Celebrate the best in film-making with six outstanding award-winning Korean movies right here on tvN Movies from March 12-17! Ahead of the highly-anticipated 95th Academy Awards next Monday, relive this year’s Best International Feature Film nominee Decision to Leave, 2020 Oscars top winner Parasite, and other critically-acclaimed Korean movies during this specially-curated Awards-winning Movies week!
Watch 6 Award-Winning Korean Movies on tvN Movies
Parasite
Airing time: Sunday, March 12 at 9 PM (JKT)
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Jang Hye-jin
Director: Bong Joon-ho (Snowpiercer, Okja)
Parasite Synopsis
Having bagged multiple awards, Parasite is one of the must-watch Korean movies that will make you dive into the screen. The story follows Ki-taek’s family (Song Kang-ho), who are fully unemployed with a bleak future ahead of them.
Fortunately, one of the family members, the son, Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik), is recommended for a well-paid tutoring job. He brings hope to the family, expecting a regular income. Carrying the expectations of all his family, Ki-woo goes to the Park family home for an interview. Arriving at the house, Ki-woo meets a beautiful young lady of the house, Yeon-kyo (Cho Yeo-jeong). However, following the first meeting between the two families, an unstoppable string of mishaps lies in wait.
Accolades include:
- 92nd Academy Awards (2020) – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film
- 56th Baeksang Arts Awards (2020) – Grand Prize (Daesang), Best Film, Best New Actor
- 40th Blue Dragon Film Awards (2019) – Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Art Direction
- 72nd Cannes Film Festival (2019) – Palme d’Or
The Roundup
Airing time: Monday, March 13 at 9 PM (JKT)
Cast: Ma Dong-seok, Son Suk-ku, Choi Gwi-hwa, Park Ji-hwan
Director: Lee Sang-yong (Long Live the King, The Outlaws)
The Roundup Synopsis
The Roundup is the sequel to The Outlaws, which follows a beast cop, Ma Seok-do (Ma Dong-seok). It happens four years after the events of the Garibong district round-up operation. The Geumcheon Police’s Major Crimes Unit was given a mission to repatriate a fugitive who fled to Vietnam.
The story gets more interesting as beast cop Ma Seok-do and Captain Jeon Il-man (Choi Gwi-hwa) intuitively realize that there’s something wrong with the suspect’s willingness to turn himself in. As a result, they uncover crimes committed by a terrifying killer named Kang Hae-sang (Son Suk-ku). So, Ma and his unit begin their investigation across two countries and follow the bloody breadcrumbs left behind by Kang.
Accolades include:
- 43rd Blue Dragon Film Awards (2022) – Audiences Choice Award for Most Popular Film, Technical Award
- 58th Grand Bell Awards (2022) – Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, People’s Choice Award
Decision to Leave
Airing time: Tuesday, March 14 at 9 PM (JKT)
Cast: Tang Wei and Park Hae-il
Director: Park Chan-wook (The Handmaiden, The Little Drummer Girl)
Decision To Leave Synopsis
Decision To Leave is a modern romantic thriller about detective Hae-joon (Park Hae-il) investigating the death of a man who fell from a mountaintop. When he meets the deceased man’s wife Seo-rae (Tang Wei), he starts to suspect her at the same time that he begins feeling an attraction to her. What will happen when a target of suspicion turns into a romantic obsession? Amidst the rising tension of the criminal investigation, the film delicately captures the emotions of two characters who feel a special curiosity and unexpected affinity for each other, providing an intriguing mix of suspense and romance.
Accolades include:
- Nominated at the 95th Academy Awards (2023)– Best International Feature Film (pending)
- 43rd Blue Dragon Film Awards (2022) – Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Film, Best Music, Best Screenplay
- 75th Cannes Film Festival (2022) – Best Director
Swing Kids
Airing time: Wednesday, March 15 at 9 PM (JKT)
Starring: Doh Kyung-soo (D.O), Park Hye-su, Jared Grimes, Oh Jung-se, Kim Min-ho
Director: Kang Hyoung-chul (Sunny, Scandal Makers)
Swing Kids Synopsis
This swinging musical drama is interestingly set during the Korean War. The soldiers at a POW camp plan a tap dance show to distract both themselves and the prisoners from the hardships of war and improve the camp’s public image. The dance team comprises people of different nationalities, languages, ideologies, backgrounds, and skills. Led by a former Broadway dancer and a rebellious North Korean soldier, they find a new sense of freedom in dancing. However, a dark, uncertain future as their debut stage approaches.
Accolades include:
- 55th Baeksang Arts Awards (2019) – Best Director
- 40th Blue Dragon Film Awards (2019) – Best Cinematography-Lighting, Best Editing
Kingmaker
Airing time: Thursday, March 16 at 9 PM (JKT)
Starring: Sul Kyung-gu, Lee Sun-kyun, Yu Jae-myeong, Jo Woo-jin
Director: Byun Sung-hyun (The Merciless, Whatcha Wearin’)
Kingmaker Synopsis
Kingmaker is one of the most enthralling Korean movies to watch. It tells about a politician’s dream of changing the world with an excellent campaign strategist. Dreaming of changing the world, Seo Chang-dae (Lee Sun-kyun) participates in Kim Woon-bum’s (Sul Kyung-gu) political campaign. To resist the current dictatorial ruling party, Chang-dae adopts a very aggressive propaganda campaign, which makes Woon-bum the strongest candidate in the opposition party. However, while the ambitious Chang-dae believes unjustified means are necessary for politics, Woon-bum firmly believes it is not real politics. While their conflict deepens, the ruling party secretly contacts Chang-dae to win the next presidential election.
Accolades include:
- 58th Baeksang Arts Awards (2022) – Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor
- 58th Grand Bell Awards (2022) – Best Director
- 43rd Blue Dragon Film Awards (2022) – Best Art Direction
Escape from Mogadishu
Airing time: Friday, March 17 at 9 PM (JKT)
Cast: Kim Yoon-seok, Jo In-sung, Heo Joon-ho
Director: Ryoo Seung-wan (The Battleship Island, Veteran)
Escape from Mogadishu Synopsis
At the height of the Cold War in the late 1980s, a diplomatic skirmish between North and South Korea broke out on the African continent over the latter’s campaign to join the United Nations. In 1991, three years after the opening of a South Korean embassy, Somalia’s capital Mogadishu was engulfed in civil war, leaving the South Korean diplomats trapped. The North Korean embassy, meanwhile, faces the same situation. The diplomats of these two nations, who in the outside world are sworn enemies, become targets for the hails of bullets fired by both Somali government forces and the rebels in the chaos of civil war. Risking their lives, they embark on a joint escape.
Find out more interesting facts Escape from Mogadishu.
Accolades include:
- 42nd Blue Dragon Film Awards (2021) – Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Art Direction
- 58th Baeksang Arts Awards (2022) – Grand Prize – Film, Best Film, Best Cinematography
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