The London Korean Film Festival returns for its 13th edition next month with a slightly quieter tone than in some previous years. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s as if the organisers are saying that, as the festival enters its teenage years, the audience is becoming grown-up enough not to require a diet of glitz and glamour. Let the movies speak for themselves, they seem to be saying: we don’t need all the red carpet events.
Having said that, there’s no shortage of guests turning up from Korea for the festival. Two directors – Lee Myung-se and Park Kiyong – will be here for mini-retrospectives of their work; Kim Bo-ram and Jeong Ga-young will be here to introduce their films and participate in the Women’s Voices roundtable discussion; author Jeong You-jeong will be here to discuss Choo Chang-min’s adaptation of her thriller Seven Years of Night; and that’s just for starters.
In keeping with the more grown-up attitude, the main focus of this year’s festival is A Slice of Everyday Life, giving the opportunity to consider a selection of quiet, thoughtful films from the 1990s through to the present day. In this strand are classics such as Christmas in August (1998), the understated romance by Hur Jin-ho with megastars Shim Eun-ha and Han Suk-gyu, and one of the first Korean movies I ever watched; Lee Yoon-ki’s lovely This Charming Girl (2004); Kim So-yong’s Treeless Mountain (2008) and E J-yong’s Bacchus Lady (2015). Thus far I’ve not managed to see Zhang Lu’s well-regarded Grain In Ear (2010), so that’s definitely one I’m going to try to see, and I similarly missed out on Park Jung-bum’s look at the lives of North Korean exiles in South Korea, Journals of Musan (2010) so that and his 2014 drama Alive will also be on the priority list, particularly as director Park will be there to answer questions after both screenings. I’ve already booked for Moon So-ri’s directorial debut The Running Actress (2017), and will certainly try to attend as much of the discussion forum on this strand as I can before shooting off to witness what could be the highlight of the London Korean cultural year courtesy of the K-Music festival – Ahn Sook-sun performing Heungbuga at the Purcell Room (a shame that it clashes with Kim Yang-hee’s The Poet and the Boy (2017)). Lest you feel that the strand is too quiet, Yang Ik-june’s gritty and violent debut feature Breathless also makes a return to a London screen.
Many of the movies in the main strand have an indie feel to them, but as usual there is also a strand specifically devoted to independent film. For me, the highlight of Tony Rayns’s Indie Firepower strand is the focus on Park Kiyong, whose Camel(s) (2001) I’ve long been trying to track down after seeing his Motel Cactus on DVD; and similarly it’s good to get the opportunity to see some of Lee Myung-se’s earlier work in the company of the director and Mark Morris. For many of us the stylised hard-boiled Nowhere to Hide (1999) will be the first movie of his to have impinged on our consciousness, so the opportunity to see three of his earlier films (along with his most recent, from last year) is not to be missed.
We’ve already had plenty of recent hits as part of the LKFF’s series of teaser screenings, but there’s still a good selection of movies from the more recent box office on offer in the main festival’s Cinema Now strand. Heart Blackened (2016), directed by Jung Ji-woo (Happy End, Eungyo) and featuring Choi Min-sik at the top of his game, which Paul Quinn describes as “a visually sumptuous, multi-layered and beautifully involved tale of love, hate, sacrifice and murder” has got to be a priority; and thriller-lovers will also enjoy Cho Kyu-jang’s The Witness (2017) and Choo Chang-min’s Seven Years of Night, particularly as author Jeong You-jeong (The Good Son) will be there to discuss it.
Other well-established strands in the festival are the Mise-en-Scene short movie selection and the Artist Video focus. This year Kwon Hayoun will be present to discuss her work, which also featured in the Nottingham exhibition The Real DMZ earlier this year. The Women’s Voices strand (in which again the British Museum plays host for part of this strand) officially has three short films and three fuller length movies, but the programme is rounded out by several films elsewhere in the festival with a female interest – for example Mothers in the Slice of Everyday Life strand and the opening and closing galas, Microhabitat and The Return. The latter is of particular interest, following the return to Korea of an adoptee brought up in Denmark as she searches for her birth parents.
Last but by no means least is the animation strand, with the return of Pororo the penguin in his latest adventure. We had an earlier edition of Pororo’s adventures, a Christmas special, in the first of the film festival organised by the KCC back in 2006, and very fun it was too. But for me the animation of much more interest is the UK premiere of one of the latest classic short story adaptions by Studio Meditation with a Pencil. Their very latest, The Shaman Sorceress, debuted at Busan this month, and in London we will get to see their adaptation of Hang Sun-won’s classic The Shower.
