Join the KCCUK for a screening of “The Flower in Hell,” an early masterpiece by director Shin Sang-ok that vividly portrays the societal dynamics of post-war Korea. Set in a weary Seoul, the film follows a gripping love triangle involving Yeong-sik, leader of a munitions-stealing syndicate, Dong-sik, his searching brother, and Sonya, Yeong-sik’s unapologetic lover … [Read More]
People: Choi Eun-hee
Korean films at Queer East 2024
After the Korea focus in last year’s festival it was perhaps a little bit to be expected that this year there would be less in the way of Korean content. So we have one South Korean feature film from 1967 (directed by Choi Eun-hee) and a handful of shorts; plus a 2016 feature by Korean … [Read More]
KCC screening: A Sister’s Garden (자매의 화원)
The Nam family leads a life of upper-middle class luxury. But this wealth lies on unstable foundations, and when the father dies suddenly, Jung-hee (Choi Eun-hee), as the new head of the family, finds herself with steep debts and no source of income. At last, she must decide on something that riskier than before. “A … [Read More]
Filming Against the Odds: Five Films, Four Women Directors
The second season of KCC film nights for 2021 – still online only for the moment – is curated and introduced by Mark Morris: Filming Against the Odds KCC YouTube Channel, 14 May – 9 July 2021 Now in its 13th year, Korean Film Nights continues in 2021 with a second instalment – exploring pioneering … [Read More]
Screening: Shin Sang-ok’s To The Last Day CANCELLED
This screening is now cancelled as the KCC has closed, in common with many cultural venues, as a result of the health situation. The second screening in the KCC’s On the Front Line season: To The Last Day (이 생명 다하도록) Dir Shing Sang-ok (1960, 109 mins) Cast: Choi Eun-hee, Kim Jin-kyu, Nam Koong Won, … [Read More]
Home Truths season: My Mother and her Guest
The final screening in the current Home Truths season is Shin Sang-ok’s classic weepie My Mother and her Guest. We loved it when it screened at the LKFF twelve years ago. My Mother and her Guest (사랑방 손님과 어머니) Director: Shin Sang-ok (1961, 102mins) Cast: Choi Eun-hee, Jeon Young-sun, Kim Jin-gyu, Han Eun-jin, Do Kum-bong … [Read More]
Shin Sang-ok’s It’s not her sin screens at the KCC
The first movie in the KCC’s new “Patchworks: Unwrapping My Korean Cinema” season is a classic Shin Sang-ok film from 1959: It’s not her sin (그 여자의 죄가 아니다) Director: Shin Sang-ok (1959) 104 mins Event Date: 20 July, 7:00pm Location: KCCUK Booking: Free admission, booking essential. To reserve your place, please RSVP to [email protected] … [Read More]
Another take on Shin Sang-ok
The Korea Times has a nicely-timed memoir of Shin Sang-ok and Choi Eun-hee covering their time in America immediately after their redefection in 1986. At over 4,000 words it’s a meaty article, and well worth the read, in particular touching on Shin’s impossible dream of a film about Genghis Khan. Thanks to Michael Duffy for … [Read More]
Film review: The Lovers and the Despot
The way you watch Ross Adam’s and Robert Cannan’s The Lovers and the Despot is likely to depend on whether you know the story or not. To those who are coming to it afresh, this is an extraordinary tale which is another example of the old adage that truth is stranger than fiction: one of South … [Read More]
Event news: Shin Sang-ok double bill at the Regent Street Cinema
If you missed the UK premiere of the documentary about Shin Sang-ok and Choi Eun-hee, The Lovers and the Despot, and would rather watch it on the big screen as opposed to via the various online options, you have another chance this month courtesy of the Regent Street Cinema. An LKL review is coming soon, but … [Read More]
The Lovers and the Despot comes online and to theatres 23 Sept
It’s been very tantalising knowing that this film has been in the making. LKL met with the directors of this project back in early 2012 and made a few introductions which may or may not have been of assistance. It sounded like an interesting angle on a familiar topic – the sojourn of Shin Sang-ok … [Read More]
Double book review: two takes on Shin Sang-ok
Paul Fischer: A Kim Jong-il Production Penguin / Viking 2015, 353pp Steven Chung: Split Screen Korea – Shin Sang-ok and Postwar Cinema University of Minnesota Press 2014, 262pp The story of actress Choi Eun-hee and Shin Sang-ok combines elements of both romance and thriller as well as representing important phases in the history of film … [Read More]
Brief Encounter with Chopin – Shin Sang-ok’s My Mother and Her Guest
Shin Sang-ok: My Mother and Her Guest (1961) It was a shame to see two of the most interesting films in the London Korean Film Festival — My Mother and Her Guest and Madame Freedom — so sparsely attended. The Barbican had generously allocated its largest screen (capacity 286) in anticipation of enthusiastic interest — … [Read More]