As is often the case, I was out of town for the London East Asia Film Festival, so I missed the international premiere of the Director’s Cut of Cho Jungrae’s The Singer. I’m not sure if the previously available version has had a formal international premiere – probably not, given the devastation that Covid has … [Read More]
Category: London East Asia Film Festival
Interview: Cho Jungrae (The Singer, 2020)
I watched Cho Jungrae’s 2020 movie The Singer earlier this year online, after being told by a friend of the director that it was available on Amazon Prime. It struck me as a fresh take on the pansori movie genre: instead of telling a pansori tale more or less straight like Im Kwon-taek’s Chunhyang, it … [Read More]
London East Asia Film Festival 2021 – the official press release
LEAFF today officially revealed its 2021 programme, with eight Korean movies in its schedule including Yoon Jae-keun’s 2021 thriller Spritwalker as the closing gala. Here’s the list of Korean films, with ticket links and screening times. THE PRAYER (간호중, 2020) Dir. Min Kyu-dong (Official Selection | European Premiere) Fri Oct 22 18:30 @ The Cinema … [Read More]
A review of the Korean cultural year 2020
It would be an understatement to say that the cultural year 2020 has been markedly different from previous years. The pandemic has had a huge impact on the cultural scene, with most live events cancelled and event promoters falling back on the internet to provide us with our cultural fixes. Some of these attempts have … [Read More]
London East Asia Film Festival 2020
Fingers crossed: it looks like we might see some more great Korean movies in a real cinema in a Central London location before the year’s out, thanks to the London East Asia Film Festival. The festival also includes films from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan. I’m particularly looking forward to Beauty Water: having caught … [Read More]
London East Asia Film Festival 2019: the official press release
London’s annual East Asian film festival returns for its fourth year at the end of October. The 2019 programme includes cinematic offerings from 11 countries, including two movies from North Korea. The festival opens with a South Korean disaster comedy movie and closes with a film by celebrated East Asian actor Aaron Kwok. Here is … [Read More]
London East Asia Film Festival 2019 – detailed programme
Here are the films due to be screened at this year’s London East Asia Film Festival. The post will be updated with screening times when they become available. Check the festival website, www.leaff.org.uk, for updates. The official press release can be found here. London East Asia Film Festival 24 October – 3 November 2019 www.leaff.org.uk … [Read More]
Boat Screening of The Host by Bong Joon-ho
Totally Thames this year is partnering with two organisations with Korean connections to provide some Korean cultural content for the river festival. Firstly, there’s Korean British Cultural Exchange, who organise the Kingston Korean Harvest Festival, who are bringing a community dance project to Kingston’s market square and to the Scoop outside City Hall on 14 … [Read More]
LEAFF open air screenings in Leicester Square
LEAFF is constantly coming up with new ideas to keep audiences involved and engaged throughout the year. This summer, they are hosting a two-day event of free open air screenings in Leicester Square. Sunday 28 July will feature four Chinese language screenings. LKL readers will be more interested in the screenings on Saturday 27 July, … [Read More]
A Midsummer Night’s Jinro: the K-Factor singing contest
Looks like a fun evening coming up: A Midsummer Night’s Jinro The Piano Works West End | 47 Whitcomb Street | London WC2H 7DH Application deadline: 16 June Competition evening: Sunday 23 June 2019, 17:30 – 22:30 Ticket price: £5 | Buy tickets In partnership with HiteJinro, the London East Asia Film Festival brings to … [Read More]
Festival Film Review: Dark Figure of Crime
In a standard police procedural about a serial killer, a detective – maybe a bit of a loner, often with a drink problem – goes from crime scene to crime scene, from victim to victim, trying to fit together the pieces of the jigsaw that will eventually lead to the murderer, before the next crime … [Read More]
Screening: Under the Sky of Seoul
The fourth screening in LEAFF’s K-Cinema 100 series: Under the Sky of Seoul (서울의 지붕밑) Dir. Lee Hyeong-pyo (1961, 115 mins) Tuesday 7 May 2019 The Cinema Museum | The Master’s House | 2 Dugard Way (off Renfrew Road) | London SE11 4TH | www.cinemamuseum.org.uk Doors from 6pm, screening at 7pm | Book tickets SYNOPSIS : This … [Read More]
Screening: Holiday in Seoul
LEAFF’s third screening in the K-Cinema 100 series: Holiday in Seoul (서울의 휴일) Dir. Lee Yong-min (1956, 90min) Wednesday 1st May 2019 The Cinema Museum | The Master’s House | 2 Dugard Way (off Renfrew Road) | London SE11 4TH | www.cinemamuseum.org.uk Doors from 6pm, screening at 7pm | Book tickets SYNOPSIS: A couple decide to spend … [Read More]
Chihwaseon screens at the National Gallery
The second in the London East Asia Film Festival’s KCinema 100 series is Chihwaseon by the veteran director Im Kwon-taek, which tells the story of iconoclastic Joseon Dynasty artist Jang Seung-eop (pen name Owon). It will be screened at the National Gallery. Chihwaseon (취화선) Dir: Im Kwon-taek (2002, 116 mins) Cast: Choi Min-sik, Ahn Sung-ki … [Read More]
Screening: Hyperbolae of Youth
LEAFF’s #KCinema100 series, a celebration of the centenary of Korean cinema, starts on Friday with Director Han Hyeong-Mo’s HYPERBOLAE OF YOUTH (1956), one of Korea’s earliest comedies. The screening is at London’s historic Cinema Museum, once home to the great Charlie Chaplin. The screening will be followed by a reception with Korean food and soju … [Read More]
A look back at some of the films of 2018
A wide variety of genres was presented to the London audience this year, from the return of the romantic melodrama (Be With You) to big budget fantasy (Along with the Gods). We also saw #MeToo beginning to have an impact, not just in the themes of movies such as Land of Seonghye and Testimony but … [Read More]