So, while there might not be the red carpet events that there were a few years ago, I’m looking forward to this festival just as much or even more. There’s the chance to reacquaint myself with some old favourites, fill out my coverage of the back catalogue and bring myself up to date with some of the latest releases, as well as the opportunity to hear from experts and the filmmakers themselves. Roll on 1 November.
Set out below is a listing of the films by strand. A listing by screening time can be found here. Visit the official festival site www.koreanfilm.co.uk for latest details and booking information.
Opening Gala |
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| Microhabitat (소공녀) +Q&A Comedy, Drama, 2017, 104 min Picturehouse Central Thu 1 Nov 18:30 |
Dir: Jeon Go-woon Cast: Lee Som, Ahn Jae-hong |
Closing Gala |
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| The Return (회귀) +Q&A Hybrid, Drama, 2018, 84 min Regent Street Cinema Wed 14 Nov 19:00 |
Dir: Malene Choi Cast: Karoline Sofie Lee, Thomas Hwan, Seong In-ja |
Special Focus: A Slice of Everyday Life |
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| The Power Of Kangwon Province (강원도의 힘) Drama, 1998, 108 min Regent Street Cinema Thu 8 Nov 18:30 |
Dir: Hong Sangsoo Cast: Baik Jong-hak, Oh Yoon-hong, Kim Yu-seok |
| Christmas In August (8월의 크리스마스) Romance, Drama, 1998, 97 min Phoenix Sun 4 Nov 13:00 |
Dir: Hur Jin-ho Cast: Han Suk-kyu, Shim Eun-ha |
| Jealousy is my Middle Name (질투는 나의 힘) Drama, 2002, 125 min Regent Street Cinema Sat 10 Nov 14:00 |
Dir: Park Chan-ok Cast: Bae Jong-ok, Park Hae-il, Moon Sung-Keun |
| This Charming Girl (여자, 정혜) Drama, 2004, 99 min Regent Street Cinema Sat 10 Nov 16:30 |
Dir: Lee Yoon-ki Cast: Kim Ji-soo, Hwang Jung-min |
| Grain In Ear (망종) Drama, 2005, 109 min Regent Street Cinema Sat 10 Nov 18:40 |
Dir: Zhang Lu Cast: Liu Lianji, Jin Bo, Zhu Guangxuan |
| Treeless Mountain (나무없는 산) Drama, 2008, 89 min Phoenix Sat 3 Nov 13:00 |
Dir: Kim So Yong Cast: Kim Hee Yeon, Kim Song Hee, Lee Soo Ah |
| Breathless (똥파리) Drama, 2008, 130 min Picturehouse Central Sun 4 Nov 14:00 |
Dir: Yang Ik-june Cast: Yang Ik-june, Kim Kkobbi and Lee Hwan |
| The Journals Of Musan (무산일기) +Q&A Drama, 2010, 127 min Regent Street Cinema Sun 11 Nov 16:00 |
Dir: Park Jungbum Cast: Park Jungbum, Jin Yonguk, Kang Eunjin |
| Bleak Night (파수꾼) Drama, 2010, 116 min Regent Street Cinema Fri 9 Nov 18:20 |
Dir: Yoon Sung-hyun Cast: Lee Je-hoon, Seo Jun-young, Park Jung-min |
| Alive (산다) + Q&A Drama, 2014, 175 min Regent Street Cinema Tue 13 Nov 18:30 |
Dir: Park Jungbum Cast: Park Jungbum, Lee Seungyeon, Park Myunghoon |
| The Bacchus Lady (죽여주는 여자) Drama, 2015, 110 min Rio Sun 4 Nov 18:30 |
Dir: E J-yong Cast: Youn Yuh-jung, Chon Moo-song, Yoon Kye-Sang |
| The Running Actress (여배우는 오늘도) Drama, Comedy, 2017, 71 min Picturehouse Central Fri 2 Nov 18:30 |
Dir: Moon So-ri Cast: Moon So-ri, Sung Byoung-sook, Yoon Sang-hwa |
| The Poet And The Boy (시인의 사랑) +Q&A Drama, 2017, 110 min Picturehouse Central Sat 3 Nov 18:45 |
Dir: Kim Yang-hee Cast: Yang Ik-june, Jeon Hye-jin, Jung Ga-ram |
| Possible Faces (얼굴들 ) Drama, 2017, 131 min Regent Street Cinema Sun 11 Nov 19:00 |
Dir: Lee Kanghyun Cast: Kim Saebyeok, Park Jonghwan, Yun Jongseok |
| Mothers (당신의 부탁) +Q&A Drama, 2017, 107 min Picturehouse Central Mon 5 Nov 20:45 |
