News

Korean Films of the Golden Age and New Cinema

The BFI have announced the complete programme for ECHOES IN TIME: KOREAN FILMS OF THE GOLDEN AGE AND NEW CINEMA, a major new season running from 28 October – 31 December at BFI Southbank.

Programmed by Young Jin Eric Choi and Goran Topalovic, the season focuses on two groundbreaking periods in Korean cinema, when huge technical, stylistic and thematic innovations took place: the Golden Age of the 1960s, and the New Korean Cinema movement (1996-2003). Both periods gave birth to wide-ranging and seminal works, successfully combining genre thrills with arthouse sensibilities. This landmark season, which features many titles rarely screened in the UK, was prepared in collaboration with the Korean Film Archive (KOFA), which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Featured in the programme are 12 digital restorations and 5 digital remasters supervised by KOFA, as well as unique 35mm prints from its archival collection. The season is also presented in partnership with the Korean Cultural Centre UK (KCCUK) and the Korean Film Council. The KCCUK hosts the annual London Korean Film Festival, whichreturns for its 19th edition from 1 – 13 November when the BFI’s major season will also feature two special strands programmed by the Festival and curated by Anton Bitel and Eunji Lee.

Although South Korean cinema didn’t break out into the global mainstream until the Cannes and Oscar® success of PARASITE (and on the small screen with SQUID GAME), it had been producing remarkable films for decades despite unique historic and socio-economic challenges. This BFI season will serve as a perfect entry point and introduction for audiences to the rich legacy of Korean cinema, with programmers Young Jin Eric Choi and Goran Topalovic introducing many films in person at BFI Southbank. 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), JOINT SECURITY AREA (Park Chan-wook, 2000), and SAVE THE GREEN PLANET! (Jang Joon-hwan, 2003), with a screening on 30 October followed by Q&A with director Jang Joon-hwan. Titles screening in December will include THE COACHMAN (Kang Dae-jin, 1961), GORYEOJANG (Kim Ki-young, 1963), THE SEASHORE VILLAGE (Kim Soo-yong, 1965), THE DAY A PIG FELL INTO THE WELL (Hong Sangsoo, 1996), PEPPERMINT CANDY (Lee Chang-dong, 1999), BARKING DOGS NEVER BITE (Bong Joon-ho, 2000), OLDBOY (Park Chan-wook, 2003) and UNTOLD SCANDAL (E J-young, 2003).

From new releases and independents to special strands, the London Korean Film Festival is the largest Korean film festival outside of Korea and to complement theBFI’s ECHOES IN TIME season, the Festival will present two strands of films at BFI Southbank – Women’s Voices, showcasing 15 years of Korean female directors, and Cinema Now, celebrating contemporary voices in Korean cinema. This special programme, curated by Anton Bitel and Eunji Lee,will include numerous introductions and Q&As, as well as the Women’s Voices Forum on 11 November when directors Kim Hye-young (IT’S OKAY!) and Kim Da-min (FAQ) will be in conversation with Professor Jinhee Choi. Both IT’S OKAY! (Kim Hye-young, 2023) and FAQ (Kim Da-min, 2023) will also screen during the programme, followed by Q&As with their respective directors. Other titles playing will include SISTERS ON THE ROAD (Boo Ji-young, 2008), A GIRL AT MY DOOR (Jung July, 2014), THE TRUTH BENEATH (Lee Kyoung-mi, 2015), CONCERNING MY DAUGHTER (Lee Mi-rang, 2023), FOLLOWING (Kim Se-hwi, 2023), MOTHER’S KINGDOM (Lee Sang-hak, 2023) and THE TENANTS (Yoon Eun-Kyung, 2023).

COMPLETE PROGRAMME INFORMATION FOR BFI SOUTHBANK SEASON

GOLDEN AGE

The Golden Age programme showcases essential films from the 1960s, one of the finest periods in Korean cinema. Capturing the spirit of the era and the tragedy of the divided nation, AIMLESS BULLET (Yu Hyun-mok, 1961) holds a similarly iconic status in Korean cinema as CITIZEN KANE in Hollywood. Based on Lee Beo-seon’s short novel, Yu Hyun-mok’s film follows a displaced North Korean family, settled in a Seoul slum, who are struggling to survive in a world devoid of morality and meaning. A screening on 31 October will include a discussion with season programmers Young Jin Eric Choi and Goran Topalovic. The second Korean feature by a female director, A WOMAN JUDGE (Hong Eun-won, 1962) portrays the struggles of a judge who faces mounting pressure from her jealous husband and his family to conform to traditional expectations. Considered lost for half a century, this story of a fearless woman fighting societal norms reflects the career of the director, who broke through many boundaries at the time. Meanwhile, produced within 10 years of the armistice and made with the full support of the Korean military, THE MARINES WHO NEVER RETURNED (Lee Man-hee, 1963) was one of the first Korean films to see a wide international release. It follows a squad of marines during the Korean War who choose to take a recently orphaned girl under their wings, with the heartwarming bond that forms lifting their spirits as they face increasingly dangerous odds.

