of the most dynamic film—making communities in the world to ask, what's next for its movie industry? wow, look at all those people. it's my first visit to south korea. i arrived after a 14—hour flight from my home in new york. coming here was a journey of discovery. moving around seoul, i found the night—time metropolis exciting, unlike anywhere i'd ever been before. like many, i've tasted the joys of korean cinema, its landmark films like oldboy and parasite. now, i was going to meet the people involved in the movie industry in south korea to find out how they make it all work. but what became clear very rapidly as i encountered koreans on the night—time streets is that they really do like their movies. yeah, i really like movies. i watch movie every day, every night. i really do love movies. and actually, one of my dreams is like being a movie director, actually.

in our korea special, we'll be looking at how talent from seoul is making a big impact on this year's oscars race, hearing from celine song, born here in the south korean capital, who directed the popular best picture nominee past lives. also, a disconcerting documentary which explores the plight of north koreans trying to defect. and a local box office hit set against an earthquake ravaged landscape which pits the haves against the have—nots. the phenomenal international success of streaming shows like squid game orfilms like parasite have conveyed the impression that all is rosy with the media landscape in south korea. it was hoped that the awards success of the historic oscar winner parasite in 2020 would take the cinema industry here to new levels of success around the globe. but it hasn't quite worked out like that.

seoul—based film critic darcy paquet has been writing about korean cinema for almost 25 years. he also did the english language translations for the oscar—winning parasite. covid seemed to change everything, and i, for one, thought that, you know, things would return to normal after covid, but they haven't. we've kind of entered into a new era where competition from streaming is stronger than it used to be. kim da—sol is a film journalist for the korea herald. i visited her to get her take on the entertainment industry's challenges here. moviegoers before pandemic, they want to go to the theatre to watch the film. but now, because they have netflix at home, they are not bothered to walk to the theatre, actually. but on the other hand, because the actors and the directors who had nojobs at all during pandemic, they are shifting towards platforms like netflix. so netflix is becoming a new breakthrough for the directors and actors to make income. netflix is investing over $2 billion into the korean film and tv industry. it's eager to produce hits that

can be a success not just here in south korea but around the globe. streaming is seen by many as radically changing the film industry here. film—makers like director lee claim that it's pushing up costs and stifling creative risk taking. director lee is one of the most unique voices in the korean film industry. his most recent film was killing romance, an unusual hybrid, a musical comedy. it performed poorly at cinemas before becoming a cult hit at organised screenings. in this new streaming—dominant era, he fears it will be harder to make adventurous cinema. i'm not speaking on behalf of the korean industry, but for me, it's becoming more conservative because all the budgets went up, labour costs went up and everything, just cost of making films went up. it's become more conservative. thank you. now, what flavour is this again? it's onion. onion. that's good.

onion popcorn — never savoured that before at the movies. in south korea, cinema admissions are down 45% from pre—covid times. in other countries, movie—going has rebounded, but not really here. but amid the gloom, there is some hope. the recent local historical drama seoul spring performed very strongly at the box office, suggesting that if south korean audiences are given the right stories, they will still come out to the cinema. as a rule, international audiences still don't get a massive amount of local korean culture on their cinema screens. parasite was perhaps a notable exception. but this year, a film called past lives — with origins very much rooted here in south korea — has been animating audiences around the world. past lives has been nominated for best picture and best original screenplay at this year's oscars — quite an achievement in what has been a strong year for movies.

the film is very much inspired by the life of its writer and director, celine song, who was born here in south korea in the late 1980s. alan moloney went to meet her. there is a word in korean — inyeon. it means providence or fate. past lives focuses on two childhood friends over a 24—year period. we first meet them as children in seoul, just before nora moves with her family to canada. the story picks up 12 years later on separate continents, as they reunite over social media, before again dropping in on them 12 years later. it's a film about relationships and identity, delicately told by playwright and first—time director celine song. she's been widely praised for the confidence she

displays in her direction. how did you finally kind of make thatjump and be able to kind of take this on, then? well, i can really talk about it as falling in love, because i think a few weeks into my making the movie, i think i had this feeling that i was like, "huh, "i've just met the love of my life and it is film—making, "and i know i'm going to do this till i'm 95. "i'm going to do this forever. "i'm going to do this till i die." celine song was born here in korea and moved away at a young age before eventually settling in new york. crucial to the film are competing notions of self, being a part of and separate from a culture. it's a deeply personal subject for her. past lives is a story that was inspired by this moment where i was translating between these two people because they don't speak each other's language, between korean and english. and as i was translating between their language and culture, i also realised that i'm also translating between parts of my own self

