One month after the close of LKFF we’re finally getting around to penning some thoughts on the movies we saw there. We’ve already commented on Im Sang-soo’s latest, which left us with very warm feelings about the festival as a whole. What about the rest of the programme? Let’s get this out of the way … [Read More]
Category: London Korean Film Festival
Festival Film Review: Heaven – To the Land of Happiness
In recent years the LKFF programmers have been getting into a groove of scheduling indie, minority interest movies for the closing film of the festival. This year, they turned things upside down by programming the festival’s most appealing film (for me, at least,) to end the fortnight. Yes, the opening movie, Mogadishu, is the top … [Read More]
A look at the closing movies from recent LKFFs
As I left the cinema after Friday’s closing movie of the 2021 London Korean Film Fest, somewhat on a high because it was such a good film and Q+A, I observed to a friend I happened to bump into: “That was the best closing gala for years!” As I said that, the most recent decent … [Read More]
Ellie Kyungran Heo: Plantarians
Scheduled as the artist video strand of the London Korean Film Festival, this exhibition runs until December. Shame that the related lecture and artistic exploration on 20 November clashes both with Bongsu Park’s long-awaited dream auction and the Kimjang festival in New Malden, but it’s nice that the show is on for a while. In … [Read More]
London Korean Film Festival 2021 announces its line-up
Here’s the official press release for the 2021 London Korean Film Festival. You can find the detailed schedule in a separate post. London Korean Film Festival 2021 4 November – 19 November 2021 After a mostly digital edition in 2020 the London Korean Film Festival (LKFF) is pleased to be returning to cinema screens across … [Read More]
London Korean Film Festival 2021: the detailed schedule
Here’s the detailed schedule for the 2021 London Korean Film Festival. Lots to look forward to here. You can find the official press release here. Time Title Strand RSC = Regent Street Cinema | ICA = Institute of Contemporary Arts | PHC = Picturehouse Central | CIA = Cinema in the Arches | ESG = … [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]
Review: Hong Sang-soo – The Woman who Ran
The time was right. Not having seen a Hong Sang-soo film for a few years – and he himself has had an unusual two-year break since his last one – I was perhaps ready to reacquaint myself with his work. It was a cold misty winter’s afternoon. I had just taken a rare day off … [Read More]
London Korean Film Festival 2020 – the detailed screening list
Update: the festival organisers have responded to the second Covid lockdown by pushing two of the theatrical screenings into December: Lee Joon-ik: The Happy Life, Fri 4 Dec, 6:10pm, Genesis Cinema Lee Hae Jun, Kim Byung Seo: Ashfall, Sun 6 Dec, 6pm, Genesis Cinema Here’s the detailed list of screenings in the 2020 London Korean … [Read More]
LKFF 2020 announces its line-up
This is now the 15th edition of the festival organised by KCCUK. As is to be expected, this year is somewhat different, with many of the screenings taking place online. There’s plenty to enjoy in the programme. We’re particularly looking forward to Mark Morris’s selection of Mudang films. Here’s the official press release; we’ll be … [Read More]
LKFF Teaser Screening: Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982
The first LKFF Teaser screening of the year: Kim Ji-young: Born 1982 (82년생 김지영) + Introduction by Sarah Shin Dir: Kim Do-young (2019, 118 mins) Cast: Jung Yu-mi, Gong Yoo Tuesday 12 May 2020, 18:15 Barbican Cinema 2 | Beech Street | London EC2Y 8DS Tickets £12 | Buy tickets Based on Cho Nam-joo’s landmark … [Read More]
London Korean Film Festival 2019 – the detailed schedule
Here’s the detailed schedule for the London screenings in the London Korean Film Festival. You can find the press release here. Check for updates on the festival’s official website, koreanfilm.co.uk. Time Title Strand Venue Friday 1 November 19:00 The Seashore Village (갯마을) + Q&A Dir: Kim Soo-yong (1965, 91 min) Opening Gala RSC Saturday 2 … [Read More]
London Korean Film Festival 2019: the official press release
Here is today’s official press release that announces the line-up for the 2019 London Korean Film Festival: The London Korean Film Festival (LKFF) has launched its full programme of films and events for the upcoming 14th edition, taking place from 1st-14th November in London before embarking on the annual tour 18th-24th November. The Special Focus, … [Read More]
LKFF 2019 Teaser Screening #5: Kokdu, + LKFF Programme Launch
The final teaser screening before the November festival: Kokdu: A Story of Guardian Angels (꼭두 이야기) UK Premiere, plus launch of 2019 London Korean Film Festival programme Director: Kim Tae-yong (2018, 79min) Cast: Kim Sun-an, Choi Go, Cho Hee-bong Monday 16 September 2019, 7pm Regent Street Cinema | 307 Regent Street | London W1B 2HW … [Read More]
LKFF 2019 Teaser Screening #1: Winter’s Night
This looks like an interesting start to the KCC’s series of teaser screenings: Winter’s Night (겨울밤에) Director: Jang Woo-jin (2018, 98 mins) Starring: Yang Heung-ju, See Young-hwa Picturehouse Central, Monday 15th April 2019, 6:30pm | Book tickets Picturehouse Central welcomes back the London Korean Film Festival for a UK Premiere of Winter’s Night. One cold … [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]