London Korean Film Festival
The 19th edition of the London Korean Film Festival (LKFF), organised by the Korean Cultural Centre UK (KCCUK) and supported by the Korean Film Council, has revealed its 2024 programme. The event will take place at BFI Southbank, Ciné Lumière, and Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) from 1 November to 13 November.
LKFF will feature two strands; Cinema Now and Women’s Voices, as well as a programme from the BFI Echoes in Time: Korean Films of the Golden Age and New Cinema, a special screening of Choi Dong-hoon’s "Alienoid: Return to the Future" and will feature Park Beom-su’s "Victory" as the Opening Gala Film and E.oni’s "Love in the Big City" as the Closing Gala film.
"Victory" by Park Beom-su: In 1999, two rebellious teenagers start a cheerleading squad for their provincial high school, bringing confidence and solidarity to themselves, their misfit troupe and an entire community afflicted by narrow horizons and labour disputes.
"Love in the Big City" by E.oni. Jae- hee (Kim Go-eun), a bold and free-spirited woman, accidentally uncovers Heung-soo (Steve Sanghyun Noh)'s secret, leading to an unlikely relationship. Misunderstood by many, the two navigate growing pains while searching for love and self in Seoul.
"Alienoid: Return to the Future" is the second part of Choi Dong-hoon's 2022 film Alienoid, which was featured as the opening film of the LKFF 2022. Set during the Goryeo dynasty in the 1300’s in Korea, Ean (Kim Tae-ri) and Muruk (Ryu Jun-yeol) travel through time and space in an effort to obtain the divine sword, but on their quest, they are pursued by two mages, a blind swordsman, and a mysterious masked man, who all want the sword for themselves. This is all taking place while Earth is being bombarded by an alien invasion.
Cinema Now explores the cutting edge of Korean cinema, showcasing a diverse and eclectic range of genres and moods, all at the forefront of national cinema, curated by programmer Anton Bitel. Women’s Voices has consistently been a platform for highlighting remarkable films by women in the Korean film industry, and this year it showcases 15 years of work by Korean female directors, programmed by curator Eunji Lee.
The BFI, in partnership with the Korean Cultural Centre UK (KCCUK), presents the BFI Southbank programme Echoes In Time: Korean Films Of The Golden Age And New Cinema, a major new season running from 28 October – 31 December. Titles screening in late October and November will include "Aimless Bullet" (Yu Hyun-mok, 1961), "A Woman Judge" (Hong Eun-won, 1961), "The Marines Who Never Returned" (Lee Man-hee, 1963), "Nowhere To Hide" (Lee Myung-se, 1999), “The Contact” (Chang Yoon-hyun, 1997), and "Joint Security Area" (Park Chan-wook, 2000), among others.