and parts of my own history. and i think that moment really was the inspiration for the whole film. he wasjust this kid in my head for such a long time. _ i think ijust missed him. did he miss you? hae—sung! the film acts as a bridge between song's dual identity, and she admits that it would have been difficult to make only a few years ago. i think that after parasite and, of course, i think also covid and people are starting to watch things at home, i think subtitles have become something that is not a barrier. and i think that to me has been such an amazing gift for having it come out at this time into the world. because i think that even when i was writing it, it wasn't clear if people would want to watch a movie that is properly bilingual. the film was partly shot in seoul, an experience that brought song back to the city of her childhood. it was so amazing.

the crew was so hard—working, and i felt like i feel so supported by the crew there and... i don't know, they're amazing. it's really a very film—making—friendly city and i had a really wonderful time there. and what was so funny is that because i was a person who in my core creative team who really did speak both cultures and both languages, that i ended up being a bit of a nora for these two film crews, these department heads and the film crew in korea. so, in fact, making the movie in korea was actually reflective of what the movie was about. past lives may be understated, but its intricate examination of complex relationships certainly doesn't lack impact. and while it's a film that examines issues of korean self and identity, it does so in a way that audiences all over

the world can relate to. the guy flew 13 . hours to be here. i'm not going to tell you that . you can't see him or something. some of the best korean films have a thoughtful subtext. in parasite, for example, class conflict and social inequality were strong themes, giving the film a lot of weight. more recently, koreans have embraced a disaster film called concrete utopia, in which modern—day seoul is reduced to rubble. it too cleverly explores tensions between the haves and the have—nots. sirens and explosions woman screams the destruction on view in concrete utopia isn't that different from a hollywood disaster movie. it is epic in scale and has good visual effects. concrete utopia has been a big

hit with korean audiences, and it's won several top local awards. the disaster featured in the film is just the beginning. it actually focuses on the aftermath of a massive earthquake and a single surviving residential tower block. i went to visit the film's co—writer and director, um tae—hwa, in seoul's tallest building. the movie is his third feature in a 20—year film career. translation: my interest lies in the fact that in korea, - about 60% of the people here live in tower blocks. and i always thought and wondered, "why does "everybody live in the same type of home? "and why are apartments considered to be "indicators for success?" and as someone who had lived and grew up in tower blocks, these were the motivating factors of wanting to create the story. in this dystopian world, things inevitably do not go well. survivors are forced to make tough decisions on how

to continue with life. i enjoyed the fact that it's a film that asks questions not only of its characters, but also of its audience. translation: rather | than a story about haves and have—nots, ithink it's more centred around people trying to survive and what people may do in these kinds of extreme situations, when there might be a tragedy that has happened and how people's humanity may change and how some people try to preserve it. economic and social inequality have become big issues in south korea in recent years, and films like concrete utopia are tapping into a dissatisfaction with the perceived status quo. and while the director made the film mainly for a korean audience, the themes have been able to strike a nerve with audiences around the world. people chant translation: initially | when making this movie, i did considerfor most the korean audience, and it was meant to be a korean

story, a story about korean tower blocks, and perhaps excessively focused on koreans and the country. but there's been a wonderful opportunity to be able to show this film to an international audience. film trailer in korean one aspect of korea that's always fascinated me has been the history of the divided korean peninsula. these prayer ribbons have been left by visitors with messages calling for peace between north and south. i get the feeling that south korea's geopolitics has informed many of the country's films over the years. those thoughts accompanied me on a one—hour excursion by road from seoul. we've travelled north to the dmz, the demilitarized zone, that legendary buffer that separates north

and south korea. it's hard to believe thatjust a short distance north from here lies one of the most secretive and oppressive countries in the world, a totalitarian nation of more than 25 million people. a new documentary called beyond utopia chronicles daily life in north korea in the most distressing terms, as it follows the efforts of some individuals to defect. beyond utopia is directed by american film—maker madeleine gavin, and it's compelling and often heartbreaking to watch. what was particularly notable for me is the use of mobile phones to record footage to illustrate the defectors�* escape. it makes you feel that you're an active participant in it. 26 million people live within the walls of that country, and we do not hear from them, we do not even acknowledge them. we do not even know they exist. at a certain point i was like, this movie has to be made.

