I Know, I Know, I Know…
This lowly, lonely and longwindedly-induced writer is always praising the efforts and achievements of the good ol’ [there I go again!] Korean Cultural Centre, London/UK (#KCCUK) and the brilliant [again? *sigh* or perhaps *psy*?!;)]… London Korean Film Festival (#LKFF)…
https://www.facebook.com/KCCUK/
@KCCUK Twitter + @KCCUK Instagram + @KCCUK_Exhibition Instagram
https://www.facebook.com/theLKFF/
@KoreanFilmFest Twitter + @London_Korean_Film_Festival Instagram
But can you blame me?
If you saw – and maybe took the time to read – the previous article on this website you’ll have seen that it’s not just the excellent KCCUK venue in Northumberland Street (Charing Cross / Trafalgar Square area) which exceed all expectations in showing great Korean films, old and new & indeed FREE, but also they excel at collaborating with other venues across London, and the UK.
Yes. In this aforementioned article and example, it’s essentially the sublime BFI Southbank with whom they are working with:
And… Of course, the London Korean Film Festival is well and truly known now for its use of and work with cinemas and lovely little venues across London, as well as up & down the country in the Touring aspect of it. For a little info on this festival, check out one of my articles regarding the most recent, 2018 LKFF!
https://miniminimovie.com/2018/09/18/london-korean-film-festival-2018-full-programme-announcement/
Their use of other venues has been very well demonstrated recently, whether for their mini-seasons, edgy or political leaning ones and/or their documentary ‘strands’, such as the one shown in the this picture. And yes, the quaint little Birkbeck Cinema is again being used in some of what is listed in the ‘announcement’ below.
I’ve been frequenting the KCC and its Korean Film Nights – held throughout the year, and often as mini-seasons – since around 2010, if my memory serves me correctly, and even now, almost a decade later, they still manage to put on a good show… or… errr… film!
One last thing before I let you read the news of these FREE films for JANUARY and FEBRUARY, and that is…
You’ll see that this month it’s Park Kwang-su as one of the film directors who the KCCUK (and their cinematic sister, the LKFF!) focus on, and elsewhere on this website of little ol’ MMM you’ll find an interview we had with him.
In fact, to save you the bother of searching for that interview and article, here’s the link [aren’t I kind to you?! ; ) …]:
https://miniminimovie.com/2012/04/20/park-kwang-su-interview-meet-mr-park/
OK… On with the show[case], of films…
KOREAN FILM EVENTS IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY
After a fantastic London Korean Film Festival 2018 we took a short break over the holiday period… but now we’re back with an exciting selection of Korean cinema screenings to start 2019 in style!
February sees a unique collaboration with the British Film Institute (BFI) and Korean Film Archive (KoFA) take place, Early Korean Cinema: Lost Films from the Japanese Colonial Period. At these remarkable screenings we present a series of pre-1945 Korean films to the UK for the very first time.
But before that very special season begins, this month we revisit the work of two New Korean Cinema directors, Park Kwang-su and Chung Ji-young at the Shifting Landscapes film season (11 – 18 Jan) and then welcome professor Jihoon Kim from Korea to discuss The ‘Archival Turn’ of Recent Korean Documentary Cinema (24 Jan).
Read on for the full rundown of events coming up in January and February…
SHIFTING LANDSCAPES
Fri 11 Jan, 6:30pm, Birkbeck Cinema
The lives of workers in a remote mining community are changed when an activist named Kim Ki-young arrives to take refuge from the authorities. Black Republic’s social dimension, touching on class divide and economic inequality still resonates to this day.
Sat 12 Jan, 10:30am, Birkbeck Cinema
White Badge is a gripping account of the lives of South Korean soldiers involved in the Vietnam War, and its impact on their lives. Set during the late 70s, the film follows Han Ki-ju, a novelist whose publisher commissions him the difficult task of writing a book on his year long tour as a volunteer soldier in the war.
Tuesday 15 Jan, 7pm, KCCUK
Perhaps the most iconic South Korean film of the 80s, Park Kwang-su’s debut feature is a landmark in the country’s cinema, and the starting point of the Korean New Wave.
Fri 18 Jan, 7pm, KCCUK
Director Chung Ji-young has managed to capture a previously rarely seen aspect of the Korean War, focusing on the North Korean side of the conflict and lending humanism to his characters.
CONSTELLATION OF HISTORY: THE ‘ARCHIVAL TURN’ OF RECENT KOREAN DOCUMENTARY CINEMA
Talk + Screenings on Korean Documentary Cinema
Presented by Jihoon Kim
Thurs 24 Jan, 7pm, KCCUK
Associate professor of cinema and media studies at Seoul’s Chung-ang University, Jihoon Kim will discuss the ‘archival turn’ of Korea’s recent documentary cinema works, and present two film screenings.
EARLY KOREAN CINEMA: LOST FILMS FROM THE JAPANESE COLONIAL PERIOD
07 – 28 February, BFI Southbank & KCCUK
– Full Listings (Booking available from 15 Jan)
It was once assumed that all pre-1945 Korean cinema had vanished from existence, but in the 2000s a series of remarkable archival discoveries revealed a diverse treasure trove of melodramas, propaganda films and newsreels from the colonial period. We’re delighted to present them for the first time in the UK.
*****
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