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]
Category: London Korean Film Festival (page 2)
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]
Moving On (남매의 여름밤, 2019) review: family, abandonment, and the quiet weight of letting go
Set within a multigenerational household, gentle, nuanced and heartfelt, Yoon Dan-bi’s Moving On deftly uses the minutiae of everyday life to tell an easily relatable, poignant tale that will feel wholly personal to viewers, especially those who have watched elderly relatives becoming increasingly frail as they wearily move through their twilight years. [Read More]
Bori (나는보리, 2018) review: the girl who yearns to be deaf
Always quietly spoken but nonetheless screaming of candour throughout, Kim Jin-yu’s Bori deftly inverts common disability tropes seen in Korean cinema by centering on an able-bodied child’s perspective to underline their all-important message all the more in an original, sweetly engaging and ultimately uplifting way. [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]
Kim Sol group interview: letting emotion breathe
Kim Sol talks about Scattered Night, her collaboration with co-director Lee Ji-hyeon, minimal use of music, directing child actors, and portraying divorce with empathy and restraint. [Read More]
Shim Hye-jung group interview: caring for those whom society forgets
Shim Hye-jung talks about her debut feature A Bedsore, exploring elder care, migrant labour, family conflict, feminism, and the realities of making independent Korean cinema. [Read More]
Lee Byeong-hyeon group interview: from indie roots to 1,000 screens
Director Lee Byeong-hyeon discusses the creative process behind Extreme Job, from writing strong female characters and choreographing action-comedy to the realities of budgets, influences and Korea’s changing film industry. A candid and insightful conversation about humour, filmmaking and navigating commercial success. [Read More]
Young-ju (영주, 2018) review: a childhood cut short
Though Young-ju is her debut feature, Cha Sung-duk brings a directorial confidence to this hard-hitting yet gently poignant drama that ensures it wholly succeeds an emotive powerhouse from start to finish, helped yet further by a remarkable, stunningly nuanced performance from actress Kim Hyang-gi. [Read More]