and then i met pastor kim, and he and i, after many months of getting to know each other, realised we wanted to make the same kind of film, which really brought people up close and personal. pastor kim is a well—known figure in korea for helping individuals who want to defect from the north. i met him at a special screening of beyond utopia in seoul, organised by the national human rights commission of korea. at times on the phone, you were directing people on what to shoot while they were in north korea. how did you feel about doing that? translation: our organisation has been accumulating images i from north korea for the last 24 years, and our database of images are the biggest in the world. so i was able to explain the routes of the escape. and i think because of my local knowledge and expertise, the director inevitably delegated parts of the film to me. at times, the documentary resembles a thriller

as the families race against time to complete their journey. it's difficult at times to watch beyond utopia, to see the brutal violence meted out on north korean people. it's definitely not family viewing. also at the screening was mama roh, one of the defectors featured in the film. what struck me as we chatted was her enthusiasm and positive spirit after all she'd endured. she hopes the documentary can be a powerful tool to educate the world about north korea. translation: | think - many people in north korea would assume that a family like ours, if they tried - to escape, they would die. but when they do find out - that we all managed to escape, and when they do realise the route we have takenl and the country's there, i they may not be as well off as people in south korea, but that we still— enjoy our freedom. i think that will be really - powerful and it is so emotional for me knowing that there is a possibility that -

people back in north korea might be able to see this l and learn that. when you meet real people here, documentaries like beyond utopia do serve to remind you just how resilient individuals can be in the midst of deprivation, hardship and isolation. the whole world is fascinated by north korea, and this film really does put a human face on the suffering in that country and the efforts that some will make to escape from it. i always like to discover a cityjust by walking around. close to our hotel, there were a lot of underground walkways connecting buildings and places. i was keen to try out the underground trains in seoul. when you travel on the underground, it seems that virtually everyone is online. korea is now one of the most connected nations on earth, with 95% of the population being able to access the internet. everywhere you go, people are downloading and streaming,

giving film—makers new ways to reach audiences. there is the view that technology may somehow save the day and help bring about a renaissance in the film industry. it didn't take me too long to travel to a film—making team collaborating on a new korean short film. the film was shot in a special way, as if the action had been recorded by cameras which are standard mounted accessories on this hyundai car. the film stars well—known korean actor son suk—ku, who plays a mysterious driver in this science fiction story. so we wanted to fit the taste of the younger generation and just trying to create something that they haven't seen before. the idea of what movie is can be, ithought, you know, bigger than what it is. the director of this endeavour previously won a short film palme d'or for his work on a short film called safe, and sees his latest work as just one example of how

korean storytellers are using different techniques to try to capture new audiences. translation: i think these days that there are many similar - narratives as stories, so therefore coming up with fresh ways to tell the stories — for instance, 3d movies in the past or when black and white went to colour — i think those kinds of illustrative ways and how they evolve can also be a new innovative move. south korea's film industry has long had an edge internationally, notjust in its ability to deliver original and distinct stories, but also by creating impressive—looking features. across seoul is the home of dexter studios, established more than ten years ago. it's now one of the biggest visual effects companies in asia, involved in everything from virtual production to sound design. they are perhaps best known internationally for their efforts on squid game and parasite — although with parasite, much of the work remained invisible to the average filmgoer.

translation: for parasite, the whole approach and - strategy was to implement the computer—generated images without having the audience realise that there was cgi to begin with. so of the 2,000 shots that we had, 500 of them involved our work. to be honest, it wasn't that difficult in terms of the things we can do, but it was very important that all of those elements be a part of the film and work seamlessly without the audience knowing it. like many other nations, there is much talk here of the possibilities that al is going to bring to film—making. they're keen to stress its impact as a tool that can be used to assist rather than replace human ingenuity. translation: 50 al is very trendy these days | and is being applied in so many different areas. here at dexter, we are not using fully—fledged ai,

