Although we are deeply saddened that Yu Hyun-mok is no longer with us, his films will live on forever and we are humbled to have the opportunity to screen some his most powerful and groundbreaking work.

His films have had a lasting legacy on Korean cinema from his use of realism – this later became a characteristic of the Korean New Wave movement in the late 80s to the early 90s and is still evident in the more recent work of Im Kwon-taek and Lee Chang-dong – to his approach to modernization, which can also be seen in other Korean films of the Golden Age (late 50s to mid 60s) and in films more recently, such as Memories of Murder. This retrospective, therefore, is a rare opportunity to indulge in the work of one of Korea’s finest directors.