A young couple under anaesthesia share the same dream, in which they engage in a bizarre love triangle with their dentist, in THE EMPTY DREAM (Yu Hyun-mok, 1965), a near-wordless exploration of repressed desires – a rapturous cinematic journey into the human psyche. LET’S MEET AT WALKERHILL (Han Hyeong-mo, 1966) sees two people meet on a train bound for Seoul – one hoping to locate his long-lost daughter, and the other looking for a former sweetheart. Kim Soo-yong’s magnum opus, MIST (Kim Soo-yong, 1967) follows an office worker on a journey back to his rural hometown, where memories of his troubled past and an intimate encounter with a local schoolteacher stir up complex feelings. Before he worked for the Shaw Brothers in Hong Kong, kick-starting the martial arts movie craze in the West, Chung Chang-wha laid the groundwork for Korean action cinema with A SWORDSMAN IN THE TWILIGHT (Chung Chang-wha, 1967) – the story of a mysterious swordsman in a lawless village during the Joseon Dynasty.

THE COACHMAN (Kang Dae-jin, 1961), a poignant drama that compassionately portrays the struggle of a family yearning to escape poverty and ascend to the middle class. MOTHER AND A GUEST (Shin Sang-ok, 1961) finds a six-year old Ok-hee living with her widowed mother in a rural village. When the kind Mr. Han arrives to stay, Ok-hee watches with curiosity and delight as feelings develop between her mother and the father figure she always longed for. Kim Ki-young’s masterpiece GORYEOJANG (Kim Ki-young, 1963) blends dark, fairy-tale elements and reflections on South Korea’s April 1960 Revolution. In a famine-stricken village that abandons the elderly at 70, Guryong strives to maintain his humanity amid fear, greed and superstition, highlighting societal corruption and the disastrous consequences of fear-based politics.

An eerie, foreboding hospital is the setting for THE DEVIL’S STAIRWAY (Lee Man-hee, 1964), a tense psychological thriller from one of the most acclaimed genre filmmakers of the Golden Age. An ambitious doctor, set to wed the hospital owner’s daughter, has designs on being chief surgeon. However, when his affair with one of the nurses puts those plans in jeopardy, he takes diabolical steps to keep his secret. A BLOODTHIRSTY KILLER (Lee Yong-min, 1965) sees a murdered daughter-in-law return as a vengeful spirit, accompanied by a malevolent cat. While the film adheres to the classic Korean horror trope – an enraged female ghost seeking retribution – it also weaves in influences from Hollywood and Japanese horror. Meanwhile, newlywed Hae-soon loses her fisherman husband to the sea in THE SEASHORE VILLAGE (Kim Soo-yong, 1965); this drama deftly captures the rhythms of rural life, the communal bond amongst women and human resilience in the face of an unforgiving natural world.

NEW KOREAN CINEMA

The New Korean Cinema strand focuses on the new generation of filmmakers who transformed the presence of Korean cinema on the world stage throughout the 1990s and 2000s. NOWHERE TO HIDE (Lee Myung-se, 1999) is a tense thriller and a stunning visual exploration of movement, where style and the technique are the substance. The film’s climactic, rain-drenched fist fight inspired the final battle between Neo and Agent Smith in THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS. THE CONTACT (Chang Yoon-hyun, 1997) beautifully captures a mood of aching longing, which has come to define Korean screen romance. This urban love story finds a radio producer and a telemarketer find solace from heartbreak online – with Jeon Do-yeon and Han Suk-kyu making for a perfect pairing. Korea’s first Hollywood-style big-budget production, SHIRI (Kang Jae-gyu, 1999) is a kinetic espionage thriller charting South Korean agents’ attempts to track down a deadly North Korean assassin. With its stylised action set pieces and moody tone, SHIRI broke all domestic box office records and heralded a new beginning for the Korean film industry. SAVE THE GREEN PLANET! (Jang Joon-hwan, 2003), is a one-of-a-kind film that follows a disillusioned conspiracy theorist who believes that aliens have infiltrated society and plan to destroy Earth during the next lunar eclipse. Blurring the line between reality and delusion, Jang Joon-hwan’s extraordinary feature debut is a riot of humour and environmental concern, and a screening on 30 October will be followed by Q&A with the film’s director.

