Documentaries

The Korean War in Colour screens at SOAS

by Philip Gowman on 5 May, 2013

in Documentaries | Event Notices | SOAS | Talks and seminars

Something slightly different for SOAS’s evening Korean Studies seminar this time: a documentary film screening, with Q&A with the director, in this 60th anniversary year of the 1953 armistice. The Korean War in Colour Stewart Binns (Documentary Filmmaker) Date: 10 May 2013, 5:15 – 7:00 PM Venue: Russell Square, College Buildings, Room 4418 Film screening [...]

Tagged as: Korean War

I compromised the LSE and my tour guides…

by Philip Gowman 15 April 2013

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“I compromised the LSE and my tour guides, and all I could produce was a lousy tourist video,” would be a suitable slogan for the T-shirt of tonight’s BBC Panorama programme. OK, so they also interviewed BR Myers, John Everard and a defector or two, but really it was not worth all the hype and [...]

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Twinsters – what a compelling story

by Philip Gowman 4 April 2013

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On February 21, 2013, Samantha, an American actor living in Los Angeles, received a message via Facebook that would drastically change her life. It was from Anaïs, a French fashion design student living in London. Anaïs’ friends viewed a YouTube video featuring Samantha. They were immediately blown away by the identical appearance of Samantha & [...]

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Couleur de peau: Miel, aka Approved for Adoption, screens at Leeds Young Film Fest

by Philip Gowman 1 April 2013

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If it wasn’t for the fact that London has a date with Moon So-ri this Thursday, I’d be leaving work early, getting on a train to Leeds and sitting down to watch this film. I do hope it comes to London at some stage. It’s the animated autobiography of a Korean adoptee in Belgium. Korean [...]

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Captain Kang screens at CinemAsia

by Philip Gowman 1 April 2013

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Back in 2011, the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam gave us the wonderful Planet of Snail. This month, another Amsterdam film festival, CinemAsia, will be screening a new Korean documentary – Captain Kang, which premiered at Busan 2012. Captain Kang (강선장) Director: Won Ho-yeon (원호연) South Korea, 2012, HDcam, 75′ Sunday 7 April, 13.20 This [...]

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Camp 14 – Total Control Zone at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival

by Philip Gowman 10 March 2013

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One of the most prominent publications last year on the subject of North Korea was Escape from Camp 14 – the story of an escapee from one of North Korea’s death camps. While such a story is rare in itself, what makes Shin Dong-hyuk’s tale more remarkable is that he was actually born in one [...]

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Kung Fu Grandma: documentary by a London-based Korean director screens at LSFF

by Philip Gowman 14 December 2012

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Some of you may be focused on Wembley Arena right now, but others may well already be planning your diaries for the New Year. If so, make a note of 12 January at the Roxy: the London Short Film Festival, featuring Kung Fu Grandma, a short by Jeong-One Park. Jeong-One Park grew up in Seoul [...]

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The Defector: Escape from North Korea — a new documentary to screen at IDFA Amsterdam

by Philip Gowman 12 November 2012

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Last year the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam featured the moving South Korean documentary Planet of Snail. This year the interest is north of the border, with a new documentary on North Korean defectors by award-winning film-maker Ann Shin. The Defector: Escape from North Korea Ann Shin, Canada, 2012, color, HDcam, 71′ THE DEFECTOR: [...]

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Mosaic Films launch their new project: Nothing to Envy – the animation

by Philip Gowman 2 October 2012

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WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR THE PEOPLE OF NORTH KOREA? An event hosted by Mosaic Films to launch their new project Nothing to Envy Friday, 5 October 2012 from 18:30 to 21:30 (BST) London, United Kingdom We are developing an animated feature film about real lives in North Korea, to be written and directed [...]

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Planet of Snail: amusing, touching and life-affirming

by Philip Gowman 23 July 2012

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Soon-ho: What are you doing? Young-chan: I’m talking to the tree Soon-ho: Is it fun? Young-chan: We’re on a date Soon-ho: Can I join in? Soon-ho interrupts her husband who has been tenderly running his fingers over the trunk of a pine tree, feeling the contours of every crevice in the bark. The conversation, at [...]

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Planet of Snail: “one of the most life-affirming viewing experiences I’ve ever had” says Twitch

by Philip Gowman 21 June 2012

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If like me you were bored by the recent release of Kim Ki-duk’s self-indulgent documentary and professional suicide note Arirang, you can expect something a lot better from Yi Seung-jun’s documentary Planet of Snail. If the K-pop bash at the Dome this Saturday is not your thing, a civilised time can be had at the [...]

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Planet of Snail at the ICA

by Philip Gowman 8 June 2012

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Hot on the heels of Arirang, the somewhat narcissistic documentary by Kim Ki-duk, comes the award-winning documentary Planet of Snail by Yi Seung-jun, which promises to be both moving and life-affirming. It was LKL’s film of the year last year, so we’re very glad to see that it’s got a UK release. Planet of Snail [...]

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Kimjongilia screens as part of North Korea Freedom Week

by Philip Gowman 25 April 2012

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This week is North Korea Freedom Week in London, and it’s rather interesting to see the KCCUK getting involved. On Monday there was a screening of Crossing, and on Friday there’s one of Kimjongilia. Other events are screenings down in New Malden, a North Korea Human Rights photo exhibition, and a talk in Parliament. More [...]

