Up Coming Film Events & News

 

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Award Winning Film

‘Love Fiction’ with Director Jeon Gye-soo

31st May 2012 6:30pm, Apollo Cinema Piccadilly

Director Jeon will join us for the screening of ‘Love Fiction’ after which we will have an audience Q+A hosted by Film Writer and London Korean Film Night Adviser Mr. Tony Rayns.

 

Director Jeon Gye-soo won the Best Screenplay for “Love Fiction” at the 2012 Baeksang Arts Awards. A philosophy graduate with a passion for musicals he made his directorial debut with the musical ‘Midnight Ballad for Ghost Theatre’ in 2006, a film that saw him also win the ‘Baeksang Award for Best New Director’. Since then his films have explored drama, romance and comedy. Director Jeon is quite unique in Korean cinema as he doesn’t come from a film background, however his natural talent and an eye for drama has helped him to create some wonderful movies each defined by unique and individual styles.

Love Fiction (2012 Romantic Comedy) During its first week of release "Love Fiction" surpassed one million ticket sales. During the movie's opening weekend (March 2-3) "Love Fiction" sold 567,529 tickets on 615 screens and ranked #1 at the South Korean box office. It was one of the ten most-watched films in Korea in the first quarter of 2012.

Synopsis: An unknown novelist Ju-wol (Ha Jeong-woo) falls in love at first sight with Hee-jin (Kong Hyo-jin) when the two meet at a book expo. After a series of dates, they become lovers. Yet unlike Hee-jin, who is looking for a down-to-earth relationship, Ju-wol is unhappy with everything Hee-jin does and the two begin to drift apart. This film was uniquely constructed by adding the fantasy where complex inner side of Ju-wol is displayed through conversations shared with an imaginary character ' M '.

CAST: Ha Jung-woo, Kong Hyo-jin, Lee Byung-joon , Ji Jin-hee , Choi Won-tae, Yoo In-na

 

To Book Tickets for the Gala Screening of ‘Love Fiction’ and Q+A: 

London’ Apollo Cinema, Piccadilly Circus (£10/£8 Cons.)

www.apollocinemas.com

 

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<Wow, 100th Korean Film night!!!>

The 100th Korean Film Night marks an important milestone in the KCCUK' history as our film night is also our longest running programme, having begun in February 2008.

 

<Song Il-gon: Year of the 12 Directors> 

Director Song took time out of his UK schedule to pop in to the KCC, whilst here he did some interviews with the Press and attended a Q+A Screening of his film 'Always' at the Apollo Cinema.

It is with great pride that the screening of Always marked the 100th Korean Film Night for the KCCUK.

 

Song Il-Gon meets the UK Press

Director Song took time out of his UK schedule to pop in to the KCC, whilst here he did some interviews with the Press and attended a Q+A Screening of his film 'Always' at the Apollo Cinema.

 

Q+A with Roger Clarke and Song Il-Gon

The April 'Year of the 12 Directors" series saw the KCCUK welcome Song Il-Gon to the UK for a screening of his film 'Always'. As is custom with the final screening of each month-long mini season, the Director hosted a Q+A with the audience.

On this occasion, columnist and writer Roger Clarke kindly joined us to oversee proceedings.

 

After Show Reception, Song Il-Gon takes some questions

After the screening of 'Always' Director Song joined friends and guests for the post screening reception.

It is with great pride that the screening of Always marked the 100th Korean Film Night for the KCCUK.

 

 

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<Celebrate the Korean Film Night’s 100^th Screening

 6:30 pm, 26^th April 2012, Apollo Cinemas, Piccadilly >

Since 2008, the Korean Cultural centre UK with its free film screenings has been London’s home for Korean cinema enthusiasts. There have been many accompanying events which have enriched these screenings also, each giving the audiences the chance to discover and learn about Korean culture.

In February 2010 at the screening of the epic film “Forbidden Quest” the audience took the opportunity to try on traditional Korean clothes and at the screening of “Daytime Drinking” we tasted Soju, Korea’s famous alcoholic drink.

With Director Song Il-Gon’s 2011 film ‘Always’ the KCCUK presents its 100^th Korean Film Night and after the Q+A we will celebrate this milestone with a small reception.

The Korean Film Night will be screening 4 of Song Il-Gon’s most memorable films throughout April, namely Flower Island (2001), Feathers in the Wind (2004), Dance of Time (2009) and Always (2011).

