Page 4 – London Korean Film Festival

KFN Summer Nights – Programme Note

Posted 11 May 2022 by admin

In collaboration with the students from the Film Studies, Programming and Curation MA at the National Film and Television School, the Korean Cultural Centre UK is delighted to welcome audiences for another season of Korean Film Nights 2022. As always, our year-long programme aims to foster a deeper understanding of Korean cinema and culture through thematically curated film seasons. For us, this is an opportunity to spotlight both overlooked classics as well as more recent indie gems.

As we enter the summer months, we are ushering in (almost) everyone’s favourite season with a collection of films that capture the palpable balmy energy that comes around at this time of year. Within our collection of films for Summer Nights we will explore the rich aesthetic textures that emerge in cinematic depictions of the distinctive Korean summertime.

Korean weather is volatile, particularly in the summer, where temperatures soar up to 37 degrees and monsoon showers overwhelm in an instant. Amongst this climactic uncertainty are all kinds of sensory delights, with sounds, smells, textures, and tastes providing a unique ambiance that appears across cinematic representations of the season. Our Summer Nights programme seeks to harness these aesthetic qualities as the perfect backdrop to explore fleeting romances, intimate domesticity, internal struggle; all the crucial stages one experiences in a lifetime, so that the meaning and experience of summer takes on infinite forms.

In our opening two films, we begin by looking at summer during the time of youth that is often defined by the growing pains of adolescence. In Yoon Ga-eun’s The House of Us (2019), the summer season provides the setting for escapist wonder for a group of children away from their fraught lives at home. Our next screening, Kim Bora’s acclaimed feature debut House of Hummingbird (2018), arrives at a slightly later point, but one that remains rife with the familiar issues that arise while growing up. What emerges is a kinship between the summer season and our childhoods, offering us an opportunity to explore feelings of nostalgia and our own memories of summer.

The next stage in our journey sees the summer months arrive during adulthood where the good weather and pleasant atmosphere is almost something of an inconvenience. In novelist-turned-filmmaker Zhang Lu’s tender romance, Gyeongju (2014), we encounter a man in the throes of grief, processing the death of a friend. Over the course of a particularly hot day and night we see his healing process imbued with summer’s beaming glow. For the couple at the centre of Sleepless Night (2012), the stuffy summer months have come to embody the malaise that has set into their lives. In their compact apartment they use the time to ponder the next steps to take into their uncertain future.

Finally, we will take a look at summer as we reach our old age. Our closing film, Lee Chang-Dong’s Poetry (2010), features the legendary actress Yun Jung-hee in the lead role as a grandmother who embarks on a new creative journey; however, it seems that time is no longer on her side. A beautiful rumination on life and death, the summertime setting reveals itself as a time for rebirth and an opportunity for potential change.

The laid-back charm and the heightened emotions of the Korean summer will be presented over the course of this season via films and other fun events. To go alongside our screenings, we will be hosting accompanying discussions with special guests that aim to further explore what makes up a Korean summertime.

Sam Elder

Modern Korea 2 – Programme Note

Posted 18 March 2022 by admin

Korean Film Nights presents four episodes of the television documentary series Modern Korea 2, produced by the KBS television channel. Each episode uses footage selected from the vast KBS archives to create compilation narratives that look back at the social, political, and cultural themes that have marked Korea’s history over the decades.

The footage and images of the series are edited from news broadcasts, TV documentaries, popular entertainment shows and fictional dramas. The choice of themes, focusing on lesser-known events, and its sober use of footage and editing, construct a complex view of Korea in the 1980s and 1990s. Heading to its third season, Modern Korea has thus far covered topics such as the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis and the IMF bailout, histories of education and the birth of a teacher’s union, the tragic collapse of the Sampoong Department Store in 1995, among many others. The series provides a window into Korean history through images produced by public television broadcasters.

The screening includes the first two episodes of the second season of the series, which focus on events of the 1990s, such as the debates leading up to the destruction of the former Japanese General Government Building in Seoul and the presidential candidacy of businessman Chung Ju-Yung in 1995. The KCCUK will screen other episodes from this series, including The Age of Beasts, about the struggle for women’s rights in the late 1980s, and K-pop Genesis, about the history of Korean pop music in the 1980s.

Programmer: Ricardo Matos Cabo

Job Opportunity: Film Production Coordinator

Posted 14 March 2022 by admin

Thank you for your interest in the post of Film Production Coordinator for the film team at the KCCUK.

