There has been a couple of changes to the LKFF schedule in respect of movies starring Hwang Jung-min, the featured actor this year. Out go Waikiki Brothers (2001) and Moby Dick (2011) and in come The Unjust (2010) and New World (2013). The scheduling of The Unjust on Tuesday 3 November makes excellent sense as … [Read More]
Category: London Korean Film Festival (page 7)
Conference news: Film and History — The Korean Example
Coinciding with the 10th London Korean Film Festival, a two-day conference at SOAS and the KCC. Registration is required via the SOAS website. Film and History: The Korean Example 5 – 6 November 2015 10:00 – 6:00 PM Russell Square: College Buildings, Djam Lecture Theatre Cinema has become a battle ground upon which history is … [Read More]
Please close your eyes and block your ears during the brief documentary on 2 Nov
For all the wrong reasons, I’m not looking forward to the opening gala of this year’s London Korean Film Festival as much as I ought to be. Of course, I’m really looking forward to the actual movie itself. Ode to My Father has been a much-talked-about film, with admissions of over 14.25 million at the … [Read More]
The LKFF schedule in calendar format
Good news folks: Moon So-ri is coming to London again and will be participating in the Q&A at the closing gala Love And… (in which she stars with Ahn Sung-ki and Park Hae-il). And more good news. As last year, I’ve put the detailed film listing into a calendar format to help you plan your … [Read More]
London Korean Film Festival 2015 – the detailed schedule
Here’s the complete schedule for the 2015 edition of the London Korean Film Festival. Details are correct at time of going to press, but experience indicates that there might be some last minute changes. Always check the official website, koreanfilm.co.uk, for up-to-date details. I know I’m a bit of a grumbler, but this year I … [Read More]
London Korean Film Festival 2015 – the press release
Here’s the initial press release of the tenth London Korean Film Festival organised by the KCCUK. Looking forward to it already. Visit the official website, koreanfilm.co.uk for the latest details. The 10th London Korean Film Festival Announces 2015 Programme 21 September 2015. The London Korean Film Festival (LKFF), which runs from 2-14 November and this … [Read More]
Kwak Kyung-taek quizzed at the first LKFF on Typhoon, filming in Russia and more
Director Kwak Kyung-taek discusses the personal and political inspiration behind Typhoon, sharing stories of filming in Thailand and Russia, near-misses with natural disasters, and the challenges of producing one of Korea’s most expensive films. He also reflects on audience reactions, international perspectives, and his plans for future projects beyond big-budget action cinema. [Read More]
Festival film review: Manshin – Ten Thousand Spirits
What is it that makes Park Chan-kyong’s biopic of Korea’s national shaman so compelling on so many levels? Right from the start, the narrative grips you. We meet Kim Geum-hwa, the subject of the movie, praying for the success of the film. She also prays for the health of the film crew, and asks the … [Read More]
Festival Film reviews: we also went to…
We’ve almost finished clearing the London Korean Film Festival backlog, the only major review outstanding now being Park Chan-kyong’s fascinating documentary Manshin. While I’m polishing that, here are a few brief reviews of the films I didn’t feel moved to write dedicated articles about. Han Gong-ju A heavy and depressing story redeemed by the sensitive … [Read More]
Festival Film Review: This Road Called Life
Following on from the success of their feature-length animation Green Days, Studio MWP worked with Korean TV broadcaster EBS to produce a trio of short films which adapt three familiar short stories which are studied by most Koreans in high school: Yi Hyo-seok’s Buckwheat Season, Kim Yu-jeong’s Spring, Spring, and A Lucky Day by Hyun … [Read More]
LKFF 2014: the conversations
The London Korean Film Festival is not just about getting acquainted with the latest in Korean movies. It is also an opportunity to meet some of the people behind those movies – actors, directors and producers. Opportunities for engaging with these film professionals vary: for an ever-growing group of aficionados there is the offer of round-table … [Read More]
Park Chan-kyong interview: Manshin, Asian Gothic and artistic autonomy
Park Chan-kyong discusses financing Manshin outside the studio system, balancing artistic freedom with commercial pressures, and his recurring focus on shamanism, tradition and “Asian gothic” aesthetics. He reflects on collaboration with his brother Park Chan-wook, the creative value of short films, digital democratisation of filmmaking, and Korea’s layered relationship with its past. [Read More]
Festival Film Review: Hwajang / Revivre
Well, I was right. Ahn Sung-ki confessed in the Q+A which followed the screening of Hwajang that one of his most difficult tasks in portraying Oh Sang-moo, a senior executive in a cosmetics company, was to project certain aspects of being old – of being blocked inside because of the swollen prostate, of being more … [Read More]
Festival film review: Bitter, Sweet, Seoul
Bitter, Sweet, Seoul is an ambitious crowd-sourced project in which people from around the world were invited by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to submit videos which would be made into feature length film. Directors (and brothers) Park Chan-wook and Park Chan-kyong (collectively PARKing CHANce) were commissioned to organise the submissions, attracted to the project by … [Read More]
July Jung interview: loneliness, damage and connection in “A Girl at My Door”
July Jung discusses the obstacles facing female filmmakers in Korea, the precarious path to making A Girl at My Door, and her focus on loneliness, abuse, sexuality and prejudice. She explains the rural setting as a social microcosm, her collaboration with Lee Chang-dong, and her belief that intimate, local stories can achieve universal resonance. [Read More]
LKFF2014 – the reviews
This year there have been more reviewers than ever covering the Korean Film Fest. Here are links to some of the reviews, to which I’ll add as and when I spot new ones. Films are listed in the order in which they screened. Title Director Reviews EK = Eastern Kicks | HC = Hangul Celluloid … [Read More]