Director and Script-writer SONG Il-Gon is one of those filmmakers that you’ve probably heard of but whose work almost certainly never seen.  Born in 1971, Song studied Fine Arts in Seoul before relocating to Poland to train at their National Film Academy in Lodz. After creating award-winning short films Song moved on to full features. In the last decade he created 6 films as well as other smaller projects, all of which makes him one of the most prolific Directors of his generation. He was also the first Korean Director to receive an award from Cannes and has also proved popular at Festivals in Venice, Busan, Tokyo and Melbourne to name but a few.

Director Song will join us for the screening of ‘Always’ after which we will have an audience Q+A hosted by Mr. Roger Clarke, Columnist at The Independent Newspaper and Critic at Sight & Sound. 

The Special Screening: Always, 2011, 105min, Cert. 15

Always (2011 Drama) Always opened the Busan International Film Festival in 2011 and has been presented at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival and at the Hawaii International Film Festival. JEON Chanil BIFF programmer stated that “[Always] takes small steps towards the climax without excessive use of words and action. The director also adds to the film through the remarkable visuals and sound design, sensuous but not superficial.”

Synopsis: Chul-min is a man whose life hides a dark past. He works as a delivery man by day and a parking-lot attendant by night. One evening a chance encounter changes his life forever. He meets the partially sighted Jung-hwa whose optimism restores his faith in people and the world. As their friendship blooms Chul-min seeks ways to finance the surgery that Jung-hwa desperately needs. Fighting for high-stakes, can Chul-min’s return to the underworld be a success?

CAST: So Ji-sub, Han Hyo-joo, Kang Shin-il

 

To Book Tickets for the Gala Screening of Always and Q+A:

London’ Apollo Cinema, Piccadilly Circus (£10/£8 Cons.) www.apollocinemas.com

 

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<2012 Korean Film Nights:

Year of the 12 Directors> 

 

Park Kwang Su Q+A Screening

Dr. Mark Morris kindly leads the Q+A for the March Q+A Screening with Director Park Kwang Su.

For the March Mini-Season of the Park Kwang Su screenings, Director Park joined us for a special Q+A Screening of his film "Meet Mr. Daddy"

As part of the March instalment of the year of the 12 Directors Park Kwang Su joined us for a mini-season of his films.

 

Park Kwang Su Interview

During his time here, Director Park kindly gave a series of interviews.

 

Director Park Kwang Su Masterclass at the NFTS

Director Park Kwang Su with students at his Master Class at the 'National Film And Television School'.

The KCCUK would like to thank Director Park and the NFTS for making the March's 'Year of the 12 Directors' so memorable.

 

The KCCUK Film Night has now been extended to four screenings per month, with the final screening of the month taking place

at Apollo Cinema Piccadilly and featuring special Q&A screenings with Korea's leading Film Directors.

 

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2012 Korean Film Night:

The KCCUK Film Night has now been extended to four screenings per month, with the final screening of the month taking place at cinema venues across London and featuring special Q&A screenings with Korea's leading Film Directors.

For each monthly showcase, three films will be screened for free at the Korean Cultural Centre UK, followed by the final Gala screening with the Director himself at Apollo Cinemas (Piccadilly Circus, London).

Director Lee Myung-se kicked off this special programme with the film ‘The Dualist’ at london’s Apollo Cinema, Piccadilly on Thursday 26th January 2012.

This special screening received a very positive response from the audience which included also included K-pop fans, professional film critics and bloggers and representatives from the BBC.

 

In March 2012 the Korean Film Night Introduces the Director Park Kwang-su

Park Kwang-su was a leading figure in the emergence of the new, politically charged, aesthetically daring Korean cinema of the 1990s.

Park Kwang-su founded the Seoul Film Group which had links to the student protests that came to define the era before helping to establish the Busan International Film Festival as well as leading the Busan Film Commission.  In between all of which Park Kwang-su created a body of cinematic work that made him a role model for the many young Korean film directors who have followed along the path that he forged for them.

 

The Screening/Q+A on March 29th with Director Park will be hosted by Dr. Mark Morris.

Meet Mr. Daddy won the Young Audiences Award at the 2007 Rome Film Festival. Director PARK Kwang-su’s drama revolves around a selfish man – played by PARK Shin-yang – who finds out that he has a young daughter. Because it’s financially beneficial, he decides to keep her. Later he finds out that the girl suffers from a serious illness.

