In 2006, London welcomed the first annual London Korean Film Festival to the city. This year marks the thirteenth edition of the festival, with over 50 films showing in theatres across the capital. Running from 1-25 November, the programme is organised by the Korean Cultural Centre UK. This year’s special focus is ‘A Slice of Everyday Life’, which aims to uncover the depth of our day to day. The majority of the films featured will include a Q&A with the director, or a special guest. We spoke with Festival Curator Hyun Jin Cho, who told Something Curated more about this year’s programme:

Something Curated: What was the thinking behind the films that were picked for this year’s festival? And are there any particular social issues that you are looking to address with the 2018 programme? 

Hyun Jin Cho: Every year, we aspire to make the most inclusive programme of national cinema. We have 8 strands including the special focus strand, box office hits, classic cinema, hidden gems of indie film, animation, shorts and artist video. What’s also important for the festival is collaboration, rather than simply imposing on audiences an idea which the festival team has; we try to develop the programme together with several film experts from around the UK, namely East Asian film experts Tony Rayns and Mark Morris to name but two.

This year’s special focus is entitled ‘A Slice of Everyday Life’, and through this strand we are celebrating the sometimes overlooked lives of ordinary Koreans. We have chosen sixteen films that employ a range of different filmic styles and subjects, themes and issues. However, they all share a common desire to make visible through cinema the ordinarily invisible world of the everyday. We hope that the daily experiences of the people who populate the selected titles and how they connect to each other within the wider framework of Korean society are communicated across the programme.

SC: Why is it important to have this event take place in London right now?

HJC: In terms of the international news cycle, Korea’s politics has come to the fore once again this year, with the great division that separates the nation continuing to be what draws attention, despite the best efforts and surprising popularity of a certain K-pop boy band. All of this may make the country seem strange and distant, but with our diverse and in-depth programme we reveal the true day-to-day reality of life in South Korea. Many of the themes tackled, wealth disparity, poverty, the search for meaning in the face of the daily grind, are not so dissimilar to the problems many of us in London face every day.

We feel it’s important to show the power and meaning to be found in the everyday, a message of significance to an increasingly divided and disaffected London. Furthermore, our programme is not confined solely to the capital. We’ve always had a touring aspect to the festival, which we feel we’ve strengthened in the past few years by forming partnerships with some exceptional cinemas in major cities across the UK. Despite it being slightly more difficult to find an audience for Korean cinema outside of London, we feel it’s important to keep returning to these locations to foster an appetite for exceptional, out-of-the-ordinary cinema.

SC: What are your hopes and goals for the 2018 festival?

HJC: It’s always our hope that we can reach audiences that will fully engage with our programme, developing an appreciation for Korean cinema and a deeper understanding of the themes we highlight through our unique strands. We offer a range of in-depth forums, ‘in conversation’ events and roundtables, along with many Q&As with filmmaker guests of the festival and introductions from critics and academics as well. All of these events, in conjunction with the screenings, offer audiences the opportunity to discover the power and beauty of the cinema on offer.

London Korean Film Festival 2018 Programme

Among the 50 plus films being shown as part of this year’s programme, Something Curated takes a closer look at five projects we’re particularly excited about: 

 

The Bacchus Lady || E J-Yong

Viewers experience the compelling life of So-Young, who is an escort working exclusively with elderly clients so that she can put her son through university in America. Throughout the film, her path collides with Min-ho, whose parents are in the midst of a violent and nasty custody battle. So-Young takes Min-ho under her wing, and enrolls the help of her neighbours to help care for him while she works.

Sunday 4 November, 18:30 – Rio Cinema, Screen 2

 

For Vagina’s Sake || Kim Bo-Ram

Inspired by the banning of artist Rupi Kaur’s photograph of a woman with a bloodstain on Instagram, and a conversation with her Dutch friend, director Kim Bo-ram goes on an adventure around the world in pursuit of personal narratives, and explores the silence and historical fears surrounding menstruation.

Monday 5 November, 14:00 — British Museum, BP Lecture Theatre

 

Grown Up || Jang Hye-yeong

Born with a disability, Hye Jeong was forced to live in a care centre from the ages of 13 to 30, away from her entire family. Older sister Hye Yeong decides to fly her back to Seoul, and the two move in together, and consequently, grow close. This film provides an intimate narrative as viewers see their joy and adventures together, such as the sisters bonding over music, but also see their hardships. 

Wednesday 7 November, 18:30 – Picturehouse Central

 

Heart Blackened || Jung Ji-Woo

Viewers get a peek into the whirlwind life of the elite in Seoul. After the famous singer Park Yu-na is killed, her fiancé, the super-rich CEO Yim Tae-san, hires lawyer and family friend Choi Hee-jung to clear his daughter Mi-ra of murder. There is plenty of evidence against Mi-ra, placing the spoiled party girl who hates her future stepmother, drunk and angry at the scene. A Heart Blackened exposes the legal system as an institution, where the right amount of money can manipulate anyone.

Friday 9 November, 20:50 – Regent Street Cinema

 

Christmas in August || Hur Jin-Ho

Directed by Hur Jin-Ho, Christmas in August follows the life of Jung-Won, who lives with his widowed father while running the tiny photo studio that he inherited. Jung-Won’s life is rather mundane, as he takes dull photos of things such as parking violations for traffic wardens. However, when a young woman named Darim becomes a regular customer of Jung-Won’s photo studio, the two slowly begin to realize the special connection they have with each other but things become complicated.

Sunday 4 November, 13:00 – Phoenix Cinema

 

The London Korean Film Festival runs across London from 1-25 November 2018. 

 

Words by Jane Herz | Feature image: Still from For Vagina’s Sake, Kim Bo-Ram (via London Korean Film Festival)

Stay up to date with Something Curated