Please read the following job description and candidate specification carefully, telling us in your cover letter what brought you to apply for this role, and what kind of professional skills you can contribute to the successful promotion of the KCCUK Film Programme.

Please submit your application (cover letter and CV) via email. Your cover letter should outline why you are interested in the role, as well as the skills and experience. The closing date for applications is 25th March 2022.

Once applications have been processed, selected candidates will be invited to attend an interview on either 29 or 30 March 2022.

For further information on the role please contact info@kccuk.org.uk.

We look forward to receiving your application.

(1) Terms and Conditions

Employer: Korean Cultural Centre UK
Salary: £ 768/4 weeks (2 days/week basis)
Term: 7 April – 31 August 2022 (Period of work is flexible, based on the event needs) The position is offered on a temporary basis, it is a part-time post, covering the period in preparation, build up, operation and debrief of the 2022 Film Programme.
Hours: 16 hours (2 days) per week on average in order to fulfil the scope of responsibilities within the post. This will involve some weekend and evening work, and hours can be flexible to accommodate this.
Notice Period: There is a 2-week probationary period, and if successful the candidate will be confirmed. Upon confirmation, either party will provide 2-weeks’ notice should they wish to terminate the agreement prior to the end of the contract
Right to work: The successful applicant will be required to provide documentation that proves their right to work in the UK
References: Offers of employment are subject to the receipt of two references
Application: To apply for this position, send your CV and cover letter to info@kccuk.org.uk with ‘2022 Film Production Coordinator’ in the subject line by 25 March
Interview period: 29 or 30 March 2022
Start date: 7 April 2022

* Korean Cultural Centre UK is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

(2) Job Description

The post holder will be in charge of planning the delivery of the film programme and assisting in producing & distributing online and offline material. In addition, the post holder is expected to cooperate with distributors and venue partners.

(3) Responsibilities and Accountabilities

In coordination with the Film team Producer, liaise with distributors with regards to invitation and delivery of screening materials for all public screenings
To coordinate the transportation of films and accompanying paperwork, booking both national and international couriers (eg Federal Express, DHL etc)
Managing and collecting content for marketing materials – e.g. the LKFF social media accounts, LKFF website
To assist the Marketing Coordinator with production of on screen marketing assets and/or any additional on screen assets associated with the special events
Research related materials and prepare program brochure
Ad hoc assistance on site during the events days, e.g. liaising with members of the public or guests & partners, handing out audience feedback surveys, volunteer desk supervision, etc.

(4) Personal Specification

Previous experience of working in a film festival or similar cultural event in a marketing and/or events role preferred
Understanding of various screening formats, experience handling audio-visual content
Experience working to budget on large scale cultural projects and working with multiple external agencies and partners
Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise and to manage and meet changing deadlines
Excellent attention to detail and confidentiality
Good IT skills including MS Office, skilled in Excel
Demonstrable commitment to the principles of diversity and inclusion and its practical application and integration in the work environment
Ability to work flexible hours (there is a requirement to work outside contracted hours, including some evenings and weekends)
Well-organised and effective at prioritising work and managing deadlines under pressure.
Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.

Job Opportunity: Film Marketing Coordinator

Posted 14 March 2022 by admin

Thank you for your interest in the post of Film Marketing Coordinator for the film team at the KCCUK.

Once applications have been processed, selected candidates will be invited to attend an interview on either 29 or 30 March 2022.

For further information on the role please contact info@kccuk.org.uk.

We look forward to receiving your application.

(1) Terms and Conditions

Employer: Korean Cultural Centre UK
Salary: £ 768/4 weeks (2 days/week basis)
Term: 7 April – 31 August 2022 (Period of work is flexible, based on the event needs) The position is offered on a temporary basis, it is a part-time post, covering the period in preparation, build up, operation and debrief of the 2022 Film Programme.
Hours: 16 hours (2days) per week on average in order to fulfil the scope of responsibilities within the post. This will involve some weekend and evening work, and hours can be flexible to accommodate this
Notice Period: There is a 2-week probationary period, and if successful the candidate will be confirmed. Upon confirmation, either party will provide 2-weeks’ notice should they wish to terminate the agreement prior to the end of the contract
Right to work: The successful applicant will be required to provide documentation that proves their right to work in the UK
References: Offers of employment are subject to the receipt of two references
Application: To apply for this position, send your CV and cover letter to info@kccuk.org.uk with ‘2022 Film Marketing Coordinator’ in the subject line by 25 March
Interview period: 29 or 30 March 2022
Start date: 7 April 2022

