Netflix has announced plans to invest $500 million in 2021 on films and television series produced in South Korea.
Korean filmmakers and stars gathered in Seoul for the “See What’s Next Korea” event on Thursday, where the US streaming service announced its investment plans and also previewed images from its upcoming slate of shows from the country.
“Over the last two years, we’ve seen the world falling in love with incredible Korean content, made in Korea and watched by the world on Netflix,” Ted Sarandos, co-chief executive and chief content officer at Netflix, said via video at the event.
To date, Netflix has produced over 80 original Korean films and shows, building on its early success from its first original: Kim Eun-hee's 2019 period zombie thriller series Kingdom.
Over a dozen Korean actors and directors joined Netflix to promote previously announced Korean originals that will be premiering on the service this year.
- Among them were stars Bae Doona and Lee Joon of The Silent Sea, a sci-fi series about a team sent to an abandoned research facility on the moon; director Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan) and the cast of his supernatural thriller series Hellbound, including Yoo Ah-in, Park Jung-min, Kim Hyun-joo, Won Jin-ah and Yang Ik-june; and the cast of Squid Game, a thriller about the participants in a secret survival game with a $40 million prize.
"Audiences around the world are falling in love with Korean stories, artists, and culture. The K-Wave, or Hallyu as we call it here in Korea, is a huge moment of national pride and we’re proud to be part of it," said Minyoung Kim, Netflix's vice president of content for Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia & New Zealand.
She added: "Great Korean stories are nothing new, in fact storytelling is deeply rooted in Korean culture. But today we live in a world where Parasite is an Academy Award best picture winner, Blackpink plays Coachella, and over 22 million households tune into a horror TV series, Sweet Home."
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
