The London Korean Film Festival 2011
Today sees the start of the London Korean Film Festival, which takes place throughout various cinemas in London's West End. Choice picks this year include Kim Han-min's period actioner 'War of The Arrow', Jang Hoon's war epic 'The Front Line', and Na Hong-jin's crime drama 'Yellow Sea'.
A full list of films can be found below and advance tickets, screening times and more details for all events are available at www.koreanfilm.co.uk.
War of The Arrow
Thursday 3rd November 19:00
Na-mi (Park Hae-il, The Host) and Ja-in (Moon Chae-won) have grown up as traitors in the eyes of their country after their father stood up to their corrupt King, who was summarily executed in front of their eyes. Thirteen years later, and living under the protection of their father's ally, Na-mi has turned into an experienced but directionless hunter. He decides to leave his adoptive family when Ja-in agrees to marry Su-koon but on their wedding day as Na-mi takes his leave the Manchurian attacks, killing whoever opposes them and enslaving the rest, which includes Ja-in. Equipped with this trusty bow, Na-mi tracks the army to free his sister and in doing so sparks the beginning of a rebellion in a broken country.
Sunny
Friday 4th November 18:00
Korea's biggest hit of the year comes to the ICA with a film that deals with lost friendships, growing up with some singing and dancing thrown in for good measure. A shy and quiet girl, Na-mi, arrives in a strange new town, instantly becoming the target of her new school's bullies. Outnumbered and nowhere to turn, Na-mi is suddenly saved by a bizarre, misfit of girls. Though their friendship grows strong a terrible accident rips them asunder for 25 years. Now an adult Na-mi regrets the way things have turned out and looks to bring the misfit group back together.
Handphone (w/ Dir Kim Han-min Q&A)
Friday 4th November 19:00
A talent manager, Yoon Jin-ah, is readying a new breakthrough actress which he hopes will turn his fortunes around. The only problem is her ex-boyfriend tries to blackmail Jin-ah with dirty pictures of his client. He quickly retrieves the tape but realises that he has lost his phone which holds the only trace of evidence against his client. Lee-gyu, a lowly working class man who's at his wits end finds the phone and, initially, wanting to do the right thing, learns about the power he now holds over the highflying Jin-ah. Desperate, Jin-ah is willing to do anything to get his phone back.
The Front Line
Friday 4th November 20:45
Near the end of 'The Forgotten War' a bloody, never-ending battle, raged over the capture of a tiny hill at the North and South border. The fighting was so intense that the hill would swap hands several times a day. To devise a winning plan Kang travels to the battle and is confronted by the transforming nature of War and the effects it has had on the ones he loves.
10th Mise-en-scene Short Films 1
Saturday 5th November 16:00
A selection of short films from some of Koreas up-and-coming filmmakers including many festival winning films. The films are chosen from the Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival which has been established by Korea’s biggest filmmakers, Bong Joon-ho (Mother, The Host) and Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Thirst) to name a few and has seen many of the directors involved becoming some of the top talent in today’s Korean cinema landscape.
Detective K: Secret of The Virtuous Woman
Saturday 5th November 18:30
In the 16th Century, the streets of Joseon are stalked by a serial killer. The King believes the killings are to cover up a conspiracy so he commissions the notorious Detective K. What follows is an Inspector Clouseau investigation with his trusty assistant Seo Pil, as they bumble through being attacked by assassins, escaping death traps and dealing with the beautiful and possible deadly business woman. Is she behind the killings? But how could she, she's so beautiful...
Dance Town
Saturday 5th November 20:45
Dance Town is a hugely stirring story of a woman, Jung-nim, who escapes over the border between North and South Korea after their neighbours inform to the authority's that they have goods from the South. Jung-nim is given a place to live and a menial job but even with all the help she is given, she is deeply alone especially as the weeks pass and there is no word from her husband. To fight the isolation she joins a church group where she encounters more socially excluded people. Maybe together she will find some happiness.