Dir: Lee Dong-eun Cast: Lim Soo-jung, Yoon Chan-young, Lee Sang-hee |
| The Land Of Seonghye (성혜의 나라 ) Drama, 2018, 117 min Picturehouse Central Sat 3 Nov 13:00 |
Dir: Jung Hyung-suk Cast: Song Ji-in, Kang Doo |
| Forum On Special Focus: A Slice Of Everyday Life: Part 1. Microhabitats: Contextualising Everydayness in Film Exploring the aesthetics of the everyday on screen, and the history of its key examples in Korean and UK cinema Part 2. Possible Faces Places: Filmmakers on the Everyday and Realism Discussing how lmmakers approach and materialise the notion of everydayness and its signi cance in contemporary cinema Picturehouse Central Sat 3 Nov 16:00 |
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Cinema Now |
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| Heart Blackened (침묵) Crime, Drama, 2016, 125 min Regent Street Cinema Fri 9 Nov 20:50 |
Dir: Jung Ji-woo Cast: Choi Min-sik, Park Shin Hye, Ryu Jun-yeol |
| Love+Sling (레슬러) SportsComedy, 2017, 110 min Regent Street Cinema Sat 10 Nov 21:00 |
Dir: Kim Dae-woong Cast: Yoo Hai-jin, Kim Min-jae, Lee Seong-kyung |
| The Princess And The Matchmaker (궁합) Period, Romance, Comedy, 2018, 110 min Picturehouse Central Sun 4 Nov 19:45 |
Dir: Hong Chang-pyo Cast: Shim Eun-kyung, Lee Seung-gi |
| Seven Years Of Night (7년의 밤) Thriller, 2018, 123 min Picturehouse Central Fri 2 Nov 20:45 |
Dir: Choo Chang-min Cast: Ryu Seung-ryong, Jang Dong-gun, Song Sae-byuk |
| Little Forest (리틀포레스트) Drama, 2017, 103 min Rio Sat 3 Nov 18:30 |
Dir: Yim Soon-rye Cast: Kim Tae-ri, Ryu Jun-yeol, Moon Sori |
| The Witness (목격자) Thriller, 2017, 111 min Picturehouse Central Tue 6 Nov 21:00 |
Dir: Cho Kyu-jang Cast: Lee Sung-min, Kim Sang-ho, Jin Kyung |
| Hotel By The River (강변호텔) Drama, 2018, 96 min Regent Street Cinema Thu 8 Nov 21:00 |
Dir: Hong Sangsoo Cast: Ki Joobong, Kim Minhee, Song Seonmi, Kwon Haehyo, Yu Junsang, Park Ran, Shin Seokho |
Women’s Voices |
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| Hit The Night (밤치기) + Q&A Romance, 2017, 85 min ICA Tue 6 Nov 18:30 |
Dir: Jeong Ga-young Cast: Jeong Ga-young, Park Jong-hwan, Hyung Seul-woo |
| Director Talk With Jeong Ga-Young Kingston University Wed 7 Nov 11:30 |
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| For Vagina’s Sake (피의 연대기) Documentary, 2017, 84 min British Museum Mon 5 Nov 14:00 |
Dir: Kim Bo-ram Cast: Kim Bo-ram, Oh Hee-jung |
| Roundtable Discussion: Exploring female body politics on screen British Museum Mon 5 Nov 16:00 |
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| Grown Up (어른이 되면) Documentary, 2018, 98 min Picturehouse Central Wed 7 Nov 18:30 |
Dir: Jang Hyeyeong Cast: Jang Hyeyeong, Jang Hyejeong, Yoon Jeongmin |
| Women’s Voices Shorts Programme Picturehouse Central Mon 5 Nov 18:30 |
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| A Blind Alley (골목길) Drama, 2017, 27 min |
Dir: Oh Suyeon Cast: Oh Woori, Lee Haeun |
| Playground (모래 놀이) Drama, 2017, 29 min |
Dir: Choi Cho-ah Cast: Kim Si-eun, Yoon Hae-bin |
| Testimony (증언) Drama, 2018, 29 min |
Dir: Woo Gyeng-hee Cast: Mun Hye-in, Han Hae-in |
Indie Firepower |
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| Motel Cactus (모텔 선인장) Romance, 1997, 90 min KCCUK Sat 10 Nov 15:00 |
Dir: Park Kiyong Cast: Lee Mi-yeon, Jin Hee-gyeong, Jung Woo-sung |
| Camel(s) (낙타(들)) +Q&A Drama, 2001, 91 min Regent Street Cinema Sun 11 Nov 12:00 |