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A look back at 2011 – part 1

by Philip Gowman 23 December 2011

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LKL’s annual look back at the stories and events of the last 12 months; this year, a multi-part piece, starting with some heritage, film, and the development of Korean food among world cuisines. Heritage The Ilsungrok (diaries of the daily lives of Joseon kings) and the written and visual logs of the pro-democracy movement in [...]

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A very different portrait of North Korea — Film Review: A State of Mind

by Hong Nguyen 19 December 2011

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On the day that news reaches us of Kim Jong-il’s death, new contributor Hong Nguyen discusses the documentary A State of Mind, directed by Daniel Gordon (VeryMuchSo Productions, 2004) Relatively little is known about the daily lives of North Korean people, exempting the glimpses into a cruel reality of famine and poverty under the late [...]

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Documentary footage of Korea in 1925

by Philip Gowman 7 September 2011

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Amazing documentary footage of Korea in 1925, made by German missionary bit.ly/oDyCkw

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The Murmuring at the KCC

by Philip Gowman 21 August 2011

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The second film this month to explore the sensitive topic of Korea’s relations with Japan in the twentieth century is The Murmuring (낮은 목소리 1995), a documentary by Byeon Yeong-ju. The film also dovetails with the films next month, which are by female directors. The Murmuring is the first of three documentaries by Director Byeon [...]

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Menari and Musan win awards

by Philip Gowman 20 March 2011

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“Menari, the Sound of Korea”, a short documentary on eastern folk singer Park Soo-kwan wins Delphic Art Movie Award 2011 http://bit.ly/eMxoMm The Journals of Musan, a film about difficulties of Northern defectors, wins jury prize at Deauville Asian Film Fest http://bit.ly/gnzRaJ

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Film review: Sona, the other myself

by Philip Gowman 10 March 2011

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The third Asia House Pan-Asian Film Festival offered the opportunity to see an unusual documentary. Yang Yonghi’s Sona, the other myself is a simple portrait of three generations of a family – an elderly ethnic Korean couple living with their daughter (Yang herself) in Osaka, and Yang’s three elder brothers and their children who live [...]

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The Arch of Enlightenment launched

by Philip Gowman 6 February 2011

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Good to see that Prince Charles turned out so support the premiere of the new documentary on the Gwanghwamun: http://bit.ly/fq8fI1 #. The DVD gets a release in March.

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Adoptee film explores life after the reunion

by Philip Gowman 23 September 2010

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Adoptee filmmaker Tammy Chu explores life after the reunion of adoptee son with his birth mother. Looks like a must-watch film. Resilience is released in Korea on 30 September. Hope it gets a DVD release. http://bit.ly/9uh3Du #. www.resiliencefilm.com

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To mark the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, LSE IDEAS is organising a conference to discuss the conflict, Monday 3 June 2013, 14:00-18:00. Invited speakers will begin by exploring why the war ended the way it did, and what arrangements were made for the immediate post-war period. The discussion will then [...] (12-May-13)

Why did traffic controller Ri Kyong Sim get rewarded with the title of Hero of the Republic, together with a new flat for herself and her family? Recently she safeguarded the headquarters of the revolution in an unexpected situation by displaying her heroic self-sacrificing spirit of defending the leader resolutely, says the Rodong Sinmun on [...] (10-May-13)

David Guttenfelder is the Associated Press Chief Photographer for Asia. Although he’s now based in Tokyo, last year he spent around 100 days in Pyongyang for AP. His first time on the Korean peninsula was to witness the first of the family reunions between North and South, and his first time in Pyongyang was when [...] (06-May-13)

An interesting Associated Press article on the prevalence of Traditional Korean Medicine (called Koryo Medicine) in North Korea: “Doctors are more interested in Koryo medicine rather than Western medicine because they can get it more easily,” said Ri Hye Yong, who manages [Pyongyang's Man Nyon Pharmacy], opened by the government nearly three decades ago. “It’s [...] (06-May-13)

Each week, Saatchi Online showcases an emerging artist from around the world who is already garnering attention for their work. Taking inspiration from the Saatchi Gallery’s 25-year history of discovering new talent, ‘One To Watch’ presents some of the most exciting artists on Saatchi Online helping collectors to identify strong emerging talent. This week’s ‘One [...] (05-May-13)

It’s the Mayday Bank Holiday weekend, so as usual it’s the B-boy convention at Sadlers Wells. This year, Project Soul is representing Korea, performing on Saturday 4th. More details on the Breakin’ Convention website. (02-May-13)

Via James Pearson of NKNews.org and koreabang.com: North Korean TV is currently broadcasting a concert of Moranbang Band in army uniforms fiddling by a tank. Happy Labour Day! Too fun not to share. (01-May-13)

Go vote for Gate Flowers as MTV Iggy’s artist of the week. Says MTV Iggy: One of the bands we have our eye on is Gate Flowers, winners of both the “Rookie of the Year” and “Best Rock Song” awards in the 2011 Korean Music Awards. Their throwback sound takes the dense guitars of Nirvana-era [...] (21-Apr-13)

There’s a nice interview with Krys Lee, author of Drifting House, on the Asia House website. Drifting House was LKL’s book of the year last year, and so we’re looking forward to seeing Ms Lee at the Asia House Festival of Asian Literature next month. Authors: Krys Lee (17-Apr-13)

At LKL we were lukewarm, but we don’t mind being in the minority. So congratulations to Adam Johnson for winning the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, “for distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life,” with The Orphan Master’s Son. Source: www.pulitzer.org Authors: Adam Johnson (16-Apr-13)

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