Based on Park Sang-yeon’s novel DMZ and masterfully directed by Park Chan-wook, JOINT SECURITY AREA (Park Chan-wook, 2000) alternates between light, airy flashbacks and heavy, claustrophobic scenes as an officer investigates a border incident that leaves both North and South Korean soldiers wounded or dead. Song Kang-ho and Lee Byung-hun are superb and the film is now ranked as an essential entry in New Korean Cinema. Elsewhere, heartwarming coming-of-age tale TAKE CARE OF MY CAT (Jeong Jae-eun, 2001) finds five young women facing the challenges of adulthood. As the pressures of money and family obligations mount, the best friends struggle to stay close. WAIKIKI BROTHERS (Yim Soon-rye, 2001) follows a traveling cover band that has seen better days; in the bandleader’s hometown for their latest gig, they struggle to maintain civil relations amidst escalating hardships. Yim Soon-rye is one of the leading female filmmakers of New Korean Cinema, and WAIKIKI BROTHERS is a moving treatise on the passing dreams of youth and the joy in pursuing those dreams, no matter the odds.

Intertwining the lives of four Seoulites connected through love, Hong Sangsoo’s remarkable debut feature THE DAY A PIG FELL INTO THE WELL (Hong Sangsoo, 1996) is unique within his filmography; its sombre mood contrasts with the playful tone that would define his subsequent work. Nevertheless, his key thematic preoccupations – human relationships, the mundane everyday, artistic narcissism, and both male and female insecurity alike – are on full display. CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST (Hur Jin-ho, 1998) sees the lives of a terminally ill photographer and a young parking enforcement officer become intertwined; drawing inspiration from Yasujirō Ozu’s legacy, Hur Jin-ho skilfully delicately examines life, death and love through a humanistic lens. An eccentric extended family opens a mountain lodge in THE QUIET FAMILY (Kim Jee-woon, 1998), however, their first guest takes their own life. As more guests meet tragic fates, the family frantically tries to remedy the situation, resulting in darkly comic and wholly unexpected twists. This blending of subtle social commentary with genre conventions became a hallmark of New Korean Cinema.

In MEMENTO MORI (Kim Tae-yong, 1999), the first commercial Korean film to depict lesbians, two schoolgirls fall in love while a third secretly reads their diary – voyeuristically witnessing their intense, doomed romance. As the boundary between the living and the departed blurs, it delivers spine-chilling revelations about love, loss and the secrets we carry. PEPPERMINT CANDY (Lee Chang-dong, 1999) sees time reverse to uncover the events that drove Young-ho, memorably played by Sul Kyung-gu, to the brink of suicide. This powerful sophomore feature examines the sociopolitical and economic turmoil of Korea’s recent past through a humanistic lens to devastating effect. Bong Joon-ho’s BARKING DOGS NEVER BITE (Bong Joon-ho, 2000) deftly tackles themes of alienation, social discontent, the hunger for fame and animal rights, while serving up a sharp and satirical commentary on the complexities of modern urban life as an out-of-work college professor grows increasingly irritated by the incessant barking of dogs. An instant cult hit, the ultra-low-budget action feature debut DIE BAD (Ryoo Seung-wan, 2000) is a raw, intense crime drama that draws together four interconnected narrative threads. Superficially a salute to the Hong Kong action films that Ryoo grew up with, the world of DIE BAD is one of stark violence and despair, with little room for romanticised heroic bloodshed – or heroics of any kind.

Elsewhere, in THE FOUL KING (Kim Jee-woon, 2000) a salaryman hits the gym, transforming himself into a ruler of the wrestling ring. Not cut out for hero roles, he becomes the ‘foul king’ – a rule breaking wrestler using any means against his opponents. Loosely based on a Japanese manga series, Park Chan-wook’s masterpiece OLDBOY (Park Chan-wook, 2003) – one of the most iconic works of New Korean Cinema – burst on the global stage when it won the Jury Prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. It immerses us in the harrowing tale of an abducted man who endures 15 years of captivity. Suddenly released, he seeks answers, but the truth is more horrifying than he could ever have imagined. Finally, UNTOLD SCANDAL (E J-young, 2003) transposes the epistolary novel DANGEROUS LIASONS from pre-revolutionary France to the late 18th-century Joseon Dynasty, when a manipulative noblewoman challenges her womanising cousin to seduce a virtuous young lady. Opulence, passion, intrigue, and a high stakes game of power and desire intertwine in this meticulously crafted, wittily written and impressively performed period drama.

