London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

Korean movies at BFI Flare

Tickets for many of the screenings of Korean films have sold out, though the BFI website indicates that some more tickets may be released. The website also indicates that some screenings may be available online via BFI Player, but I’ve yet to see confirmation that any of the Korean titles will be available in this way: I’ll be keeping an eye on this BFI page to see if there’s any good news.

BFI Flare: A Korea focus

Date: Wednesday 15 March - Sunday 26 March 2023
Venue:
BFI Southbank | Belvedere Road | South Bank | London SE1 8XT |

Tickets: £13.50 | More details and ticket links below

BFI Flare, London’s LGBTQIA+ film festival, this year has four Korean feature films plus one short. There is also a first-come, first-served discussion with some of the Korean film makers. Ticket links – and links to full details with movie synopsis on the BFI website – are below.

Discussion: Spotlight on South Korea

A Korean flag with rainbow trigramsSaturday 18 March 16:00

South Korean filmmakers discuss their films and the history of LGBTQIA+ cinema in South Korea.

First come, first served. More details here

The Dream Songs (너와 나)

Soft-focus shot of two teenage schoolgirls in a woodFriday 17 March 18:00
Saturday 18 March 13:20
Ticket link

Director CHO Hyun-chul 2022, 118min
Producer AN Bo-young
Screenwriters CHO Hyun-chul, JUNG Mi-young
With PARK Hye-su, Kim Si-eun

Teenage longing, emotional immaturity and a lesbian love triangle combine to produce this hazy South Korean fever dream.

Peafowl (공작새)

A beautiful dancer performs a Buddhist danceFriday 24 March 20:40
Saturday 25 March 15:30
Sunday 26 March 17:10
Ticket link

Director-Screenwriter BYUN Sung-bin 2022, 114min
Producers BYUN Sung-bin, YOON Suk-chan
With Hae-jun, KIM U-gyeom

Steely Shin Myung is a fierce trans queen on the Seoul nightclub scene who reconnects with her Buddhist heritage, in this defiant dance debut. Review in Screen Daily

Life Unrehearsed (두 사람)

An elderly Korean lady in a woolly hatThursday 16 March 18:20
Saturday 18 March 11:15
Ticket link

Director-Screenwriter Jieun Banpark 2022, 80min
Producer Dahyoung Kim
With In-sun Kim, Soohyun Lee

A captivating and witty portrayal of two retired Korean nurses living their best lives in Berlin.

XX+XY

Three contented teenage Korean schoolchildrenSaturday 18 March 20:25
Sunday 19 March 15:10
Ticket link

Director Soh-Yoon Lee 2022, 128min
Producer Si-Yeon Yu
Screenwriter Sung-Yeun Hong
With Hyun-Ho Ahn, Woo-Sung Choi, Ji-in Kim

An intersex teen and their friends navigate the complex feelings and urges that come with adolescence, in this unique coming-of-age comedy.

Butch up!

Two girls, the younger one holding a guitar, talk to each other(part of It’s Not You, It’s Me programme of shorts)
Saturday 18 March 13:15
Ticket link

Director: Yu-jin LEE 2022 12min

Mi-hae has just been dumped twice, by her girlfriend and her band. What next?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.