Hangul Celluloid’s Paul Quinn enjoys a visit to the Korean Film Archive (KOFA) in Seoul, exploring its museum, library, and film vault. Highlights include exhibits on Korean cinema history, women in film, restoration techniques, props, and interactive displays, emphasizing KOFA’s role in preserving, promoting, and sharing Korean films with global audiences. [Read More]
LKL articles by Hangul Celluloid (page 7)
Korea Joa Project – Korean Folk Village and a visit to the Naver building
This Korea Joa diary entry recounts a visit to the immersive Korean Folk Village in Yongin, where iconic films and dramas were shot, and the state-of-the-art Naver building, showcasing innovative workspaces and the V APP for fan interaction, emphasizing how Korean cinema and technology intersect with broader cultural experiences. [Read More]
Korea Joa Project – Gyeongbokgung, Korean Food & Culture Academy and Namsan Tower
Back in Seoul, the Korea Joa Project team enjoys a day in Seoul, from exploring Gyeongbokgung Palace to a hands-on bulgogi and japchae cooking class at the Korean Food & Culture Academy, before ending with panoramic city views and dinner at Namsan (N Seoul) Tower. [Read More]
Korea Joa Project – Haedong Yonggungsa and Gwangalli Beach
This entry recounts a Korea Joa Project day in Busan, moving from post-BIFF reflections to a visit to the seaside Haedong Yonggung Buddhist temple and its unexpected sense of serenity, before concluding with a night ferry around Gwangalli Beach, taking in Busan’s illuminated skyline and coastal beauty. [Read More]
Korea Joa Project – ‘The Silenced’ BIFF 2015 screening and Q&A
This diary entry covers a Korea Joa Project day in Busan, from a milmyeon lunch to Megabox Haeundae screenings of The Silenced and Ode to My Father. It focuses on a rewatch of The Silenced and a post-screening Q&A discussing its genre shift, character relationships and directorial intent. [Read More]
Assassination (암살, 2015) review: a sumptuous period action epic
Set during the Colonial Period, Assassination is a star-studded, high-stakes thriller involving resistance fighters and double-crosses. Even from its early stages, it’s easy to see why it was such a huge draw at the box office. Sumptuous visuals combine with a gripping narrative to provide out-and-out entertainment, albeit overlong and lacking in character depth. [Read More]
Korea Joa Project – Busan International Film Festival opening ceremony
This travelogue recounts the hectic arrival at the 2015 Busan International Film Festival Opening Ceremony, navigating crowded entrances and last-minute confusion before finally reaching seats on the red carpet. Exhaustion gives way to excitement as film stars appear, captured in an on-the-ground red carpet video that conveys the atmosphere better than words. [Read More]
Korea Joa Project – the welcome dinner
The first Korea Joa Project travelogue recounts arrival in Seoul, early nerves eased by a smooth journey, and the opening orientation and welcome dinner. Participants from nine countries met KOFICE officials, received an overview of upcoming events, and heard from Director General Kim Deok-jung on promoting Korean culture through online media. [Read More]
Hangul Celluloid joins the KOFICE ‘Korea Joa Project’
Hangul Celluloid has been selected by KOFICE to join the 2015 Korea Joa Project, taking part in a two-week cultural immersion in Korea. Coverage will include BIFF, film and drama sites, K-Pop events, and Korean culture, shared through written reports, videos, and interviews. Follow the travelogue here. [Read More]
Bae Doo-na interview: “I think I’m good at acting silently”
Bae Doo-na discusses A Girl at My Door as a critique of social prejudice, isolation, and marginalisation. She reflects on supporting challenging Korean films, choosing directors over scale, working across Korean and international cinema, her preference for expressive, non-verbal acting, and formative projects from Barking Dogs Never Bite to Sense8. [Read More]
Scarlet Innocence (마담 뺑덕, 2014) review: from illicit desire to ruthless revenge
While this present day reinterpretation of classic Korean folktale ‘Simcheongga’ deviates from the original story, the intricately twisted, deeply involved and emotional nature of Yim Pil-sung’s sexually charged thriller positively screams of its pansori origin. A cautionary tale perfectly wrapped within a story of revenge and retribution, Scarlet Innocence is as unpredictable as it is gripping. [Read More]
The Silenced (경성학교: 사라진 소녀들, 2015) review: atmosphere, mystery and unfulfilled promise
Initially accomplished and deftly realised, The Silenced sadly soon becomes a victim of its own early promise. While the mystery at the film’s core has worked well enough as a theme in ‘B’ action movies and sci-fi TV shows, the praiseworthy aspects of The Silenced ultimately deserve a far more original and unpredictable outcome… [Read More]
Awaiting (민우씨 오는 날, 2014) review: love, memory and national division
Set in the context of families divided by the Korean War, Kang Je-gyu’s short ‘Awaiting’ is a touching, affecting story of aging, separation and yearning within a life put on hold for love. At just 26 minutes in duration, it is easily as worthy of attention, discussion and indeed acclaim as any feature-length drama. [Read More]
Cart (카트, 2014) review: a Single Spark for the 21st century
While it would be difficult for any film on the subject of workers’ rights and labour laws to come even close to the importance of 1995’s ‘A Single Spark’, with ‘Cart’ Boo Ji-young nonetheless successfully combines an insightful story of workplace injustices with a tale of female empowerment that is both human and humane. [Read More]
Han Gong-ju (한공주, 2013) review: a heartbreaking critique of societal apathy
While centred on the victimisation and abuse of a schoolgirl and featuring a number of elements often seen in school-based narratives, ‘Han Gong-ju’ has far more in common with insightful dramas dissecting societal attitudes, persecutions, misperceptions and assumptions. Exemplary in realisation, there is a great deal more to ‘Han Gong-ju’ than its school-centric setting might imply. [Read More]
MJ (dir Kim Hee-jin, 2013) review: small moments, lasting change
Beautifully understated in its narrative realisation, ‘MJ’ takes a seemingly inconsequential, almost passing moment and deftly details the part it plays in changing the entire life of a young woman for the better. Though just 22 minutes in duration, MJ’s warmth and uplifting nature becomes ever more noticeable (and indeed welcome) as the story unfolds. [Read More]