There is something slightly hypnotising about seeing a movie which seems to aspire to do nothing more than lovingly record the daily lives of a couple who face the same everyday challenges and questions that most of us face. How and whether to stand up to the boss at work when he seeks to make … [Read More]
Month: November 2015 (page 2)
Festival Film Review: Collapse
The second screening in this year’s documentary strand, this movie left you wondering what the director’s intentions were. Indeed, it made you wonder whether there was another guiding spirit which took over the film-making process, editing and shaping the unfinished work of the director. And then you looked at the credits, and discovered that there … [Read More]
Inside the Corinthia – home to the LKFF stars
As you settle into your seat before a screening at the London Korean Film Festival there’s a familiar set of brief films you watch before the main feature starts: first the official trailer, and then three short promotional videos for the sponsors. Of these, the one that probably sticks in the mind for all the … [Read More]
Festival Film Review: The Classified File
As goodwill ambassador for Sancheong County, I was delighted when Sancheong’s most famous Buddhist monk, the late Seong Cheol sunim, got name checked in The Classified File as the Seon Master of the Buddhist-trained fortune teller who unofficially assisted the police in the real-life 1978 kidnap case that was the subject of the movie. One … [Read More]
Event news: Sora Kim 2, 3 panel discussion
News of a panel discussion at the KCC to talk about the current exhibition by Sora Kim: Sora Kim: Fractured Performance Panel discussion with Eugenio Polgovsky, Tamarin Norwood and Ellen Mara de Wachter Tuesday 17 November, 6.30pm – Free, booking essential: [email protected] (The exhibition will be open until 9pm) Sora Kim’s performances involve other people, … [Read More]
Festival Film Review: Ode to My Father
The time is the present. Yoon Deok-su, a grandfather living in Busan but born in South Hamgyong province in North Korea, looks back at his life of hardship which has coincided exactly with the life of the Republic of Korea. Surrounded by his grandchildren, he has managed to raise his family from nothing to relative prosperity, … [Read More]
Classics revisited – an opportunity to get to know the films of Chung Chang-wha
One of the things we like about the London Korean Film Festival the range of different perspectives it offers us on the vibrant Korean film scene, from emerging directors to actor retrospectives via documentaries and more. One of the strands we appreciate most is the opportunity it gives us to see classic movies from the … [Read More]
CheeMc reviewed in The Observer
There’s an enthusiastic review of the fried chicken at CheeMc, 310 Walworth Road, London SE17 2TG (020 3645 0772) in this weekend’s Observer. “Without visiting Korea, it is impossible to tell how authentic CheeMc’s fried chicken is. No matter. It’s delicious…” HT to the Korean Class Massive [Read More]
Two masterclasses as part of LKFF 2015
Two late additions to the LKFF schedule, both on Saturday afternoon, 14 November. But you can’t do both. And you can’t do either if you want to watch the classic Chung Chang-wha screenings. Choices, choices … but I think I’ll choose a large dose of muhyeop and Q&A with Director Chung. Masterclass: In Conversation with … [Read More]
Festival Film Review: Kim Eungsu — The City in the Water
Write down on a piece of paper a list of techniques you expect to be used in a documentary about a controversial episode in recent history. Maybe it will include archive footage; expert talking heads giving their views of the historical problem; interviews with people who lived through it, witnessed it or even contributed to … [Read More]
Event news: Han-earl Park Trio at Cafe Oto and elsewhere
Cafe Oto hosts the London stop on a three-city tour of England by the Han-earl Park Trio this December: Han-earl Park Trio with Dominic Lash and Mark Sanders plus Caroline Pugh Somewhere out there, there’s an SUV-sized violin tailgating, a No Wave guitarist desperately trying to survive in the Appalachian Mountains, someone dropping sheets of … [Read More]
LKFF 2015: an index of reviews
Here is an index to reviews of some of the films screening at LKFF 2015. I’ll update this article with more links when I find them. Films are listed in order of screening. LKL = London Korean Links | EK = Eastern Kicks | THN = The Hollywood News | HC = Hangul Celluloid Film … [Read More]
Event news: The art and sounds of Korea, at the British Museum
Coming up next Saturday at the British Museum, an event focusing on Joseon music and culture: The art and sounds of Korea Saturday 14 November 2015, 13.15–14.15 British Museum, Room 67 (The Korea Foundation Gallery) A special gallery talk by Eleanor S Hyun, British Museum, and Hyelim Kim, taegŭm performer. Gallery talks are suitable for … [Read More]
A lunchtime of ceramics and an evening of awesomeness
I wish the lunch break had been longer at today’s Korean film conference at SOAS. I was planning on having a quick snack at Mr Mok’s Bibimbap Cafe in Museum Street, maybe say a brief hello to my friends at It’s All Greek a few doors away, and then look in at the British Museum’s … [Read More]
An introduction to “Love And…” — LKFF’s closing gala film
The London Korean Film Festival’s choice for the closing gala is an interesting one: Zhang Lu’s Love And… (the literal meaning of the Korean title, 필름시대사랑, is “Love of the Film Era”), which only recently opened at the Korean box office. Closing galas over the years have included blockbusters and mainstream movies such as Masquerade … [Read More]
Book news: Han Kang’s Human Acts coming in January 2016
Han Kang is among the eight women writers whose books have been awarded an English PEN grant in the latest round. Han, acclaimed author of The Vegetarian, will publish her novel Human Acts in January 2016 with the backing of both a PEN Promotes and a PEN Translates grant. Deborah Smith once again translates, and … [Read More]