* Korean Cultural Centre UK is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

(2) Job Description

The successful applicant will be creative and insightful, showing the ability to present both in-depth promotional content and fresh ideas that link Korean cinema with film culture in the UK. The post holder will be in charge of planning the promotion of the film programme and assisting in producing & distributing offline material. In addition, the post holder is expected to cooperate with other cultural and educational partners with equal amount of interest and respect.

(3) Responsibilities and Accountabilities

To develop an overall strategy with regards to print distribution and offline promotion, and to ensure the 2022 Film Programme attracts large audiences.
Managing and creating content for online platforms – e.g. the official social media accounts, website
To identify and consider potential opportunities for cross-promotion and advertising with relevant external partners.
To collaborate on all areas of marketing for the successful promotion of the film programme, offering constructive, creative ideas to help generate ticket sales.
General marketing and communications support, and any other duties relevant to the post as required by the film team.

This job description describes the principal purpose and main elements of the job at this time. It is a guide to the nature of the main duties as they currently exist but is not intended to be all-inclusive. The post holder is expected to work flexibly and respond positively to changing business needs.

(4) Personal Specification

Previous experience of working in a film festival or similar cultural event in a marketing and/or events role preferred
Experience in campaign management from planning to reporting
Experience using a variety of social media platforms for advertising and promotion
Experience working to budget on large scale cultural projects and working with multiple external agencies and partners
Copywriting and proof-reading skills for off-line promotion
Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise and to manage and meet changing deadlines
Excellent attention to detail and confidentiality
Good IT skills including MS Office, skilled in Excel
A proactive and customer focused approach delivered within a best practice framework
Demonstrable commitment to the principles of diversity and inclusion and its practical application and integration in the work environment
Ability to work flexible hours (there is a requirement to work outside contracted hours, including some evenings and weekends)
Well-organised and effective at prioritising work and managing deadlines under pressure.
Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.

Director Lee Man-hee’s Films

Posted 3 March 2022 by admin

One of the most important Korean filmmakers in the 1960s and 70s, Lee Man-hee established his reputation as a master of genre cinema, at a time the industry had yet to embrace horrors and thrillers, which have since become staples of the local film scene.

Born in 1931 as the youngest of eight children, Lee took part in the Korean War as a codebreaker before entering the film industry in 1956, working as an assistant director for filmmakers such as Ahn Jong-hwa, Park Gu and Kim Myeong-je. He debuted as a filmmaker in his own right with <Kaleidoscope> in 1961, which featured the famous actor Kim Seung-ho. His film, <Call 112> (1962) brought Lee commercial success and his next task was to revolutionise Korea’s genre scene, notably with the horror <The Devil’s Stairway> and the film noir <Black Hair>, both in 1964.

Not one to stick to one formula, Lee also made a mark as an artistic filmmaker, helming the classic love story <Late Autumn> (1966), which, though it has since been lost, has been remade by the likes of Kim Ki-young and Kim Tae-yong. He continued his winning streak with <Homebound> in 1967 and <A Day off> in 1968, which have both stood the test of time. As the industry began to falter, fewer opportunities came his way but he remained busy in the early 70s, ending his career with the road movie <The Road to Sampo> (1975). He collapsed while editing this film on April 3 1975, and died on April 13. The film was edited by the production company and released in the Kukdo Cinema, and went on to win 7 awards, which included Best Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Supporting Actor at the Grand Bell Awards in 1975.

The Road to Sampo is a road movie and is therefore something of a rarity in the Korean cinema history. Road movies have distinctive features such as accidental events and meetings occurring in the path of characters’ lives, and the characters maturing through this process, which is unlike typical genre films based on solidly pre-structured plots and characters. The Road to Sampo carefully embraces their life stories and delivers them to the audience. Such warm attention given to working class people, our neighbors is one of the prominent features of Lee Man-hee’s films. On the other hand, Lee carried out various cinematic experiments within the typically simple and loose structure of road movie, which were done neither for the sake of experiment itself, nor for mere novelty value. This makes viewers feel cinematic moments beyond the simple story, leaving an unidentifiable lingering resonance even after the end of the film, which is perhaps why The Road to Sampo is more than just an ordinary popular film of the time.

