The 2016 London East Asia Film Festival has a number of strands. We’ve already posted details of the movies screening in the Park Chan-wook retrospective and the Jeonju International Film Festival Focus. So here are the Korean movies featuring in the other strands, the broader East Asian cinema sections, listed in order of screening at … [Read More]
Month: October 2016 (page 2)
Gig review: Patients + Idiotape @ Rich Mix
Sometimes you enjoy an event but don’t know what to say about it. Rock music is not one of my own core competencies. I know when a band enthuses me, but if asked to describe the style or genre, or to compare the musicians with other, possibly Western, reference points I’m usually at a loss. … [Read More]
Film review: The Lovers and the Despot
The way you watch Ross Adam’s and Robert Cannan’s The Lovers and the Despot is likely to depend on whether you know the story or not. To those who are coming to it afresh, this is an extraordinary tale which is another example of the old adage that truth is stranger than fiction: one of South … [Read More]
Event news: King’s College London Contemporary Korea Speaker Series
The London Asia Pacific Centre will be hosting the Contemporary Korea Speaker Series in October-November 2016. Thanks to funding provided by The Academy of Korean Studies, the series will bring to London four top Korean professors to discuss contemporary Korean economics, politics and society. The talks are as follows: 13 October 2016 – Prof Kim … [Read More]
Amor (그리울 련, 2015) review: a heartfelt revival of the terminal illness drama
There was a time in Korean cinema when terminal illness was a regular and recurring theme. With its gentle depth and understated, yet wholly realistic, heart-wrenching characterisations, ‘Amor’ reminds us of why the best of such films became thought of as classics at the same time maintaining an originality to its ultimately thought provoking narrative. [Read More]
Event news: the hottest K-food in London
The South Korean embassy is organising a Korean food promotional event on 1 November. The Taste of Korea Victoria Centre @ Westminster Kingsway College 76 Vincent Square, London, SW1P 2PD 10:30am ~ 3:30pm Tuesday 1st November 2016 Register here by 20 October The Hottest K-food in London is organised by the Embassy of the Republic … [Read More]
Train to Busan (부산행, 2016) review: zombies, corporate self-interest and a relentless ride
A father and daughter’s train journey becomes a fight for survival when a zombie outbreak erupts onboard. Combining ferocious, fast-moving undead with humour, emotional stakes and critiques of corporate selfishness, Train to Busan delivers white-knuckle intensity, crowd-pleasing thrills and a rare balance of spectacle and human drama. Miss it at your peril. [Read More]
Brief review: Park Chan-wook’s Handmaiden
I’ll leave others to do the detailed review of Park Chan-wook’s Handmaiden (아가씨), which screened at the London Film Festival this week and which will return later in the month at the London East Asia Film Festival. Suffice it to say that it’s gorgeous-looking, both in terms of costume and interiors, great story-telling and totally … [Read More]
Brief review: Train to Busan
What can you say about Train to Busan that hasn’t already been said? When everyone tells you it’s a fantastic thrill-ride you try to go into the screening with lowered expectations just in case everyone is delusional and you come away disappointed. No need to fear. It’s pretty much non-stop entertainment from start to finish, … [Read More]
Gig review: Youn Sun Nah + Ulf Wakenius @ Union Chapel
It’s been too long since Youn Sun Nah performed in London: five long years. Last time was a small, intimate venue – Pizza Express in Soho – and the time before was the Queen Elizabeth Hall – more generous in terms of space but one that made the performers work hard to create the atmosphere. … [Read More]
Exhibition news: Excavating the Sky, at The Square Gallery
I haven’t knowingly seen Choi Mi-young’s work since 2011, when she appeared in the big Sasapari group show. She’s back in a two-person exhibition in Battersea: a dialogue between painting and sculpture, exploring the theme of Sky. Excavating the Sky Mi Young Choi, Dorothea Magonet The Square Gallery | 9B Battersea Square | London SW11 … [Read More]
LEAFF 2016 focuses on Jeonju film fest
One of the strands to be introduced by the London East Asia Film Festival is a focus on individual festivals in the region. In collaboration with the Institute for Contemporary Arts, who will be screening this strand on Saturday and Sunday mornings during the festival, the focus for the first year is the Jeonju International … [Read More]
Event news: DGC K-pop dance show #10
DGC Dance run weekly K-pop dance classes at Fitness First venues in the City and put on a big show every 6 months or so. Coming up this Sunday, their 10th such show. Looks fun. DATE: Sunday 9th October 2016, 2pm – 5.30pm Doors open 2pm. Show starts 2.30pm VENUE: Stratford Circus Arts Centre (C1 … [Read More]
Event news: Hwang Jungeun book launch at London Review Bookshop
Tilted Axis Press is launching its first Korean title on 20 October at the London Review Bookshop. Hwang Jungeun will be present to discuss her work. Tickets via Eventbrite. You can buy a copy of the book before then via the Tilted Axis Press website. Hwang Jungeun: One Hundred Shadows London Review Bookshop | 14 … [Read More]
Exhibition news: Koo Jeong A — Riptide: KCC’s Artist of the Year exhibition
The KCC’s third Artist of the Year exhibition opens on 7 October and focuses on Koo Jeong A, who earlier on this year had an installation in the old Charing Cross underground station. Koo Jeong A: Riptide 7 October – 19 November 2016 Korean Cultural Centre UK | Grand Buildings, 1 – 3 Strand | … [Read More]
Autumn 2016 seminars at SOAS
Here are the seminars announced for the Autumn 2016 season at SOAS. Check www.soas.ac.uk/koreanstudies/events/ for updates. 30/09/16 Typewriters vs. Coffee: How Did Korean Women Take over the Job of Secretaries? Dr. Eunju Bährisch (Warwick University) 07/10/16 Maths and Maps: Aggregate Variation in Korean Simon Barnes-Sadler (SOAS, University of London) 14/10/16 From Across the Genkai Sea: … [Read More]