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Korean K-dramas and Hallyu films are #Alive and well, but Bollywood hits rock Bellbottom amid coronavirus slump
- South Korea’s film and television scene is coming back to life, thanks to newly relatable zombie flicks and stringent health measures
- But production in India’s Bollywood has slowed to a historic standstill as some productions resort to online releases
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When South Korea’s Parasite won four Oscars including Best Picture at the 2020 Academy Awards, it was a sign that Hallyu films and K-drama television shows had become part of the global zeitgeist – and yet the future of Korean cinema looked increasingly unclear.
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As the film’s director Bong Joon-ho took to the stage in Los Angeles to accept his award, his native South Korea was reeling from its first major outbreak of Covid-19.
Thousands of South Koreans contracted the virus in late February and by early spring, emergency measures had been introduced. Travel restrictions were in place, the streets were deserted and consumers were staying home. Insiders worried South Korea’s 6 trillion won (US$5 billion) film industry was in jeopardy.
In March, though cinemas remained open, 20 theatrical releases were cancelled, while another 20 film productions and television shows including Korean medical drama Hospital Playlist were put on ice due to the virus, according to a report by Variety.
Fast-forward to August, however, and production of K-dramas and Hallyu (‘Korean wave’) films have cautiously resumed and one of South Korea’s best-known exports appears back on track.
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South Koreans social distance at drive-in K-pop concert
South Koreans social distance at drive-in K-pop concert
“I was in the middle of shooting a K-drama when the first outbreak took place,” recalls Yoon Ju-hwan, a Seoul-based director of photography for TV and film productions including 2019’s Metamorphosis.
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