In a somewhat disappointing filmic year in Korea, in London we could nevertheless celebrate the fact that a handful of the latest big-budget Korean movies continue to have limited-scope theatrical releases. In 2024 we got director Heo Myung-haeng’s contribution to the Roundup franchise, and the final instalment of Kim Han-min’s Yi Sun-shin trilogy, plus Jang … [Read More]
Category: Festivals (page 4)
London Korean Film Festival Announces 2024 Programme
Here’s the official press release for this year’s London Korean Film Festival, released today. Some good things here! Korean Cultural Centre UK announces London Korean Film Festival 2024 Programme Opening Gala Film: Park Beom-su’s VICTORY Closing Gala Film: E.oni’s LOVE IN THE BIG CITY Special Screening: Choi Dong-hoon’s ALIENOID: RETURN TO THE FUTURE London, 1 … [Read More]
London East Asia Film Festival 2024
LEAFF is back for its 9th edition. Bringing the best of East Asian cinema to the heart of London, the 9th London East Asia Film Festival is back from 23rd October to 3rd November 2024. Kicking off LEAFF with a pulse-pounding Opening Gala, Escape is a high-stakes Korean action thriller that vividly portrays the harrowing … [Read More]
London Korean Film Festival 2024 – detailed schedule
Ranging from new releases to independents to special strands, the London Korean Film Festival is the largest Korean film festival outside of Korea. To complement the BFI’s Echoes in Time season, the festival will present two strands of films that will screen at BFI Southbank, Cine Lumiere and ICA – Women’s Voices, showcasing 15 years … [Read More]
Hong Sangsoo’s latest to screen at the BFI London Film Festival
Isabelle Huppert is reunited with Korean maestro Hong Sangsoo in an irresistibly enigmatic comic vignette about language, poetry, exile and the art of communication. In her third collaboration with South Korea’s super-prolific auteur, Isabelle Huppert – here at her most slyly mischievous – plays Iris, a Frenchwoman in Korea who offers language classes using her … [Read More]
K-Music Festival 2024: an introduction
The programme for the 2024 K-Music Festival is quite possibly the best yet. For LKL, the real gems are the opening and closing events. We hear that the National Changgeuk Company‘s Lear, which opens the festival, is every bit as good as their Trojan Women, which we raved about; and for the closing event pretty … [Read More]
K-music 2024: Lee Heemoon’s Obangsingwa tour in London
Heemoon Lee, the visionary vocalist of SsingSsing, takes us on a transcendental musical journey with his band OBANGSINGWA and their new album, SPANGLE. A powerhouse of Korean music, Lee injects fresh energy and new life into time-honoured Korean folk songs (minyo). Seamlessly blending minyo with a kaleidoscope of genres – including jitterbug, pop, dance, rock … [Read More]
K-music 2024: Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra x No-Noise
Find yourself in the bustling centre of a town square with No-Noise’s energetic and distinctive blend of Korean and Western sounds and instruments. Performing with the outstanding musicians of the Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra (SMTO), No-Noise is a dynamic ensemble led by Lee Il-woo, the visionary behind the post-rock sensation Jambinai, and Sung Si Young, … [Read More]
K-music 2024: Black String
Extraordinary Contemporary Sounds from Ancient Instruments. The 2018 Songlines Music Awards winners Black String will premiere new music from their upcoming album set to be released this autumn, following their acclaimed albums Mask Dance (2016) and Karma (2019) on the German label ACT. ‘a spellbinding experience’ (The Guardian on Black String’s K-Music Show) ‘no boundaries … [Read More]
K-music 2024: Hera Hyesang Park with David Junghoon Kim
A Unique Blend of Korean Heritage and Vocal Mastery Soprano Hera Hyesang Park, renowned for her exceptional vocal mastery, makes her K-Music Festival debut with a fresh reinterpretation of traditional Korean songs following her appearance at the Edinburgh International Festival this summer. ‘It’s a celebration of vocal brilliance and cultural depth, promising a night of unforgettable music … [Read More]
K-music 2024: Seayool with Ligeti Quartet — Suite for Jeju Island
A master of the traditional Korean Piri, Seayool’s contemporary classical work Suite for Jeju beautifully expresses Jeju Island’s poignant narrative and beautiful scenery, reinterpreting traditional instruments’ diction while masterfully merging piri and string quartet. SEAYOOL will be joined in this special performance by the Ligeti Quartet to mark this UK premiere. Through the process of … [Read More]
K-music 2024: Youn Sun Nah with Bojan Z
Youn Sun Nah in A Tribute to Women’s Voices. Following the success of her 2022 album ‘Waking World’, Youn Sun Nah returns to the K-Music Festival with her new work ‘Elles’. To mark the 30th year of her jazz career, Yoon Sun Nah’s 12th album Elles pays tribute to women’s voices, and to some of … [Read More]
K-music 2024: National Changgeuk Company — Lear
Discover this visionary restaging of one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies into a spellbinding traditional opera from some of South Korea’s leading creatives, performers and musicians. This major new production, critically acclaimed at its premiere in 2022, retells a familiar story in the form of Changgeuk. This culturally significant and artistically rich theatrical form in Korea, blends … [Read More]
Korean performers at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival and Fringe
Seongjin Cho returns to the International Festival for a solo morning recital, while the Fringe contains a strong line-up of at least six Korean productions. Do try Black and White Tea Room – a really powerful play which we’ve seen a couple of times before and would unhesitatingly watch again. Also, while you’re in Edinburgh, … [Read More]
Korean films at Queer East 2024
After the Korea focus in last year’s festival it was perhaps a little bit to be expected that this year there would be less in the way of Korean content. So we have one South Korean feature film from 1967 (directed by Choi Eun-hee) and a handful of shorts; plus a 2016 feature by Korean … [Read More]
2024 Festival of Korean Dance programme details announced
Last year, the Festival of Korean Dance for the first time played to audiences in Salford, Coventry and Brighton. The year the festival extends its reach into Scotland, with its first performance in Glasgow. Salford, Newcastle and Bournemouth will also get to experience one of the productions. The full press release follows, with links at … [Read More]