WOMEN’S VOICES

Women’s Voices is an overview of recent work by female Korean filmmakers, presented by the London Korean Film Festival. This special strand kicks off on 1 November with screenings, and on 11 November,the WOMEN’S VOICES FORUM, will feature directors Kim Hye-young and Kim Da-min joining Professor Jinhee Choi for a discussion on themes emerging from contemporary South Korean women filmmakers, along with an exploration of the current state of the Korean film industry for female talent. Films screening in the programme include SISTERS ON THE ROAD (Boo Ji-young, 2008) which sees Myung-eun return home, following her mother’s sudden death. She suggests to her sister that they go in search of their estranged father, but the journey soon reveals the gulf between them. Boo Ji-young’s feature directorial debut captures the subtlety in their changing relationship to produce an emotionally affecting drama. An understated portrait of friendship and trust, A GIRL AT MY DOOR (Jung July, 2014) finds top police graduate Young-nam transferred to a seaside village after claims of misconduct. There, she takes in a young girl after witnessing her being abused, but their relationship is challenged by the truth about Young-nam’s recent past. In THE TRUTH BENEATH (Lee Kyoung-mi, 2015), after the daughter of a politician goes missing in the lead-up to national elections, he carries on with his campaign as his wife, Yeon-hong, becomes increasingly determined to find her. Son Ye-jin is mesmerising as a mother fighting bureaucracy in this intelligent drama, co-written by Park Chan-wook.

An independent-minded daughter moves back into the family home with her long-term girlfriend in CONCERNING MY DAUGHTER (Lee Mi-rang, 2023), bewildering her mother. Lee Mi-rang’s adaptation of Kim Hye-jin’s novel explores intergenerational struggles and reconfigures conventional notions of family, quietly calling for tolerance, solidarity and love. FAQ (Kim Da-min, 2023) sees an eleven-year-old Dong-chun, a struggling student shuffled between after-school classes by her mother, discover a barrel of rice wine at summer camp bubbling with words spoken directly to her. This sci-fi adventure offers a subversive take on private education, with Park Na-eun impressing as the charming and bold protagonist. It will be followed by a Q&A with director Kim Da-min on 9 November. Meanwhile, IT’S OKAY! (Kim Hye-young, 2023) finds a high-school student, resilient after her mother’s death, facing eviction. She secretly moves into her dance school but is discovered by the head choreographer, who has an idea of what to do with her. The impressive cast make the most of the colourful characters and humour, while nuanced direction perfectly captures the emotions of young girls. It will be followed by a Q&A with director Kim Hye-young on 9 November.

CINEMA NOW

Cinema Now, also presented by the London Korean Film Festival, is a strand celebrating contemporary voices in Korean cinema. Jung-tae revels in his secret hobby of stalking in FOLLOWING (Kim Se-hwi, 2023), until image-obsessed online influencer So-ra causes him to question what he thought was real. Kim Se-hwi’s twisted thriller plays out like REAR WINDOW for the social media generation, radically shifting perspectives, making us complicit in the protagonist’s voyeurism and playing with the notions of what constitutes a creep. In MOTHER’S KINDGOM (Lee Sang-hak, 2023), self-help author Ji-wook lives with his mother Kyung-hee, who is slowly succumbing to dementia. As secrets from a forgotten, or repressed past surface, we journey deeper into a dark and Freudian tale of belief, memory, oblivion, and fictions that are embraced as a way of maintaining the illusion of happiness. Finally, in a Kafka-esque city of the future, THE TENANTS (Yoon Eun-Kyung, 2023) finds Shin-dong forced to sublet spaces in his tiny apartment. Delusion and despair soon kick in, reflecting the general woes of contemporary Korea’s alienated, over-medicated urban population. At first whimsically funny – and not a little weird – Yoon Eun-Kyung’s dystopia finds room for hermetically sealed bleakness.

ECHOES IN TIME: KOREAN FILMS OF THE GOLDEN AGE AND NEW CINEMA runs from 28 October – 31 December at BFI Southbank.

This landmark season was prepared in collaboration with the Korean Film Archive (KOFA), which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Featured in the programme are 12 digital restorations and 5 digital remasters supervised by KOFA, as well as unique 35mm prints from its archival collection.

Since 2006, the Korean Cultural Centre UK (KCCUK) has presented the London Korean Film Festival, along with a UK wide programme of Korean film events. This 2024 ‘ECHOES IN TIME’ season, supported by the KCCUK and the Korean Film Council, continues this work of enhancing cultural exchange between Korea and the UK.