Leafie A Hen Into The Wild (plus directors Q&A)
Sunday 6th November 14:00
On a chicken farm among hundreds of hens is Leafie, one amazing hen who dreams of a life outside her cage. She manages to escape from captivity using her wit only to find herself being hunted down by the weasel One Eye. Luckily a brave 'guardian' duck named Wanderer manages to save her by the skin of their beaks or bills as it were. Even though she was saved, Leafie realizes that she is surrounded by danger. Especially when she becomes the adoptive mother of a duckling.
10th Mise-en-scene Short Films 2
Sunday 6th November 16:30
A selection of short films from some of Koreas up and coming filmmakers including many festival winning films. The films are chosen from the Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival which has been established by Korea’s biggest filmmakers, Bong Joon-ho (Mother, The Host) and Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Thirst) to name a few and has seen many of the directors involved becoming some of the top talent in today’s Korean cinema landscape.
Poongsan
Sunday 6th November 19:00
Poongsan has a very dangerous job. He risks his life by crossing the North and South Korean border every day, retrieving family members from the North to the South. Even though he could be killed at any moment the faces the danger head on . Government agents contract Poongsan to sneak out a girl, In-oak, the lover of a high-ranking North Korean defector. He quickly accomplishes the task, kidnapping the girl but on their way over the border they fall in love. This raises a number of problems as Poongsan must decide whether to fulfil his contract or turn against the powerful people who hired him for the girl he loves.
Rough Cut
Monday 7th November 16:00
Gang-pae, #2 in his organization, is swamped with routine violence, and his dream of becoming an actor never went away. Star actor Soo-ta lives behind a veil, away from public eyes. Over time his behavior becomes increasingly agitated, provoked by paparazzi wanting a piece of him wherever he goes. This behavior puts him in a series of spiraling and uncontrollable situations. Now he begins shooting a new movie playing a gangster. Because of his bad temper, he beats up a fellow actor and forces the production to a halt. Feeling responsible, Soo-ta requests Gang-pae, whom he met by chance, to play alongside him in the movie in order to save the production. Gang-pae agrees with the condition that the violence portrayed in the movie has to be real and not fake acting violence. Soo-ta accepts the condition and they get ready for the real match.
Chaser
Monday 7th November 18:30
2008’s international box office sensation, ‘The Chaser’, is being remade by the team that brought you “The Departed”. But there’s only ever one original! Ex-detective-turned-pimp Jung-ho’s night is getting messy. Convinced his girls are running out on him, he sends one of his last remaining girls, Mi-jin, on a desperate last minute job. Too late, however, he makes a bone chilling discovery: this customer’s home is where all his missing girls were last sent. Fearing the worst, Jung-ho’s relentless pursuit of Mi-jin ends in a terrifying chase through the city streets after a car crash throws a blood spattered suspect into his path. Calling in old favours, Jung-ho is certain he has caught this ruthless killer. But despite a disturbing confession, the lack of evidence means this cold-hearted psychopath might soon be freed by the bureaucratic police force. If he is to find Mi-jin is still alive, Jung –ho, armed with few clues but filled with street-smart and savage determination, has just 12 hours to find the killer’s lair, before he is set free to end her life and continue his reign of terror.
Scandal Makers
Tuesday 8th November 16:00
NAM Hyun-soo was once a popular idol star among teens and worshiped liked a god. Although he’s in his mid-thirties now, he’s still a sought-after celebrity and the host of a popular radio show. But one day a very young single mom named Jung-nam sends her stories to the radio show that Hyun-soo hosts. Her stories about her longing to meet her father whom she’s never seen before grips the nation and catapults the ratings to make it the most popular program. But to his surprise, Hyun-soo later confronts none other than Jung-nam, and her 7 year-old boy, Gi-dong. Jung-nam and Gi-dong invade Hyun-soo’s home and his radio station, claiming that Hyun-soo is her father. Hyun-soo does what he can to salvage his celebrity image.
