London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

Category: London East Asia Film Festival

Festival film review: The Apartment with Two Women | Gyeong-ah’s daughter

posted by Philip Gowman 4 minute read

London audiences have been spoiled with some great films in the recent festivals, from the latest blockbusters to indie debut features. Both LEAFF and LKFF included in their programme a debut feature by a female director, focusing on mother-daughter relationships and headlining actors who have not had much screentime in the mainstream. LEAFF’s selection was … [Read More]

Festival film review: Hommage

posted updated 30 Oct 2022 by Philip Gowman 4 minute read

In her first feature, Passerby #3 (2010), Shin Su-won looked at the life of a woman who left her job to try to become a film director. In her latest, she returns to a similar movie-making theme. Hommage is about a middle-aged movie director, Ji-wan, whose films have never been much of a success. She … [Read More]

Festival Film Review: The Singer

posted by Philip Gowman 5 minute read

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]

Interview: Cho Jungrae (The Singer, 2020)

posted updated 1 Jan 2022 by Philip Gowman 11 minute read

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]

A review of the Korean cultural year 2020

posted updated 27 Jul 2022 by Philip Gowman 15 minute read

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

event date 10 Dec - 13 Dec 2020 posted

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]

Boat Screening of The Host by Bong Joon-ho

event date Fri 06 Sep 2019 posted

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

event date Sat 27 Jul 2019 posted

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]

Festival Film Review: Dark Figure of Crime

posted by Philip Gowman 2 minute read

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

event date Tue 07 May 2019 posted

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

event date Wed 01 May 2019 posted

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]