April is the month of the London Book Fair (14-16 April at Olympia). Last year Korea was the market focus, an honour assumed by Mexico this year. But the Korea Publishers Association, LTI Korea and other bodies will be attending to fly the flag for Korea.
To remind us of the fun we had last year at the fair, the KCC and SOAS are doing their bit to promote Korean literature in translation by running a week-long series of screenings of literary adaptations. All five of the films are based on novels / short stories that can be found in English translation.
Free admission. To book your place, please email [email protected] with the title of the film(s) you would like to watch.
Korean Novels on Screen
20 April – 24 April / 7pm / SOAS University of London, Room B111
A week-long programme featuring five films based on novels by Korean writers.
Launched to celebrate the Korean Market Focus Cultural Programme for The London Book Fair 2014, every April the Korean Cultural Centre UK will present a series of films that have been adapted from Korean literature.Prior to the screening of Chunhyang on 24 April, Dr. Grace Koh (SOAS) and Dr. Mark Morris (Cambridge University) will offer an illustrative talk on the historical context of literary adaption in Korea.
Booking Information: To book your place, please email [email protected] with the title of the film(s) you would like to watch.
20 April
The Daughters of Kim’s Pharmacy (1963)
Director: Yu Hyun-mok
Cast: Choi Ji-hee, Um Aing-ran and Hwang Jung-seun
Original novel by Park Kyong-ni108 mins / cert. 18
A portrayal of four daughters of a herb shopkeeper who face troubled marriages, complicated by their sibling rivalry.
21 April
A Dwarf Launches a Little Ball (1981)
Director: Lee Won-se
Cast: Jeon Yang-ja, Ahn Sung-ki, Kim Choo-ryeon and Geum Bo-ra
Original novel by Cho Se-hui100 mins / cert. 18
A story about a dwarf and his poor but loving family who are forced to leave their home.
22 April
Deep Blue Night (1985)
Director: Bae Chang-ho
Cast: Ahn Sung-ki and Chang Mi-hee
Original novel by Choi In-ho110 mins / cert. 18
A road movie of sorts depicting complicated relationships intertwined with the traditional arc of separation and return driven by each character’s desire and ambition.
23 April
Our Twisted Hero (1992)
Director: Park Jong won
Cast: Hong Kyung-in, Go Jeong-il and Tae Min-yeong
Original novel by Yi Mun-yol119 mins / cert. U
A sharp elucidation of politics, power and violence seen through the dynamics of 5th graders at Y primary school in the early 1960s.
24 April
Chunhyang (2000)
Director: Im Kwon-taek
Cast: Yi Hyo-jeong and Cho Seung-wo
Based on the Pansori Chunhyangga as sung by Cho Sang-hyeon136 mins / cert. 12
A forbidden love story between a governor’s son Mongryong and the daughter of a courtesan Chunhyang told through Pansori – a traditional Korean form of storytelling.
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