As in previous years, the London East Asia Film Festival has a strong representation of Korean films. Although this year there is a focus on Taiwan and the Nara International Film Festival, there’s also a focus on the work of actor Kim Yoon-seok, who also features in the opening movie, Dark Figure of Crime. At … [Read More]
Director: Kim Ki-duk
Selected publications
- Chung Hye Seung: Kim Ki-duk, University of Illinois Press 2012
- Anthology: Kim Ki-duk ed Editor not credited, Dis Voir 2006
Chung Hye-seung’s monograph on Kim Ki-duk is a must-read, and readable, study of Korea’s maverick director
Chung Hye-seung: Kim Ki-duk (Contemporary Film Directors series) University of Illinois Press, 2012, 161pp When is the right time to publish a monograph on a living film director? With the KOFIC collection of books, the schedule appears more driven by wanting to get a complete set of directors covered as soon as possible. For a … [Read More]
Looking back at 2012: Culture, tourism and branding stories
The first of four articles in which we look back at some of the stories which caught our attention during the course of 2012. In this first article we look at cultural promotion, heritage, tourism and related topics. Heritage and Cultural Promotion Korea’s national folk song, Arirang, was listed as world Intangible Cultural Heritage by … [Read More]
Three Korean victories in Venice
Official Awards: GOLDEN LION for Best Film to PIETA by Kim Ki-duk; ORIZZONTI YOUTUBE AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM to CHO-DE (초대) by Yoo Min-young; Collateral Awards: QUEER LION for the “best film with a homosexual and queer culture theme” to WEIGHT (무게) by Jeon Kyu-hwan. [Read More]
Arirang in Kim Ki-duk mini-season at the ICA
Kim Ki-duk, along with Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook, was once the director that anyone trying to bluff their way in Korean movies could name. For around a decade he churned out one or two films a year which often caused controversy for their animal cruelty and misogyny. Then, after Dream (2008), everything went quiet. … [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]
New book on Kim Ki-duk coming to stores this week
Last year saw the comeback of Kim Ki-duk, winning the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes with Arirang. The release of a new book on one of Korea’s most controversial directors is therefore timely. Coming to Amazon UK this week then, and to Amazon US last month, is a new book on Kim Ki-duk from … [Read More]
Kim Ki-duk stages comeback at Cannes
No surprise but Kim Ki-duk’s ARIRANG Captures Critics in Cannes on WSJ blogs, via @koreanfilmfest. And via @bournecinema: Kim Ki-duk settles scores with former colleagues, and the Korean film industry in general, in his new film ARIRANG (Korea Herald) [Read More]
Korean film at Cannes 2011
Three Korean Films have been invited to the 2011 Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section. Nice to see Kim Ki-duk back in action with Arirang. http://bit.ly/i7Q3D3 #. Na Hong-jin’s Yellow Sea plus the latest Hong Sang-soo also going. [Read More]
LKL’s top 10 K-films of the noughties
Mark Russell led the way with his fascinating list of films of the decade – in which the biggest shock was that there was no Park Chan-wook. GI Korea also has a list, which redresses the balance somewhat. So here is mine. Over the years I’ve been reasonably diligent in giving marks out of 10 … [Read More]
London Korean Film Festival 2009
The schedule is up on the Barbican website, and it’s a great range of the latest hits together with a retrospective of one of the classic directors. Text from the Barbican website, where you can also buy tickets: Thursday 5 Nov, 7pm: Park Chan-wook: Thirst, with introduction by the director. I think this is the … [Read More]
Korean film at the Terracotta film festival
The new kid on the block when it comes to Asian film is Terracotta. They launched themselves last November by securing the rights to Im Pil-sung’s horror film Hansel and Gretel (which screens at the KCC later this month – 28 May), and they’re making a splash at the Prince Charles this month with the … [Read More]
Spring, Summer at the KCC
The KCC’s third film screening, on Friday 11 April at 7pm, is Kim Ki-duk’s Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter … and Spring. From the KCC website: Synopsis Spring, a child monk audaciously stacks rocks on a frog’s back. Summer, a young boy falls in love with a girl who comes to the buddhist monastery to convalesce. … [Read More]
London Korean Film Festival 2007 programme details
Here’s the running order. Some commentary to follow tomorrow. Breath (숨) (12A) (2007) Dir Kim Ki-duk (김기덕) 84 min / Opening Gala Special Preview 19:30 / Introduced by special guest Ambassador Dr. Cho Yoon-Je of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea 2 Nov 07 / 19:30 / Cinema 1 The latest film from the … [Read More]
Korean Film at Edinburgh Int’l Film Fest 2007
The Edinburgh Film Festival will be showing four Korean films this year. The choice of three of the four comes as no surprise. No western film festival with Korean content is complete without a recent Kim Ki-duk film, and this time round it’s Breath (숨). Everyone wants to know how Park Chan-wook can follow his … [Read More]
Jeon Do-yeon wins at Cannes
Congratulations to Jeon Do-yeon on winning best actress at Cannes. She was an early front-runner in the competition, and just for once those early hopes of success were justified. For the first third of its nearly two-and-a-half-hour running time, “Secret Sunshine” feels like a slightly somber fish-out-of-water comedy (reports AO Scott at the New York … [Read More]