Memento Mori
Tuesday 8th November 18:30
Min-Ah discovers a shared diary and is fascinated to learn that two schoolmates she thought to be close friends have, in fact, begun a forbidden romance. Unable to tear her eyes away, the secret allure of the diary begins to consume her. When one of the diary’s writers is found dead from an apparent suicide, rumors spread and Min-Ah begins to sense a strange presence. The once tranquil school is transformed into a morbid place of terror, as if the journal’s words, “memento mori” (remember the dead), have taken on life.
Yellow Sea
Wednesday 9th November 20:45
From the director of The Chaser, Na Hong-jin, comes this intense crime thriller. Gu-nam spends his time drinking and gambling as he attempts to blot out the wreck his life has become. His wife has crept over the border into South Korea and lost contact with him. His gambling debts are spiralling out of control. His self-respect is non-existent. As the pressure mounts Gu-nam's desperation escalates. Eventually he can see no way out other than to accept the offer of local crime boss Myun to follow his wife to Seoul where he must murder a businessman. It's no mistake that Gu- nam's job is as a taxi driver. Scorsese and Schrader's iconic portrait of God's Lonely Man hangs over this thrilling intense film.
Suicide Forecast
Thursday 10th November 18:30
A former professional Baseball player, Byeong-wu, has successfully transferred from the exciting world of sports into the King of the insurance world. All is going well until one of his clients commits suicide and the deceased daughter accuses him of helping aiding in the death. But the cynic that is Byeong-wu pays the accusation no mind, that is until he comes under investigation. Of course the discussion of suicide is no laughing matter but everything that happens after is a madcap adventure with the charismatic and hilarious Ryoo Seung-beom from The Unjust and Crying Fist.
Late Autumn
Thursday 10th November 20:45
Anna is on her way to Seattle to attend her mother’s funeral on a special weekend release from prison where she is serving time for manslaughter for killing her abusive husband. On the bus, she meets Hoon, a “companion for hire” for lonely, older women. But, both find something in each other while spending a day together in the misty, autumnal city of Seattle.
A Day Off (with Dr Mark Morris Talk at KCCUK)
Friday 11th November 19:30
It is a Sunday in late winter. Church bells ring as Huh-wook sets off to meet his sweetheart Jee-yun. Huh-wook, who cannot afford to start a family goes off to meet his friends to get money for an abortion for Jee-yun who is carrying his baby, but ends up stealing from a friend when all his friends refuse to lend him money. The doctor recommends an abortion for Jee-yun because she is ill. Huh-wook leaves the hospital and has a drink, then visits a bar and a roadside bar with a woman he meets in a salon. Completely intoxicated, Huh-wook makes love to her in a construction site but comes to his senses at the sound of church bells ringing and runs back to the hospital. He arrives to discover that Jee-yun has died during the surgery and goes to tell her father, only to be turned away at the doorstep. Then the friend whose money he had stolen catches him and beats him up. Blood streaming down his face, he runs down the dark streets and reminisces about the happy times he had had with Jee-yun.
Assassins
Saturday 12th November 16:00
A man is given a task to killed Hwang To-jin, a North Korean spy who turned himself to the South, and penetrates into the South. He meets Hwang To-jin’s daughter and comes to feel skeptical of his behavior. Then he receives an order to hurry the assassination. He finally realizes that he has been foolish and turns himself to the police to help round up the spy network.
Die Bad
Monday 14th November 18:00
Die Bad is a hard-boiled action movie in four parts about violence: school violence, a ghost’s violence against its murderer, violence between a cop and a gangster, and an appalling fight among gangsters. Suk-whan and Sung-bin, both teenagers, rumble with Hyun-soo’s group at a pool hall. Sung-bin accidentally kills Hyun-soo after trying to stop the fight. After 7 years in prison, Sung-bin arrives home only to find out that nobody welcomes him back. Furthermore, he is haunted by the ghost of Hyun-soo. In despair, Sung-bin throws himself into the world of organized crime. Meanwhile, Suk-whan, who actually ignited the fatal fight, has become a cop, and he tries to stay away from Sung-bin...
