The first of the KCCUK’s “Teaser Screenings” for the London Korean Film Festival 2016 took place on Monday in the presence of Director Lee Joon-ik and the recently-arrived Korean ambassador. The chosen film was The Throne (사도) – a movie which was #5 in the 2015 Korean box office and deals with an incident in … [Read More]
LKL articles by Philip Gowman (page 53)
Last Thursday’s screening at the KCC – Sunny – was an unexpected delight
Unexpectedly, I really enjoyed Kang Hyeong-cheol’s Sunny at the KCC this week. I shan’t bore you with the details – Paul Quinn has articulated it on Hangul Celluloid much better than I could. Based on the trailers I had been kind of expecting a bit of an offbeat teen comedy. When it featured in the … [Read More]
Tony’s Reading List plugs Bae Suah
There’s a great article in support of Bae Suah’s Nowhere to be Found (tr Sora Kim-Russell) on Three Percent, by Tony of Tony’s Reading List fame. A year ago he did a review of Nowhere to be Found along with Highway with Green Apples. And in his Three Percent article he passes on this bit of … [Read More]
Award for Korean Information Centre Co-founder
Congratulations to Bona Shin of the Korean Information Centre in New Malden for winning the Mayor’s Community Award for outstanding service to the Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames. The award was presented on 31 March 2016. The Korean Information Centre opened on 2 February last year with the aim of building a healthier and happier Korean … [Read More]
April events 2016
Film Lee Joon-ik’s The Throne (a treatment of the life and death of Crown Prince Sado) screens at the Regent Street Cinema on 18 April (with Director Q+A) as part of a teaser for this year’s London Korean Film Festival. The KCC film screenings this month are Sunny (Kang Hyoung-chul, 2011) (14 April) and the wonderful … [Read More]
Conference report: UK-Korea Creative Industries Forum
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has recently posted a brief round-up of the Creative Industries Forum held at the BFI earlier this month. The conference provided the opportunity for Korean Minister of Culture Kim Jongdeok and Culture Secretary John Whittingdale to sign a joint statement in which “Both sides agreed to continue to … [Read More]
This round of British Council / Arts Council England AIDF grants has Korea focus
Artists and other creative practitioners based in England but with interests in Korea may be interested that in the next round of grants provided by the Artists International Development Fund, around 25% of the budget will be spent on Korea-related proposals. Details follow: Korea Focus – Artists International Development Fund The next round of the … [Read More]
Hong Gildong coming soon to Penguin Classics
I wonder why it’s taken so long. But coming soon, in a new translation by Minsoo Kang, is The Story of Hong Gildong, “arguably the single most important work of classic Korean fiction,” according to the publishers, Penguin Classics. A release date of 7 July 2016 is mentioned, though Amazon UK is offering it on … [Read More]
Radio 3 features highlights from Great Mountains Music Festival
All this week BBC Radio 3 is playing highlights from last year’s Great Mountains Music Festival (대관령국제음악제) – held each summer in Pyeongchang. You can listen to it on iPlayer for the next 30 days. (Thanks to Aidan FC for spotting) Links: Great Mountains Music Festival website. Update: now rebranded Music in Pyeongchang website [Read More]
Review: Embeddedness — The past, present and future of Korean experimental film
The series of three screenings of short experimental films at the Tate in September 2015 was a fascinating insight into an artform that is hardly mainstream. To someone not used to sitting in darkened rooms watching 16mm creations the experience was sometimes confusing, sometimes rewarding, but never less than interesting. And what brought the whole … [Read More]
Kim Kulim in London: 4’33” and the meaning of 1/24”
One of the highlights of the two-day focus on Korean artist films at Tate Modern was the opportunity to meet veteran avant-garde artist Kim Kulim. Kim was a leading experimental artist who first achieved prominence in the 1960s, exploring new frontiers such as performance, mail art and land art as well as experimental film. “I do … [Read More]
Im Heung-soon: Jeju Prayer, Symptom and Sign
The most substantial work in the final session of experimental film screenings at the Tate in September 2015 was Im Heung-soon’s Sung Si (숭 시 – Jeju Symptom and Sign. 2011, HD Video, colour, sound, 24mins), a work which obliquely addresses the 4:3 incident and the Gangjeong naval base. The piece has been made into … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: Bates’s Room – Shin Kiwoun at the Old Police Station
The Old Police Station in Deptford is an interesting, slightly claustrophobic space for exhibiting art. A reception area with, behind, four gloomy holding cells whose walls are clad in ceramic tiles. Given the lack of light, it’s particularly suitable for showing video works. And the oppressive atmosphere was particularly suited to Shin Kiwoun’s theme which, … [Read More]
APPG provides summary of their conference on violence against women
The All Party Parliamentary Group on North Korea has published a brief write-up of their conference on violence against women and girls in North Korea, which was held on 22 February in the Houses of Parliament. They hope to upload the conference papers in due course. The report includes photos of the event by the … [Read More]
LKL at 10 years: the best of the past decade
Well, if you can’t reminisce on your website’s 10th birthday, when can you? Here’s a collection of some of my favourite London memories of the past 10 years (and one or two from slightly further afield). Some of the moments lived up to expectation: a front row seat at a performance by K-pop ballad diva Lee … [Read More]
Video: Living Statue “Comfort Women” protest outside Tate Modern
Braving the cold and rain, the living statue demonstration proceeded yesterday in front of Tate Modern. LKL arrived too late to take any photos, but above is one of the official photos and, below, a video of the protest. Links: justice4comfortwomenuk.wordpress.com [Read More]