Source: Korean Film Council, Korean Film Archive

London Korean Film Festival 2021: Special Focus Announcement

Posted 17 December 2021 by London Korean Film Festival

After a mostly digital edition in 2020 the London Korean Film Festival (LKFF) is pleased to be returning to cinema screens across the UK’s capital for its 16th year, running from 4 – 19 November 2021. With the biggest programme dedicated to Korean cinema outside of the country itself, the festival is proud to present a rich and diverse line-up showcasing the year’s biggest box-office hits, independent cinema, women’s voices, animation, documentary, award winning shorts, plus a Special Focus celebrating the career of veteran actor and Academy Award winner Youn Yuh-jung.

This year’s LKFF will begin on 4 November with a typically exciting Opening Gala, the UK Premiere of director Ryoo Seung-wan’s action-packed true-life political drama, Escape from Mogadishu (2021). Set in the capital of Somalia during the country’s 1991 Civil War, the film centres on the staff of the South Korean embassy who become trapped as war rages on the streets around them. Stranded and under fire, the group are approached by their counterparts from the North Korean embassy. Opting for an unlikely team-up, the group make an audacious plan to reach the airport and escape the country. From action cinema maestro Ryoo Seung-wan (The City of Violence, Veteran) the film stars Kim Yoon-seok, Jo In-sung and Huh Joon-ho and skyrocket up the charts on its Korean release this year, surpassing 3 million admissions within a month of its release and becoming the highest grossing film of 2021. The festival’s Closing Gala on 19 November will be the UK Premiere of Im Sang-soo’s Heaven: To the Land of Happiness (2020). Invited to screen at Cannes in 2020, and set to open Busan International Film Festival on 6 October, this screening offers an exciting early look at the latest work from an internationally renowned director to a London audience. Starring Choi Min-sik (Oldboy, 2003 I Saw the Devil, 2010) and Park Hae-il (The Host, 2006 Memories of Murder, 2003) and featuring the festival’s Special Focus star Youn Yuh-jung, the film is a warm-hearted road trip that follows two men, one an escaped convict, who get their hands on a large sum of money and take to the road, dreaming of how they can use the cash to better their lives.

With her Oscar win and incredible performance in Minari still fresh in the minds of UK film fans the LKFF is inviting audiences to take a deep-dive into the back-catalogue of this extraordinary actress with the strand Special Focus: Youn Yuh-Jung. This programme will draw from across Youn’s career with retrospective screenings of some of her finest work to present a comprehensive look at one of Korea’s most celebrated performers. Key titles include the European Premiere of a brand new digital restoration of the actor’s very first role, Woman of Fire (1970), from Korea’s idiosyncratic master filmmaker Kim Ki-young and shown on the big screen for the first time in 50-years. Infused with director Kim’s typically audacious use of colour, this intense thriller provided a bold introduction to a dynamic new screen presence in Youn Yuh-jung. Also presented in a new 4K restoration and being shown for the first time outside of Korea, and Youn Yuh-jung’s third collaboration with master-auteur Kim Ki-young, is Angel, Become an Evil Woman (1990). This tale of two women who plot to murder their unfaithful husbands was scorned by its own director and not seen publicly until after his death at the 1998 Busan International Film Festival. Youn’s collaborations with acclaimed director Im Sang-soo will also be highlighted with screenings of A Good Lawyer’s Wife (2003), nominated for Venice’s prestigious Golden Lion, and The Housemaid (2010), nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes. Further screenings include E J-yong’s 2016 festival favourite The Bacchus Lady (2016) with more special presentations, introductions and events still to be announced.

Further highlights from this year’s festival include the UK Premiere of Aloners (2021), the directorial debut of Hong Seong-eun which won the Grand Prize at Jeonju International Film Festival 2021 and earned further acclaim at Toronto International Film Festival 2021. With a sensitive and absorbing central performance from newcomer Jeong Da-eun, Aloners peels back the layers of angst and loneliness of a young woman who has actively shut herself off from the world around her. The latest sweeping, sumptuous epic from the modern specialist of the historical drama, Lee Joon-ik (The Throne, Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet), The Book of Fish (2021, UK Premiere) stars Sol Kyung-gu (Oasis, Peppermint Candy) as a scholar exiled to an island who trades his knowledge in Confucianism with a fisherman in order to write a book about the sea. Following a debut at Cannes 2021, the latest work from celebrated auteur Hong Sangsoo In Front of Your Face (2021, UK Premiere) finds a middle aged actress readying herself to meet a director interested in casting her for a film role. As is typical for Korea’s prolific filmmaker, the low-key, minimalist style and plotting gives way to profound themes.

