas,” a multilayered melodrama about filmmaking, grief and aging. After making his English-language debut with “The Room Next Door,” starring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, Almodovar is back in his native Spain with one of his most personal films yet.

Entertainment

Türkiye Show Displays Photo Master Ara Guler’s Cannes Shots

A woman looks at a photo of Italian actress Sophia Loren taken by Turkish photojournalist Ara Guler during the Cannes Film Festival at the Ara Guler Museum in Istanbul, on May 7, 2026. (AFP)
A woman looks at a photo of Italian actress Sophia Loren taken by Turkish photojournalist Ara Guler during the Cannes Film Festival at the Ara Guler Museum in Istanbul, on May 7, 2026. (AFP)
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Türkiye Show Displays Photo Master Ara Guler’s Cannes Shots

A woman looks at a photo of Italian actress Sophia Loren taken by Turkish photojournalist Ara Guler during the Cannes Film Festival at the Ara Guler Museum in Istanbul, on May 7, 2026. (AFP)
A woman looks at a photo of Italian actress Sophia Loren taken by Turkish photojournalist Ara Guler during the Cannes Film Festival at the Ara Guler Museum in Istanbul, on May 7, 2026. (AFP)

One shot shows Sophia Loren lifting a champagne glass beneath the adoring gaze of fans. In another frame, Brigitte Bardot lies carefree in the countryside in a T-shirt and jeans.

Frozen in time yet alive with glamour and spontaneity, these moments are part of a new exhibition in Istanbul featuring previously unseen shots by Türkiye’s legendary Magnum photographer Ara Guler at the Cannes Film Festival.

Dubbed the "Eye of Istanbul" by fans, Guler was famed for his iconic black-and-white images that captured the soul of the Turkish city.

He also regularly covered the world's top film festival on the French Riviera between 1957 and 1967.

"Beyond the award ceremonies and red carpets, Ara Guler also captured what unfolded behind the scenes: lavish parties, intimate gatherings and even a luncheon held in honor of Sophia Loren," said Cagla Sarac, the art advisor for Dogus Group, a leading business group that founded the Ara Guler Museum.

"The result is a remarkably complete portrait of the festival, revealing not just its glamour, but the full human story surrounding it," she told AFP.

His Cannes festival shots are on display until October 11 at the museum in Istanbul, opened in 2018, two months before his death on his 90th birthday.

Next to the museum, a team of experts continues to work meticulously on his vast archives, preserving the legacy of Türkiye's photography master.

"There are countless remarkable photographs in his archive, and with every exhibition we hope to bring new frames to light," Sarac said.

- Passion for cinema -

Traces of Guler's lifelong devotion to cinema can even be found in his teenage diaries from the late 1940s and 1950s, according to Temel Yilmaz, conservator and archive researcher.

"In his high school diaries, we keep seeing the same line over and over again: 'I didn't go to school today,'" he said with a smile. "Because he had gone to the cinema instead".

In a wide-ranging career, he also photographed famous personalities including Salvador Dali, Alfred Hitchcock and Winston Churchill.

Born to an Armenian family in Istanbul, Guler attended an Armenian school there and began working as a photographer on Turkish newspaper Yeni Istanbul.

He got his first big international chance as a photographer in 1958 when US magazine Time-Life opened a Türkiye office.

He then met the likes of photographers Marc Riboud and Henri Cartier-Bresson who signed him up to join the celebrated photo agency Magnum.

- 'Genuine portraits' -

"He looked at everything through the lens of news value, always trying to document, always searching for a new story," recalled Alin Tasciyan, a film critic who has followed the Cannes Film Festival since 2002 and who knew Guler.

What stands out in his archive, Tasciyan told AFP, is his ability to see beyond the surface.

"When I look at the photographs, I see the moments Ara Guler captured -- sailors arriving on boats. He would walk through the streets and beaches of Cannes, observe what was happening."

For Guler, photography was about truth rather than spectacle, she said.

"He really photographed the spirit of the time, the spirit of the place. In this exhibition, I saw how much he could extract from a place I know so well," she said.

"I also saw his humor -- he was a very funny man. He would suddenly crack a joke at the most unexpected moment."