In collaboration with MUBI, the KCCUK are delighted to present a special screening of No Other Choice by master filmmaker Park Chan-wook, celebrating its release on the MUBI platform. No Other Choice follows what happens when paper expert Yoo Man-soo (Lee Byung-hun) loses his job after 25 years of service and finds himself at risk … [Read More]
Director: Park Chan-wook
Selected publications
- Anthology: Transgression in Korea: Beyond Resistance and Control ed Juhn Y. Ahn, University of Michigan Press 2018
When life becomes war: a look at Park Chan-wook’s darkly humorous No Other Choice
Park Chan-wook’s latest offering is, as expected of the legendary director, a dark and morally complex exploration of its subject matter – overtly the state of the contemporary job market, and covertly cycles of generational trauma and violence. It is dark and violent, like many Park Chan-wook films, but also at times deeply funny. [Read More]
No Other Choice gets UK Theatrical Release, with previews from 17 January
Park Chan-wook’s 2025 movie is set to get a UK theatrical release in Cineworld cinemas from 23 January. For Cineworld “Unlimited” members, screenings are available from 19 January. If you prefer the BFI IMAX experience, there are also screenings over the weekend 23-25 January. And, already sold out, is a special preview with Director Park … [Read More]
Korean films at the 2025 BFI London Film Festival
We welcomed the strong Korean film line-up at the inaugural SXSW festival earlier this year, and wondered what would be left for the more established festivals in the Autumn. Well, the BFI have secured a couple of good ones: Park Chan-wook’s latest, which has been securing rave reviews since its Venice premiere last week; and … [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]
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]
Darcy Paquet on translating Park Chan-wook
As magazines start publishing their Best of 2022 lists, we are reminded of Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave – which I think would top many people’s list of top Korean films of the year, and is #3 in the BFI’s list of films from all countries. It’s slightly ironic that BFI support their selection of … [Read More]
Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave – theatrical release
What happens when an object of suspicion becomes a case of obsession? Winner of Cannes Best Director in 2022, Park Chan-wook (OLDBOY, THE HANDMAIDEN) returns with a seductive romantic thriller that takes his renowned stylistic flair to dizzying new heights. When detective Hae-joon (Park Hae-il) arrives at a murder scene, he begins to suspect the … [Read More]
Korean interest at the 2022 BFI London Film Festival
Details of the five Korean movies and one Korean American movie in this year’s London Film Festival follow. For completeness, and not listed below, there’s a zainichi Korean character in Kôji Fukada’s movie Love Life. Decision to Leave (헤어질 결심) South Korea 2022, 138min Director-Producer: Park Chan-wook Screenwriters: Chung Seo-Kyung, Park Chan-wook Cast: Tang Wei, Park Hae-il … [Read More]
And in other Apple news…
With all the excitement about the launch of the adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko on Apple TV, and Apple’s Oscar win, something that might once have been big news – the appearance of a free-to-view Park Chan-wook short film on YouTube – has not really had much airtime. Back in 2011, brothers Park Chan-wook … [Read More]
The Top 5 Gothic KPOP Music Videos
Dr Colette Balmain applies her specialism in Gothic Cinema to the world of KPOP – perfect for the Halloween season… ‘Gothic forces its readers, viewers, and listeners to identify the ghosts that haunt them…’ (Isabella van Elferan, 2012, Gothic Music, p. 15). 1. SHINee “Married to the Music” (2015) “Married to the Music” doesn’t sound … [Read More]
Korean films at the 2018 BFI London Film Fest
An exciting selection of Korean movies is lined up for the BFI London Film Festival, of which the highlight is undoubtedly Burning. Finally: Lee Chang-dong will be in town! All details below are from the BFI LFF website. Become a member and get access to tickets from 6 September, a week earlier than general release. … [Read More]
Handmaiden nominated for foreign language BAFTA
It’s up against four others including Paul Verhoeven’s Elle, but Park Chan-wook’s Handmaiden has made the shortlist announced yesterday for best feature film not in the English language. The shortlist was determined by an “opt-in chapter” of BAFTA voting members. The winners will be announced on 18 February. Films are only eligible to be entered into … [Read More]
The Handmaiden (아가씨, 2016) review: a masterclass in sensual storytelling
Park Chan-wook’s ‘The Handmaiden’ is a masterful film contrasting dark with light and (male) lecherous ugliness with (female) emotional beauty in a multilayered tale of immaculate depth and indeed meaning. Ultimately, ‘The Handmaiden’ sits atop the very best of Korean cinema, both in terms of narrative content and visual sumptuousness. [Read More]
Park Chan-wook talks about Handmaiden, octopuses and more
Park Chan-wook discusses adapting Fingersmith to colonial Korea, adding racial and class barriers, collaborating with Jung Seo-kyung and filming intimate scenes. He reflects on lessons from Stoker, violence and symbolism, octopus imagery, working with his brother on Night Fishing, shamanistic themes, adaptation processes and making films for future Korean audiences. [Read More]
Brief review: Park Chan-wook’s Handmaiden
I’ll leave others to do the detailed review of Park Chan-wook’s Handmaiden (아가씨), which screened at the London Film Festival this week and which will return later in the month at the London East Asia Film Festival. Suffice it to say that it’s gorgeous-looking, both in terms of costume and interiors, great story-telling and totally … [Read More]