Director Kim Yang-hee and actor Yang Ik-june discuss The Poet and the Boy as a gentle portrayal of same-sex affection, shifting social attitudes toward homosexuality in Korea, and resisting fixed labels. They address casting risks, performance choices, poetry as emotional structure, and the role of film in reflecting gradual human-rights change. [Read More]
Director: Yang Ik-june
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]
Canola (계춘 할망, 2016) review: grandmother’s love and lost innocence
Set between Jeju and Seoul, Canola follows a grandmother and granddaughter torn apart by disappearance and reunited years later. Through stark contrasts of beauty and hardship, and featuring powerhouse performances from actresses Youn Yuh-jung and Kim Go-eun, ‘Canola’ is an unashamed tearjerker that gives a heartfelt and poignant definition of what family truly is. [Read More]
Event news: Zhang Lu’s A Quiet Dream is the first LKFF teaser screening
Zhang Lu’s elusive Love And… was the brave choice to close the 2015 London Korean Film Festival. His latest feature is the first of the festival’s 2017 “teaser” screenings. A Quiet Dream (춘몽) Director Zhang Lu, 2016, 101 mins Cast: Han Yeri, Yang Ik-june, Park Jung-bum, Yoon Jong-bin Monday 20 March 2017, 7:30pm Regent Street … [Read More]
King of Pigs (돼지의 왕, 2011) review: the cost of becoming a monster
Through fractured memories of brutal school bullying King of Pigs explores how rigid hierarchies, violence, and desperation shape identity. While the ideas of ‘violence begets violence’ are indeed inherent to the narrative, they really are just the tip of the iceberg within this dark, brooding and brutal dissection of humanity itself. [Read More]
Breathless screens at the KCC
The 40th KCC film night is Breathless: Film title: Breathless, 113mins Director: Yang Ik-june Cast: Yang Ik-june, Kim Kot-bi Genre: Drama / Crime Venue: Multi-purpose Hall, The Korean Cultural Centre, Grand Buildings, The Strand, London WC2N 5BW Time: Thursday, 25th March, 7:00pm Yang Ik-June’s Breathless was released in cinemas across the United Kingdom in January … [Read More]
Yang Ik-june’s Breathless gets R2 DVD release
“ONE OF THE YEAR’S BOLDEST AND MOST THRILLING DEBUT FEATURES.” – EYE WEEKLY.COM Following its critically acclaimed UK theatrical release in January, Yang Ik-june’s award winning Breathless comes to DVD on 22nd March 2010 as a two-disc Special Collector’s Edition featuring a host of exclusive extras including interviews with the director and cast members, specially … [Read More]
Breathless (똥파리, 2009) review: fractured families, inherited violence
Breathless is a visceral discussion of the legacy which violence can create and the ease with which it can span generations, infecting everything and everyone in its path. Utilizing a gritty, low-budget aesthetic, Breathless is an outstanding film which truly packs a punch and will take your breath away. [Read More]
Yang Ik-June’s Breathless gets theatrical release
And an opportunity to meet other Korean film fans. Yang Ik-June’s Breathless was LKL’s film of the year 2009. It had a screening at the Korean Film Festival at the Barbican in November, and it is due for a UK release on 29 January at the Institute for Contemporary Arts in Pall Mall. The release … [Read More]
Breathless: can there be any escape from the cycle of violence?
Breathless (똥파리) is Yang Ik-june’s debut feature, in which he is also lead actor, and the film has deservedly won numerous awards. As the film opens, a man is beating up his girlfriend in the street. To the rescue comes Sang-hoon, played by Yang, who subdues the offender only to turn to the woman and … [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]