Beneath its gentle humour and warmth, Leafie explores outsiderhood, family, selfless love, and sacrifice, building toward a quietly heartbreaking yet uplifting conclusion that resonates with both children and adults. Disney once asked viewers to believe that an elephant can fly. With Leafie, you’ll believe that a hen has a heart, and a beautiful one at that. [Read More]
Category: Festivals (page 41)
All Eyes on Korea at the Thames Festival
The summer’s events come to an end with the Thames Festival, which coincides with the Chuseok season. As usual, Korea will be strongly represented, this time in a prestigious location just in front of Tate Modern. All Eyes on Korea at the Thames Festival Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 September 2012, 12 – 10pm A … [Read More]
Mask dance and K-pop covers at the Kingston Korean Festival
During the Olympics, the Korean Tourism Organisation has been sponsoring a K-pop vocal and dance workshop in Chelsea Town Hall. The results were on show today at the 15th annual Korean Festival organised by the Korean Residents Society. I think I managed to miss all the traditional performances this year – the otherwise informative programme … [Read More]
This year’s Kingston Korean Festival is on 11 August 2012
The annual Independence Day Kingston Korean Festival organised by the Korean Residents Society is on 11 August, 10am-7pm, on the Fairfield Recreation Ground near the centre of Kingston [Map], celebrating Korean culture with traditional food, music, dance and costumes. And the popular K-pop contest returns for its second year. The war veterans’ march-past normally begins … [Read More]
Korean performers at the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe
Yes, it’s the Olympics and yes, we’ve been having a feast of Korean culture over the past few weeks in London. But let’s not forget that London is not the centre of the universe: August is upon us, which means it’s the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe. Which means lots of Korean performers, particularly physical theatre, … [Read More]
Saharial at the Terracotta Festival: Dancing Queen
This second film of the Korean Breakfast Club double bill was a comedy with a little more social punch, dealing with gender roles in Korean society, politics and show business. The story focuses on Jung-Hwa (Uhm Jung Hwa), once known as the Madonna of Shinchon, who once dreamed of being a singer before marrying her … [Read More]
Saharial at the Terracotta Festival: Couples
Couples (Jeong Yong-Ki, S. Korea, 2011) is not an easy storyline to explain, but that is perhaps one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much. A remake of the film Stranger of Mine (Ken Uchida, Japan 2005), the main action takes place during one day as we follow the story of several couples and … [Read More]
Saharial at the Terracotta Festival: Arirang
Finally! I had been hoping to see this along with a Q&A at the London Korean Film Festival last year, but it never materialised much to my disappointment. Kim Ki-duk, despite a rather misogynistic approach on occasion to his female characters on film, is one of the Korean directors whose work I really enjoy. Ever … [Read More]
Saharial at the Terracotta Festival: My Way
My Way, directed by Kang Je-gyu (Taegukgi) and with a pan Asian cast was the selected opening night film for the Terracotta Asian Film Festival. And whilst the top class cast of Jang Dong-gun (Taegukgi, Friend), Joe Odagiri (Azumi, Shinobi) and Fan Bingbing (Shaolin, Flashpoint) sounded very promising, I had heard from some of my … [Read More]
Korean Film at the Terracotta Festival
The Terracotta Far East Film Festival gets more exciting every year. For K-film followers, there are four UK premieres plus two short horror films. And of course there’s plenty of non-Korean stuff as well. For those who come along to watch the double bill at the Korean Breakfast Club on Sunday morning, there will be … [Read More]
Arirang (아리랑, 2011) review: Kim Ki-duk in isolation, anger and self-reckoning
Arirang is a deeply personal search for catharsis from a director frozen by how he feels he’s been treated by the film industry and stands as an utterly unmissable example of his talent. To my mind, at its time of making Arirang was quite simply Kim Ki-duk’s best film to date. [Read More]
Booking is now open for the Terracotta Far East Film Festival
The Terracotta Far East Film Festival gets more exciting every year. For K-film followers, there are four UK premieres plus two short horror films. And of course there’s plenty of non-Korean stuff as well. For those who come along to watch the double bill at the Korean Breakfast Club on Sunday morning, there will be … [Read More]
Woochi: The Demon Slayer (전우치, 2009) review — witty wizardry across time
Numerous film genres blending seamlessly with top notch action, well-realised special effects and genuinely likeable characters add up to Woochi: The Demon Slayer being out and out spectacular entertainment from beginning to end. [Read More]
Night Fishing (파란만장, 2011) review: PARKing CHANce’s haunting iPhone short
Ignore the fact that Night Fishing was made using the iPhone4. Even if you took all the best elements from Park Chan-wook’s previous films, wrapped them up within a gripping narrative and added the beyond exemplary cast performances seen here, you still wouldn’t come even close to creating a film as astounding as this. [Read More]
SNSD members at London Fashion Week
Girl’s Generation members YoonA, Seohyun and Tiffany at London Fashion Week reduce “the crowd outside to hysterical shrieks”, says the Telegraph. http://t.co/qRXZoph3 [Read More]
London Korean Film Festival round-up and Ryu Seung-wan’s The Unjust
The 2011 London Korean Film Festival gave the London audience a chance to assess, and in my case reassess, the work of Ryu Seung-wan. Ryu has had several of his films released in the UK on DVD, but he is not as well-known to the viewing public as the likes of Park Chan-wook and Bong … [Read More]