International Buddhist Film Festival World Cinema with a Buddhist Edge Thu 7–Sun 17 May 2009 The world’s leading resource for Buddhist cinema, the US based IBFF comes to the UK, and the Barbican, for the first time. Part of The Many Faces of Buddhism series, the lineup of programmes here at IBFF 2009 LONDON includes … [Read More]
Month: April 2009
Lovers’ Concerto (연애소설, 2002) review: love remembered, hearts broken
Framed through memory and regret, Lovers’ Concerto follows a young man reflecting on a formative relationship with two women. Openly melodramatic and often contrived, it nonetheless builds deep empathy through measured direction, strong performances, and emotional unpredictability, culminating in an unrelenting portrait of love, loss, and heartbreak. [Read More]
Happy music, Happy people
We want to make people in this world listen our music and feel happy 😉 Nina Lee from Happy Robot Records talks to Anna Lindgren. Over the past few years, Happy Robot has become one of the finest indie labels in Korea. Several of their artists made it to the finals of AVIMA 2009 – … [Read More]
London Koreans in demand in Italy
Two separate exhibitions at opposite ends of Italy have featured the work of London-based Koreans. In the Milan Furniture Fair last week, Jackie Choi London was exhibiting in the Salone Satellite, 22-27 April. The Salone Satellite is designed to showcase the work of young designers under the age of 35. The Choi sisters, Jackie and … [Read More]
Gateways to Korea
Peter Corbishley digests some recent Korean history lectures at SOAS and the KCC, and a recent book by Alexis Dudden My introduction to the nasty side of Korean history over March and April of this year began with a heartwarming UK personal interest story from 1908. At the Korean Cultural Centre 10th March, Patrick Cockburn … [Read More]
Warrior at the Imjin
‘We lived on what you feed pigs, sorghum, and it was full of weevils. You had to cook it first and then take the weevils out, ’cause you couldn’t catch them when they were alive.’ On 25 April 1951 after the desperate three-day battle of the Imjin River, Hampshire man Bob Warrior was captured and … [Read More]
SOAS Centre of Korean Studies – Summer Term seminars
This term, the Centre of Korean Studies at SOAS (University of London) will be continuing its regular seminar series. The talks listed below are now confirmed for May and June. PLEASE NOTE that the first two talks will be conducted in Korean. Although English abstracts (and some limited interpretation as required) will be available, the … [Read More]
Book Review: Reginald Thompson — Cry Korea
As British war veterans gather in Korea to mark the anniversary of the battle of the Imjin River, Jennifer Barclay reviews a recently republished eye-witness account of the early months of the war. Cry Korea is the most unusual book I’ve read about the Korean War. While interviewing British veterans of that war, I’m often … [Read More]
Uninvited and unwanted? Hollywood’s Two Sisters remake
The latest remake to come out of Hollywood, The Uninvited, opens in the UK this week. There’s a school of thought which says that once you’ve seen the original you won’t want to bother with the remake. There’s another which says any remake is good if it makes you want to watch the original. But … [Read More]
Making History Part 3 – Uigwe
By Matthew Jackson It occasioned the UNESCO inspectors no little surprise when they came to inspect the restoration of the Hwaseong fortress, in order to verify its resemblance to the original complex. They were shown an exhaustive eight volume report documenting its original construction, prepared at the time it was built around two hundred years … [Read More]
Jin Kim solo show at I-MYU
Notice of I-MYU’s latest show: N_either 23 April – 16 May Jin Kim’s solo exhibition ‘N_either’ explores the infinite notions of disparity and not belonging. In his series of oil paintings we see the artist illustrating the issue of marginality as an effect of cultural adjustment with a strong painterly skill. Kim, a young Korean … [Read More]
Confucius from the Heart – Asia House
Yu Dan in conversation with Rosie Blau Thursday 23 Apr, 2009 6:45 PM – 7:45 PM Location: Asia House Doors 6.30pm Yu Dan, Professor of Media Studies at Beijing Normal University, is celebrated in China for a series of lectures on Confucius broadcast on China Central Television. Her highly personal interpretation of Confucian thought was … [Read More]
Tale of Two Sisters / Forever the Moment
Two screenings coming up this week. First, as a warm-up for the Terracotta Far East Film Festival to be held in May, Kim Ji-woon’s stylish ghost story Tale of Two Sisters (장화, 홍련) will be screening at the Prince Charles Cinema on Tuesday 21 April at 8:30. Further details on the film itself can be … [Read More]
Book review: Michael Pettid – Korean Cuisine – an illustrated history
Michael Pettid: Korean Cuisine – an illustrated history Reaktion Books, 2008 Michael Pettid’s fascinating study is maybe not for a general reader. But for those who take more than a passing interest in Korean food and culture, this is an informative read. Importantly, the book’s title is Korean Cuisine, not Cookery. Pettid defines Cuisine as … [Read More]
Bichunmoo meets Buffy: Jeon Ji-hyun’s Hollywood debut
Those of you who are eagerly anticipating Jeon Ji-hyun’s next appearance on the big screen will know this already, but Blood: the Last Vampire opens in the UK on June 26. The official UK website is now up and running, and we saw a brief clip on Jonathan Ross’s show earlier this week. Judging by … [Read More]
Making History Part 2 – Diaries of the Royal Secretariat
By Matthew Jackson After the invasion of Kanghwa Island in 1886, a French navy officer remarked that he was surprised to find that even the poorest Koreans he met lived in companionship with books. There was a strong culture of writing as well as reading in Korea, particularly following the adoption of Hangul. It was … [Read More]