Dachimawa Lee
Monday 14th November 20:30
Under Japanese imperialism,the Korean national treasure Golden Buddha is stolen. Legendary Korean spy Lee is assigned to recover the fabled statue and reveal the dark plot. His recovery operation fails miserably, losing both the statue and his sexy partner. Lee discovers that the failure was an inside job and fueled by revenge, he must face off with the dangerous shadowy figure behind the plot.
No Blood No Tears
Tuesday 15th November 18:00
Gyung-sun is a washed-up cab driver who has been trying to go straight after years in trouble with the law after being a big-time safecracker. Soo-jin wants to be a famous singer, but lives the life of a trophy girlfriend to her vicious gangster boyfriend. An unlikely situation cause these two different women to meet where they plan a daring solution to both their problems that will escalate and threaten the wrath of many powerful and corrupt people around them.
Arahan
Tuesday 15th November 20:30
When a thief driving a motorcycle steals a purse of a pedestrian, the clumsy, naive and honest rookie policeman Sang-hwan runs after him, but the skilled specialist in martial arts Eui-jin captures the criminal and Sang-hwan is severely injured. She brings Sang-hwan to her home, where the six Masters of Tao heal him and believe that he has a powerful Qi, the spiritual energy of the universe, and could be a powerful warrior. Sang-hwan begins his training to ascend to a Maruchi, while the evil and ambitious Heuk-woon is accidentally released from his imprisonment. The powerful Heuk-woon attacks the masters, searching for a key that they protect, which would permit him to become an Arahan and dominate the world. When the masters are defeated, Sang-hwan and Eui-jin are the only and last hope to mankind.
Crying Fist (w/ Ryoo Seung-wan Q&A)
Wednesday 16th November 17:30
Once a Boxing silver medallist in the Asian Games, Tae-shik has fallen on hard times, hiring himself out as a human punching bag. When he reaches the end of his rope, Tae-shik decides to attempt to win an amateur boxing title. Meanwhile, Sang-hwan is a restless street rebel arrested for robbery. In juvenile detention, Sang-hwan discovers he has a gift for boxing. He becomes determined to win the amateur title for the sake of his father, ill grandmother, and himself. Ultimately, the two men meet in the title fight. Tae-shik has no place left to go while Sang-hwan is fighting for something other than himself for the first time of his life.
City of Violence
Wednesday 16th November 20:30
Tae-su, a detective fighting organized crime, returns to his hometown for his high school friend Wang-jae’s funeral. At the funeral, he meets his old friends Pil-ho, Dong-hwan and Seok-hwan and they reminisce. Suspecting something fishy about Wang-jae’s death, Tae-su and Seok-hwan start investigating in their own ways. Both of their investigations lead to a land development project that Pil-ho is directing and the two embark on a difficult battle…
The Unjust
Thursday 17th November 18:00
A spree of schoolgirl murders has gripped Seoul by the throat but the police are on it, chasing down the killer which leads to the police accidential killing the prevented murderer. Since the case is international news the police can't bring in a dead suspect so the highers up choose Captain Choi (Hwang Jung-min, Blades of Blood) a good cop who does whatever is needed to close the case. He is ordered to bring in a killer, any killer, to take the wrap to parade in front of the cameras. Choi contacts a shady business associate, Jang (Yoo Hae-jin, Moss) to help create a airtight case not wishing to know the methods used. Of course there are strings attached as the Jang is involved in a bitter turf war with someone who has a young and arrogant prosecutor, Joo-yang (Ryoo Seung-bum, Crying Fist). With arm twisting from their criminal associates Choi and Joo-yang become involved in a cat & mouse game, not knowing which is the cat and which is the mouse.
Posted November 03, 2011 |
