International Oscar-nominated films to soon hit Korean theaters

Movies

Published: 30 Jan. 2023, 13:33

International Oscar-nominated films to soon hit Korean theaters

Cate Blanchett stars as Lydia Tár in director Todd Field's ″Tár,″ a Focus Features release. [FOCUS FEATURES]

Three Oscar-nominated films — "Tár," "The Banshees of Inisherin" and "The Whale" — will soon hit local theaters.

"Tár," starring Cate Blanchett as a female conductor and directed by Todd Field, behind “In the Bedroom” (2001) and “Little Children” (2006), will premiere in local theaters on Feb. 22, distributed in the country by Universal Pictures. The film is an American psychological drama that premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival last September. Blanchett won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress for the feature.

Cate Blanchett attends the Universal Pictures and Focus Features UK Premiere of ″Tar″ at Picturehouse Central on January 11, 2023 in London, England. [FOCUS FEATURES]

“The Banshees of Inisherin,” headed by Irish actors Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two life-long friends who enter a rough patch in their friendship, is a tragicomedy film written and directed by playwright and director Martin McDonagh. McDonagh previously directed features such as the critically acclaimed “In Bruges” (2008), “Seven Psychopaths” (2012) and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (2017).

Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell in ″The Banshees of Inisherin″ [SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES]

The distributor Walt Disney Company Korea said the film will hit local theaters in the first half of this year. It has been nominated not only for the Best Picture at the Oscars but also Best Director, Best Actor for Farrell, Best Supporting Actor for Gleeson and cast member Barry Keoghan, Best Supporting Actress for Kerry Condon and Best Original Screenplay. It has also swept awards at the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the National Board of Review ceremonies this month.

“The Whale,” starring Brendan Fraser of the highly popular “The Mummy” trilogy in the 2000s in a surprise comeback, is directed by Darren Aronofsky — behind “Black Swan” (2010),” “mother!” (2017) and “Requiem for a Dream” (2000). The film is a psychological drama based on the 2012 play of the same name, and surrounds Fraser’s character, a reclusive English teacher with severe obesity, who attempts to make amends with his estranged teenager daughter.

Main poster for ″The Whale″ [A24]

“The Whale” will be opening in Korea on March 1, in theaters across the country. Fraser was nominated for Best Actor at the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the British Academy Film Awards and the Oscars for his role. Hong Chau, a Vietnamese-American actor who plays a supporting role in “The Whale,” is also nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars.

With these international feature films opening in Korea in the coming months, moviegoers can anticipate to be entertained following up to the Academy Awards ceremony, which will be held on March 13 local time.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]