Full LKFF2021 programme details will be announced shortly, including screenings, introductions, Q&As and more. The London Korean Film Festival 2021 runs from 4 November – 19 November with cinema screenings in London and around the UK

Facebook: @theLKFF
Twitter: @koreanfilm
Instagram: @london_korean_film_festival

For any press requests please contact festival publicist Christopher O’Keeffe: chris@witchfinder.co (+44 7413 157 011)

Notes to Editors

About London Korean Film Festival:

The London Korean Film Festival will return to celebrate its 16th year from 4 November – 19 November 2021, featuring 35+ cinema screenings in leading venues around London.

The London Korean Film Festival has grown from humble beginnings to become one of the longest running and most respected festivals dedicated to Korean cinema in the world. We’ve built a name upon presenting lineups consisting of everything from the country’s most successful blockbusters to thought-provoking independents from its finest auteurs. Across a variety of finely curated strands we aim to cater for general audiences to committed cinephiles, and everyone in between.

The 16th London Korean Film Festival is organised by the Korean Cultural Centre UK with the support of the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism, Korean Film Council.

More about the KCCUK:

Since being opened by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in January 2008, under the jurisdiction of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, the KCCUK has gone from strength to strength in its role of enhancing friendship, amity and understanding between Korea and the UK through cultural and educational activities.

As well as presenting a diverse range of ongoing monthly events focused on Korean film, drama, education and literature, the KCCUK regularly welcomes Korean luminaries from many cultural fields to discuss their work, organises the annual film festival as well as traditional and contemporary musical performances and holds a number of exhibitions throughout the year, allowing artists to showcase their talent. From the KCCUK’s central London location (just off Trafalgar Square), the institution’s dedicated cultural team work to further develop established cultural projects, introduce new opportunities to expand Korean programmes in the UK and to encourage ongoing cultural exchange.

Rolling Q&A with director Kwak Min-Seung

Posted 16 November 2021 by admin

An exclusive Q&A with the talented director of LKFF2021 film ‘Rolling’ Kwak Min-Seung. Moderated by Film Critic, University Lecturer and Translator Darcy Paquet. Rolling will be screening on 16 November at Everyman, Screen on The Green.

Watch Documentary Youn Yuh-jung

Posted 15 November 2021 by admin

In the wake of Youn Yuh-jung’s Academy Award, national broadcaster KBS put together this stylish tribute. It opens with a series of brief statements from acting and other colleagues present and past. Viewers of the film Canola (2016) may be surprised to see Kim Go-eun, the film’s older Hyeji, looking positively radiant; fans of Minari will meet a very different Han Ye-ri than the exhausted young mother of the film.

The documentary is, however, more than a series of nice-looking talking heads. The KBS team have assembled footage from some of Youn’s work on television. She has had a substantial career on the small screen, from her early portrayal of temptress Hwang Hui-bin back in 1971, to the gentle reality TV of the recent ‘Yoon’s Kitchen’ and ‘Yoon’s Stay’. Her current role in the TV series Pachinko seems likely to make her television career as internationally recognised as Minari has her contribution to cinema.

Special Focus: Youn Yuh-jung Talk with Professor Kim Hong Joon

Posted 10 November 2021 by admin

LKFF Programmer Mark Morris discuss’s Youn Yuh-jung’s incredible contribution to Korean cinema and her 5 decade career with Professor Kim Hong Joon of the Korean National University of the Arts. Part of our Special Focus strand celebrating Youn Yuh-jung and her historic Academy Award win.

Spring Song Q&A with director Yu Jun-sang

Posted 10 November 2021 by admin

An exclusive Q&A with regular Hong Sangsoo actor and talented director of LKFF2021 film ‘Spring Song’ Yu Jun-sang. Moderated by Film Critic and LKFF Programmer Anton Bitel. Spring Song will be screening on 10 November at Everyman, Screen on The Green.

Subscribe to our Newsletter