Donghwa, a poet in his thirties, drops off Junhee, his girlfriend of three years, at her house and marvels at how large it is. He intends to look around the front yard and then leave, but by chance he runs into Junhee’s father, and ends up spending the entire day with Junhee’s family. From this … [Read More]
Director: Hong Sang-soo
Selected publications
- Dennis Lim: Tale of Cinema, Fireflies Press 2022
The Human Comedy – the cinema of Hong Sangsoo, at the ICA
Since the last UK retrospective of his work in 2010, South Korean filmmaker Hong Sangsoo has made an astonishing twenty-two feature films and several shorts. With his incisive and humorous explorations of infidelity, artistic endeavour, and communication (or lack thereof), Hong’s narratively concise and formally radical work has marked him out as not only contemporary … [Read More]
BFI Film Season: Echoes in Time — Korean Films of the Golden Age and New Cinema
The BFI Southbank programme for late October and November 2024 begins with Echoes in Time: Korean Films of the Golden Age and New Cinema, a major new season running from 28 October to 31 December. Programmed by Young Jin Eric Choi and Goran Topalovic, Echoes in Time will focus on two groundbreaking periods in the … [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]
The Sight and Sound top 100: what’s buried in the detail?
Back in December 2022, Sight and Sound released its updated list of The Greatest Films of All Time. This list, which was first presented in 1952, is prepared every ten years. For the first time, in this most recent iteration a Korean film made it into the top 100. There are no prizes for guessing … [Read More]
London Korean Film Festival 2023: the detailed schedule
Here’s one-page listing of all the films at the 2023 London Korean Film Festival. Click on the various links to go to the relevant page on the festival website for plot summaries and ticket details. Time Title Strand BFI = BFI Southbank | ICA = Institute of Contemporary Arts | PHC = Picturehouse Central | … [Read More]
Korean Film Nights: Seoul on Screen
The Spring 2023 season of screenings at the KCC is a collaboration with the Korean Film Archive that brings a series of films, from the 1950s to this century, that feature South Korea’s capital as a setting. The full programme note setting the context for the season as a whole can be found on the … [Read More]
A look back at some of the movies in the 2021 London Korean Film Festival
One month after the close of LKFF we’re finally getting around to penning some thoughts on the movies we saw there. We’ve already commented on Im Sang-soo’s latest, which left us with very warm feelings about the festival as a whole. What about the rest of the programme? Let’s get this out of the way … [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]
London East Asia Film Festival 2021 – the official press release
LEAFF today officially revealed its 2021 programme, with eight Korean movies in its schedule including Yoon Jae-keun’s 2021 thriller Spritwalker as the closing gala. Here’s the list of Korean films, with ticket links and screening times. THE PRAYER (간호중, 2020) Dir. Min Kyu-dong (Official Selection | European Premiere) Fri Oct 22 18:30 @ The Cinema … [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]
Hong Sang-soo theatrical release and online season
Over the past couple of days I’ve been noticing posts on social media about screenings of different Hong Sang-soo movies being available on the online platform MUBI. And now I hear the news that his latest movie, The Woman Who Ran, is getting a theatrical release tomorrow courtesy of CMC Pictures – the China / … [Read More]
London Korean Film Festival 2019: the official press release
Here is today’s official press release that announces the line-up for the 2019 London Korean Film Festival: The London Korean Film Festival (LKFF) has launched its full programme of films and events for the upcoming 14th edition, taking place from 1st-14th November in London before embarking on the annual tour 18th-24th November. The Special Focus, … [Read More]
Mini review round-up: the 2018 LKFF Teaser screenings
Sometimes I just don’t have the time to marshal any thoughts about a movie after seeing it. Daily life takes over any before I know it I’ve watched another movie and the memory of the previous one is dimming fast. But as I’ve been on holiday for a few days away from the daily grind, … [Read More]
A quiet look at the LKFF’s 2018 programme
The London Korean Film Festival returns for its 13th edition next month with a slightly quieter tone than in some previous years. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s as if the organisers are saying that, as the festival enters its teenage years, the audience is becoming grown-up enough not to require a diet of … [Read More]
London Korean Film Festival 2018: press release and detailed schedule
The 2018 London Korean Film Festival programme was announced at last night’s final teaser screening. The press release is set out below, and at the bottom of the page is the detailed schedule: The 13th London Korean Film Festival London: 1 – 14 November 2018 UK tour: 15 – 25 November 2018 LONDON, 17 September … [Read More]