 

(At the Apollo Cinema Piccadilly Circus, Ticket: 10.00 GBP/ Student 8.00 GBP. Tickets for the screening can be booked via the Apollo website).

www.apollocinemas.com

 

 

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In February 2012 the Korean Film Night Introduces the Director E J-Yong

The Korean Film Night will be screening 4 of E J-Yong’s most memorable films throughout February, namely An Affair (1998), Untold Scandal (2003) Dasepo Naughty Girls (2006) and Actresses (2009). Director E will attend the screening of Actresses as well as host a Q+A with the audience after the screening. When discussing Actresses he noted that he had always been struck by the off-screen energy of his actors, and that he wanted to share it more directly with his audience. The Actresses is a well executed character-centered comedy, but the difference here is that the characters are bigger than the film itself!

The Screening/Q+A on February 23rd with Director E will be hosted by Mr. Damon Wise.

(At the Apollo Cinema Piccadilly Circus, Ticket: 10.00 GBP/ Student 8.00 GBP. Tickets for the screening can be booked via the Apollo website).

www.apollocinemas.com

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<2012 Korean Film Nights: Year of the 12 Directors> 

Director Lee Myung-se successfully kicks off the year-long program:

-Meets with an audience of 100 K-pop fans, film critics, bloggers, etc

-Director Lee Myung-se, “Films are a visual representation of the mise en scene encapsulated by stories and visuals”

-Korean films’ have now confirmed their place in the British market

-Audiences’ excitement to meet 12 Korean film directors over the next year

As London prepares for the forthcoming Olympics, the Korean Cultural Centre UK celebrates this remarkable year by inviting 12 Korean Film Directors to the UK to host special screenings of their favourite works. Director LEE Myung se kicked off this special programme with the film ‘The Dualist’ at london’s Apollo Cinema, Picadilly.

The screening of Director Lee Myung-se’s film and a Q&A session with the Director himself took place on Thursday 26th January 2012. . For each monthly showcase, three films will be screened for free at the Korean Cultural Centre UK, followed by the final Gala screening with the Director himself at Apollo Cinemas(Piccadilly Circus, London).  The intimate Q+A with 100 guests  included K-pop fans, professional film critics and bloggers and the editor of BBC. This event and the excitement for the rest of the programme confirms Korean films’ success in the British market. In particularly, the anticipation created by bringing Director LEE to the UK was encapsulated through 5 separate interviews with professional magazine editors and Internet journalists that took place prior the screening and Q&A session.

During the Q&A session (presented by Daniel Martin, Queens Belfast University) Director Lee Myung-se, who is currently filming his next film ‘Mr.K’ (which he describes as the Korean version of 007), shared his philosophy of films – describing films to be “a visual representation of the mise en scene encapsulated by stories and visuals”. Moreover, Director Lee expressed his affection for filmmaking, stating that he “aims to convey a story that shows the strength of the screen through the mere movements of the camera and actors”.

Furthermore, Director Lee described films to be a universal language that people cannot help but connect with. He also described his feelings of disappointment towards the preconceptions of Korean films that are being distributed internationally and hopes that a variety of different genres of Korean films can be distributed in the international market in the future.

Throughout 2012, the Korean Film Night will dedicate a month of the year to a Korean director, screening 4 of their films (Director Im Kwon-taek’s retrospective will include 15 of his films), with a total of 59 films. The final week of the month will culminate in a screening of the directors’ film in a cinema in London’s city centre, providing an opportunity to maximise audience involvement and participation. The event aims to provide the opportunity for professional British film critics to engage in a Q&A session with the directors themselves; and allows the audience to better understand the director’s visions of the filmic world. The 2012 Korean Film Night will no doubt provide a meaningful gift for Korean film fans in the UK.

‘The Korean Film Night: Year of the 12 Directors’ with each showcase will convey the transformation of modern Korea and the individual field that each director has generated - including a retrospective of Director Im Kwon-taek, known to be a living witness and symbol of Korea’s film industry.

