Asia House has published the programme for its 2016 film festival. Two films will be of interest to Korea specialists. Steven Dhoedt’s documentary on the world of professional computer gamers, and Benson Lee’s comedy Seoul Searching.
State of Play
Dir Steven Dhoedt, Belgium / South Korea, 2013
85 minutes, UK premiere
Time: Tuesday, 23 February 2016 from 18:45 to 20:30
Place: Asia House – 63 New Cavendish Street London W1G 7LP GB
Tickets: £8 for adults; £6 for Concessions and £5 for Asia House Friends (members).
Purchase tickets on Eventbrite. More details on Asia House website.
Competitive video gaming is big business in South Korea. An annual highlight is the Pro League live eSports event, with thousands flocking to Seoul to watch the finest professional gamers compete to be the national champion of StarCraft, a game which, almost a decade old, already belongs to a different era in the rapidly developing gaming industry.
For its teenage participants, in a country where pro-gamers are treated as national celebrities, the league offers the promise of prestige, money, and a bevy of adoring fans, but at what cost?
Steven Dhoedt’s documentary follows champion pro-gamer Lee Jae-dong and his fellow team members in their punishing training regime in a world where intense concentration and lightning quick reflexes are everything.
For more information on the film go to the film’s website here.
