London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

A look back at LEAFF and LKFF 2023

We didn’t get around to writing any detailed reviews of the films that screened at the two big festivals in the autumn of 2023, so it’s time to try to pull some thoughts together before the memories fade entirely, jostled sideways by new ones. There were some sparkly new films which were fun to watch … [Read More]

London Korean Film Festival Announces 2023 Programme

Yesterday the KCC released the final programme for the 2023 London Korean Film Festival. While in general 2023 has not so far been a stand-out year for Korean film, there’s plenty to enjoy here. I’m looking forward to seeing Hur Jin-ho’s latest, as his Christmas in August was one of the first Korean movies I … [Read More]

Festival film review: The Apartment with Two Women | Gyeong-ah’s daughter

London audiences have been spoiled with some great films in the recent festivals, from the latest blockbusters to indie debut features. Both LEAFF and LKFF included in their programme a debut feature by a female director, focusing on mother-daughter relationships and headlining actors who have not had much screentime in the mainstream. LEAFF’s selection was … [Read More]

Yun Choi: Running at the Speed of Light, the Body Becomes a Turtle

LUX is delighted to present the first UK solo exhibition by South Korean artist Yun Choi in partnership with the London Korean Film Festival. Yun Choi collects images, words and behaviours marked by South Korean banality and remixes them for her videos and multimedia installations. Through the fantastical embodiment of vernacular culture, her practice activates a … [Read More]

London Korean Film Festival 2022 programme announcement

Here’s the main press release announcing the LKFF’s 2022 programme. We’ll be posting the detailed schedule in due course, but tickets are already on sale via the festival website. London Korean Film Festival announces its 2022 programme Special Presentation of Kore-eda Hirokazu’s Award Winning BROKER Critically Acclaimed RETURN TO SEOUL Closing Film: KIM Han-min’s HANSAN: … [Read More]

Alienoid to open LKFF 2022

It’s nice to hear some early news of what to expect at the London Korean Film Festival this year. On Thursday the KCCUK announced details of the opening film. It’s one that people have been wanting to see for a while: the sci-fi fantasy genre-bender Alienoid (외계+인 1부) by master of the ensemble cast Choi … [Read More]

Festival Film Review: Heaven – To the Land of Happiness

In recent years the LKFF programmers have been getting into a groove of scheduling indie, minority interest movies for the closing film of the festival. This year, they turned things upside down by programming the festival’s most appealing film (for me, at least,) to end the fortnight. Yes, the opening movie, Mogadishu, is the top … [Read More]

Ellie Kyungran Heo: Plantarians

Scheduled as the artist video strand of the London Korean Film Festival, this exhibition runs until December. Shame that the related lecture and artistic exploration on 20 November clashes both with Bongsu Park’s long-awaited dream auction and the Kimjang festival in New Malden, but it’s nice that the show is on for a while. In … [Read More]

London Korean Film Festival 2021 announces its line-up

Here’s the official press release for the 2021 London Korean Film Festival. You can find the detailed schedule in a separate post. London Korean Film Festival 2021 4 November – 19 November 2021 After a mostly digital edition in 2020 the London Korean Film Festival (LKFF) is pleased to be returning to cinema screens across … [Read More]

A review of the Korean cultural year 2020

It would be an understatement to say that the cultural year 2020 has been markedly different from previous years. The pandemic has had a huge impact on the cultural scene, with most live events cancelled and event promoters falling back on the internet to provide us with our cultural fixes. Some of these attempts have … [Read More]