but more in production stages, like in being able to provide positive proof and previsuals. and when the ai renders an image, we are at a stage where human artists can then adapt to what the ai technology has provided and to change and to augment and apply the readers to the work. but new technology can only go so far in bringing satisfaction to audiences. in south korea, as in the rest of the world, what really keeps cinema alive is original storytelling that makes a human connection with the audience. i met a lot of great people in south korea, many of them passionate in relation to cinema. the film industry is facing an existential challenge that's being experienced around the world, but for south koreans, it's much more extreme. cinema going is extremely slow to rebound and streaming is on the increase. but i left the country optimistic that the south korean film community, with its long history of originality, determination

and technical expertise, may solve this problem and end up showing the rest of the world the way forward. well, that brings to a close our korea cinema special. we hope you've enjoyed the programme. please remember, you can always reach us online at... so from me, tom brook, and the rest of the talking movies production crew here in south korea, it's goodbye, as we leave you with some images of the city of seoul, accompanied by the soundtrack of the film past lives. # moving statues in the park # mosaic faces fading in the rain # is this really a mystery life? # where we only learn # from our own mistakes. #

hello there. saturday was a very cloudy day, but it was also very mild thanks to south—westerly winds bringing double digit temperatures across the whole of the uk. now, we did see some rain move into western areas through the afternoon and that rain was associated with this cloud, weatherfronts moving across the uk. now, we do have a bump in the weatherfront, which means that the rain is going to get heavier over the next few hours as it pushes across the whole of wales and most of england as well. for northern england, northern ireland and scotland, there'll be some clear spells and a few showers over the next few hours. and these are the kind of temperatures we'll have to start the day on sunday, so it is going to be a mild start to the day, but very wet, particularly across england, with rain extensively. the rain quickly moving away from wales through the morning but really dragging its heels, i think, across east anglia and south—east england, with the rain even hanging around into the early stages of the afternoon. further northwards, though,

there'll be some sunshine, a few showers dotted around, but mostly a dry weather picture. eventually, we should see some brighter spells getting into east anglia and the south—east, albeit very late in the day. top temperatures, 15 degrees — very, very mild for february. now, we start the new working week on monday with another weather front moving eastwards. this one's going to be quite weak, just a few patches of rain crossing england. a ridge then moves in behind that. so, sunny spells, just a few isolated showers coming into western scotland, but a lot of dry weather and a fair amount of sunshine to come through. on monday, top temperatures range from around 10—13 degrees celsius, which is still very mild for february. middle part of the week, it then turns wet and windy, with several weather fronts moving from west to east across the uk. now, on tuesday, this weather front starts off with some quite heavy rain for scotland and northern ireland. as the front moves its way southwards and eastwards, it weakens, so the rain won't amount to too much as it works in across england and wales.

it will be quite a windy kind of day. temperatures still mild thanks to those south—westerly winds. a windier day overall to come on wednesday, the rain much heavier as well. could see some localised surface water flooding issues. perhaps turning a bit brighter for northern ireland and western scotland late in the day. temperatures 12 or 13 degrees, so still very mild. however, it's going to get colder towards the end of the week as we start to see the winds coming in more from a west, north—westerly direction, and that will bring a return of some hill snow.

live from washington, this is bbc news. volodomyr zelensky calls for more military aid from western leaders after ukraine loses a key frontline town to invading russians. the whereabouts of the body of the late russian opposition figure alexei navalny is unknown, as russian authorities refuse to release him to his family. and israel's prime minister insists he won't bow to international pressure over israel's offensive in gaza.

just a day after jailed russian opposition leader alexei navalny�*s death, president vladimir putin is celebrating a victory on the battlefield in ukraine. he congratulated his troops for capturing the eastern town of avdiivka. russia's defense ministry says it has taken full control after ukraine withdrew its troops. the fall of avdiivka is russia's biggest win in ukraine for months. ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky blames diminishing supplies of western weapons. after us presidentjoe biden spoke with mr zelensky saturday morning, the white house said ukrainian soldiers had to ration ammunition due to dwindling supplies as a result of congressional inaction. our correspondent andrew harding is in the donbas region, not far from avdiivka. ukrainian troops film themselves as they withdraw from avdiivka. exhausted after the longest and perhaps the bloodiest battle of the war so far.

russian shells still landing close by.