I was watching Nobody’s Daughter Haewon as part of the BFI London Film Festival this year, and was rather enjoying it. I’ve done a little review of it here. It was nice to see some familiar locations in the film. And then I saw something even more familiar: one of the characters in the film … [Read More]
Category: Festivals (page 35)
Festival Film Review: Nobody’s Daughter Haewon
I often find myself falling asleep during Hong Sang Soo films. But my two most recent experiences – a second viewing of HaHaHa as part of the KCC’s Moon So-ri season – and Nobody’s Daughter Haewon at the ICA, coinciding with its screening at the 57th BFI London Film Festival, have been exceptions. Part of … [Read More]
Art14 London announces participating galleries
Art13 London, held at the beginning of March this year, was a feast of contemporary art which needed at least half a day to enjoy the Korean artists alone, forgetting about everything else. Looking forward to next year, Art14 has announced the participating galleries for the second incarnation of London’s latest art fair. Here are … [Read More]
Kang Woo-suk interview: showing the reality of Korean cinema
Director Kang Woo-suk reflects on Korean cinema’s growing freedom to address once-taboo subjects, his recurring focus on social “enemies,” and the primacy of story over character. He discusses adapting webtoons, balancing action and drama in Fists of Legend, and producing films he believes need to exist. [Read More]
Kim Sung-su interview: “Flu” – when disaster feels real
Director Kim Sung-su explains why Flu uses a disease outbreak as a realistic disaster scenario, grounded in recent epidemics and historical trauma. He discusses national self-interest during crises, depictions of Korean and US responses, the symbolic role of leadership, and prioritising entertainment while embedding social themes. [Read More]
Kim Jee-woon interview: “perhaps I’m a workaholic”
Kim Jee-woon explains his continued return to short films as a space for experimentation, genre exploration, and constant creative work. He discusses making a romantic comedy short, the challenges of screening shorts in Korea, and contrasts between Korean and Hollywood production systems shaped by his experience on The Last Stand. [Read More]
LKFF 2013 – Choices, Choices
The schedule for this year’s London Korean Film Festival seems to be bigger than ever. So many varied themes to satisfy all cinematic tastes; several directors and actors brought to London for interviews and Q&A sessions with the audience; galas, animations, shorts, comedies and much more. With such a feast laid out in front of … [Read More]
LKFF 2013: the schedule in detail
Here’s the full schedule of the London Korean Film Festival 2013 for you to optimise your viewing pleasure in the coming fortnight. Full details on the festival’s official website, www.koreanfilm.co.uk/. Time Title Theme Runtime Venue Screenings in London and Kingston Od = Odeon; Cur = Curzon WE = West End; CG = Covent Garden; PS … [Read More]
The LKFF 2013 Programme is announced
The countdown is on to the 2013 London Korean Film Festival. There’s plenty for everyone, and I’m sure once the detailed timetable is announced it will be difficult to choose your priorities. For me, the film to see is E J-yong’s Behind the Camera. I’ve never yet been disappointed by a film of his, and … [Read More]
Korean films at the 57th BFI London Film Festival
The London Film Festival is upon us with its annual treat of Hong Sang-soo premieres and one or two other films, mostly screened at inconvenient times and / or places. Didn’t we have a Choi Min-sik gangster movie which broke the sensitive two-hour barrier last year too? This year’s looks a bit more promising though. … [Read More]
Edinburgh Fringe visit: Norian Maro — Pudasi
Norian Maro is a performance group based in Jeju-do which was founded in 2005 as a samulnori group. It has since broadened its range, so that the piece presented at the Edinburgh Fringe this year was a mixture of shamanistic and folk music as well as the familiar village percussion sounds, together with some contemporary … [Read More]
Korean designers at 100% Design London 2013
The annual 100% Design London exhibition will be held at Earls Court, 18-21 September, and as usual there will be a Korean pavilion showing designers supported by the Korea Institute of Design Promotion. And you’ll probably find, as you stroll around the arena, that there are some independent Korean designers there as well. But here … [Read More]
Edinburgh Fringe visit: Kkumdongi Puppet Theater — Climb a Willow to the Sea God’s Palace
A strange title for a tale of brotherly love and filial piety, and a storyline which is a little hard to follow, but a show which is a treat for the eyes. The story is told in four ways: you have an English translation of the script in the programme (if you have a chance … [Read More]
Edinburgh Fringe visit: Othello – two men
Othello – Two Men is a retelling of the Shakespearean play, in the space of one hour and played by, as suggested by the title, two men. It’s a cut-down version in a cut-down set – simply a free-standing frame to stand in for a prison wall (see image at the bottom of this page). … [Read More]