Dir: Park Kiyong Cast: Lee Dae-yon, Park Myung-shin |
| Old Love (재회) +Q&A Romance, 2017, 89 min Regent Street Cinema Mon 12 Nov 18:30 |
Dir: Park Kiyong Cast: Yoo Jungah, Kim Taehoon, Kim Moonhee |
| Director Talk With Park Kiyong Regent Street Cinema Sun 11 Nov 14:30 |
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| Adulthood (어른도감) Drama, Comedy, 2017, 91 min Regent Street Cinema Mon 12 Nov 20:45 |
Dir: Kim In-seon Cast: Um Tae-goo, Lee Jae-in, Seo Jeong-yeon |
| Back From The Beat (내가 사는 세상) Drama, 2018, 67 min Picturehouse Central Sun 4 Nov 17:20 |
Dir: Choi Changhwan Cast: Kwak Minkyu, Kim See-eun, Park Jihong |
| + Even No Shadow (그림자도 없다) Drama, 2011, 36 min |
Dir: Choi Changhwan Cast: Nguyen Dnc Thu, Mangala Sanjeewa Kodeethwskku, Choi Changhwan |
Mise-en-Scène Shorts |
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| Part 1: Picturehouse Central Tue 6 Nov 18:30 | |
| The Monologue (자유연기) Drama, 2018, 29 min |
Dir: Kim Do-young Cast: Kang Mal-geum, Lee Jae-in, Kwon Ji-sook |
| Morning Of The Dead (시체들의 아침) Drama, 2018, 29 min |
Dir: Lee Seung-ju Cast: Kang Gil-woo, Park Seo-yun, Jang Jun-whee |
| Shadower (친구) Drama, 2018, 20 min |
Dir: Kwak Ki-bong Cast: Hwang Young-gook, Kim Jun-hyung |
| Part 2: Picturehouse Central Wed 7 Nov 20:45 | |
| Tail (꼬리) Drama, 2018, 28 min |
Dir: Kim Hu-jung Cast: Lee Won-jong, Kim Jong-gu |
| Hysteria (히스테리아) Drama, 2018, 26 min |
Dir: Jang Man-min Cast: Song Hee-jun, Lim Hyung-kook, Chang Ha-ran |
| Passing Over The Hill (그 언덕을 지나는 시간) Drama, 2018, 24 min |
Dir: Bang Sung-jun Cast: Byun Chung-hee, Lee Ji-soo, Bang Tae-won |
Contemporary Classics: Lee Myung-se & the 1990s |
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| My Love, My Bride (나의 사랑, 나의 신부) +Q&A Drama, Comedy, 1990, 111 min Close-up Fri 9 Nov 20:00 |
Dir: Lee Myung-se Cast: Park Joong-hoon, Choi Jin-sil, Choi Chong-won |
| First Love (첫사랑) +Q&A Drama, Romance, 1993, 108 min Close-up Sat 10 Nov 20:00 |
Dir: Lee Myung-se Cast: Kim Hye-soo, Choi Chong-won, Cho Min-ki |
| Their Last Love Affair (지독한 사랑) Romance, 1996, 106 min Close-up Sun 11 Nov 20:00 |
Dir: Lee Myung-se Cast: Kang Soo-youn, Kim Kap-soo, Kim Hak-cheol |
| + Can’t Live Without You (그대 없이는 못 살아) Mystery, Romance, Action, 2017, 17 min |
Dir: Lee Myung-se Cast: Yoo In-young, Kim Seoljin |
Animation |
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| The Shower (소나기) Animation, 2016, 48 min Phoenix Sat 3 Nov 12:00 |
Dir: Ahn Jae-hoon, Han Hye-jin Cast: Shin Eun-soo, Noh Kang-min |
| Pororo, Dinosaur Island Adventure (뽀로로 극장판 공룡섬 대모험) Animation, 2017, 78 min Phoenix Sat 10 Nov 12:00 |
Dir: Kim Hyunho, Yun Jewan Cast: Lee Sun, Lee Mi-ja, Ham Su-jung |
Artist Video |
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| Artist Video: Kim Kyung-Mook Lux Sun 4 Nov 14:00 |
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| Grace Period (유예기간) Documentary, 2015, 62 min |
Dirs: Kim Kyung-Mook + Caroline Key |
| Me And Doll-Playing (나와 인형놀이) Documentary, 2004, 20 min |
Dir: Kim Kyung-Mook |
| Artist Video: Kwon Hayoun Lux Sun 11 Nov 14:00 |
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| 489 Years Video, 2016, 11 min |
Dir: Kwon Hayoun |
| Model Village Video, 2014, 9 min |
Dir: Kwon Hayoun |
| Pan Mun Jom Video, 2013, 4 min |
Dir: Kwon Hayoun |
| Lack Of Evidence Video, 2011, 9 min |
Dir: Kwon Hayoun |