Culture

This year’s Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), Asia’s largest film festival, is set to commence on Wednesday with a streaming-only film, marking a first for the event. The film, “Uprising,” directed by Kim Sang-man and featuring leading Korean actor Gang Dong-won, is one of the 224 entries competing at the festival which will run until October 11. Produced by renowned …

Veteran British actress Maggie Smith, renowned for her role as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the *Harry Potter* films, has passed away at the age of 89. According to her publicist, Smith died peacefully on September 27. In a heartfelt statement, her sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens announced, “With great sadness, we confirm the death of Dame Maggie Smith. She …

Five individuals have been charged in connection with the overdose death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry, after allegedly exploiting his drug addiction for financial gain, according to U.S. officials on Thursday. Perry, who passed away at his luxury Los Angeles home last year, was found unresponsive in his swimming pool. The actor, famous for his role as Chandler Bing on …

The nominees for the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) have been announced, featuring a significant presence of K-pop artists, including BTS’s Jung Kook and BLACKPINK’s Lisa. Leading the nominations is Taylor Swift, with a total of 10 nods, closely followed by Post Malone. Taylor Swift has garnered 10 nominations at this year’s VMAs, reflecting her continued dominance in the …

Alec Baldwin has been cleared of involuntary manslaughter charges related to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the “Rust” movie set in 2021, as announced by a New Mexico judge on Friday. Shortly after his exoneration, Baldwin expressed his gratitude on Instagram, acknowledging the overwhelming support he received during this challenging period. In his post, accompanied by a …

Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, currently imprisoned, is set to face a new trial following her accusations against security forces for sexually assaulting female detainees, her family revealed on Saturday (May 18), according to AFP. ### ‘Full-scale War Against Women’ The trial, starting Sunday (May 19), stems from an audio message Mohammadi sent from the infamous Evin prison, …

PEN America is set to host its annual gala on Thursday night, featuring notable guests such as Paul Simon and Seth Meyers. The high-profile literary and human rights event will proceed despite recent controversy surrounding PEN’s response to the Israel-Hamas war. Criticism arose from hundreds of writers who felt that PEN showed inadequate concern for the suffering of Gaza residents …

Netflix’s popular show “3 Body Problem” has been extended with additional episodes ahead of its final installments. Instead of labeling it as “season 2,” the creators refer to it as a “renewed” continuation of the current season. This means the already successful season will now feature more episodes. The show, created by David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo, aims …