Director Lee Myung-se (January) – who creates his own aesthetics through unique visuals; Director E J-yong (February) - the director who is broadening Korea’s film genres through a sophisticated range of films like Dasepo Naughty Girls and ‘Actressess’; Director Park Kwang-su (March) – a significant director who introduced a new wave in the Korean film industry after the 1980s; the director who opened the stage to Busan’s International Film Festival in 2011 with his film ‘Always’ - Director Song Il-gon (April); Director Jeon Kye-soo (May) who will visit London with the release of his new film in February called ‘Love Fiction’; Director Lee Joon-ik (June), who has directed the most films in the mainstream Korean film industry for the past 10 years; a director who is renowned for his design elements and strong colour as an ‘art director’ – Director Lee Hyun-seung (July); the director who is well-known for his unique style of direction – Director Lee Yoon-gi (August); the director who brought to life the lives of the young demographic through his film ‘Baranasi’, for which he was invited again to the Berlin International Film Festival in 2012  – Director Jeon Kyu-hwan (September); a director who portrays the subtleness of masculine beauty – Director Song Hae-song (November) and; the only female director participating in this event – Director Lim Seoon-rye (December). Through the screening of films from a wide range of genres and from directors who represent their generation, the event aspires to reach out to the British public, allowing professional lecturers and film critics to provide their own commentary about Korean films, and also allowing the general UK public to understand Korea’s social context.

Over the years, British audiences have become accustomed to Korean films featuring horror and thriller. However, this program will bring forth a richer and abundant range of Korean films from directors who portray the unique perspectives and genres of a modern Korea.

Furthermore, the monthly brochure is not merely a brochure that shows the program list but provides detailed information about the films and directors. A total of 12 brochures will be put together and is a must-have collection item for all Korean film lovers.

In addition to the 5000 registered members who want to watch Korean films through the film night there are approximately 1000 more people who added their names to that list in 2011 and thus the popularity of Korean films has increased significantly not only in London but also in the European and global market.

In addition to screening films, we have organised more strategic plans for further distribution of Korean contents and various events such as information evenings about the historical background of films; hands-on experience based on various themes; and Korean food samplings, thus introducing a different angle of Korean culture in a natural and more comfortable environment.

‘The 2012 Korean Film Night’ (planned by Artistic Director Hye Jung Jeon) aims to encourage audiences to become PR representatives for Korean films through sharing reviews and social networks about Korean films. We also wish to increase the quality.

 

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The Korean Film Night: Year of the 12 Directors

The KCCUK Film night has extended to four screenings per month, with special monthly Q&A screening featuring some of Korea's leading directors.

The KCCUK kick this special year off with a a look at director Lee Myung-se with four screenings of the director's work culminating with a Q&A with the director himself.

Click here for more information

 

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Lee Myung-se Q&A

The KCCUK Film Night has now been extended to four screenings per month, with the final screening of the month taking place at cinema venues across London and featuring special Q&A screenings with Korea's leading Film Directors.

We kick off this extra special year with a look at the work of Director Lee Myung-se with three screenings at the KCCUK (Tickets Free: Booking Required) followed by the final screening of the month featuring a Q&A with the Director himself. (Details + Ticket Prices below).

The Screening/Q+A on January 26th with Director LEE will be hosted Dr. Daniel Martin. (At Apollo Cinema Piccadilly Circus, Ticket: 10.00 GBP/ Student 8.00 GBP. Tickets for the screening can be booked via the Apollo website).

www.apollocinemas.com

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2011 Festival Review

The 2011 London Korean Film Festival was an overwhelming success. In total, the Festival saw audience figures rise by 17.4% with a total of 4,753 visitors.

9 films including:  'War of the Arrow', 'Late Autumn' and 'Yellow Sea’ all sold out almost immediately. The buzz that grew around the Festival this year was very strong, with a staggering 260 news articles and online media covering both the Festival and Korean pop culture in the UK.

The London Korean Film Festival 2011 has extended its scale and built a broad spectrum of events for audiences to engage in including a K-Pop concert, a cinema Masterclass and the Korean Cinema Forum along with the screenings themselves. Korean cinema is growing a fan base across the UK and this year films were also screened in Sheffield, Cambridge and Newcastle to great acclaim.

 

 

The London Korean Film Festival 2011 has come to an end. It has been an amazing three weeks jam packed with a variety of films, interesting Q&As, insightful cinema forums, and a SHINee concert! This year’s festival continued to highlight the very best Korean cinema and included the ambitious Ryoo Seung-wan retrospective, showcasing his complete filmography.

We’ve received a lot of positive feedback and we hope you have been inspired by the festival and continue to watch and love Korean films. As you may know, we will screen fortnightly Korean film nights on the second and the fourth Thursdays of every month at the Korean Cultural Centre. We would like to warmly thank all who have joined us to watch films, the filmmakers, guests, and all those who have worked to make the festival a success this year. If you are already missing the atmosphere of the events, you can check out our youtube video and great flickr photos online. We will see you all next year and once again thank you for your passionate support!