Korean Film Festival
Image: THE NIGHT OWL. Image: film still
This film festival returns to Sydney for its 14th presentation, with a program consisting of 13 of the best movies produced in South Korea. Surprisingly the North Korean film industry is also quite huge, but they only produce propaganda films for screening within their own domestic market.
Locally produced movies in Korea are more popular with the Korean movie going public than the American blockbusters, these movies recouping their budgets from screenings in Korea alone. The Korean government is also very supportive of its film industry.
“Hollywood movies used to be more popular in the early 2000’s, but since we now produce a lot of content and also the fact that Korean Cinema is making a huge impact on global markets, its local popularity surpasses that from all other global markets,” explained Francis Lee, Festival Director.
The popularity of this festival is also on the increase from year to year in Australia and Lee said audience levels should be even greater this year since all the Covid-19 regulations have been removed.
“I’m a programmer of this film festival and I’ve worked really hard to select the finest Korean movies that I’ve seen in the past couple of years for this lineup, so I’m very confident that audience satisfaction will be guaranteed. Australia is a multi-cultural country so I’m hoping that people of all different ethnicities will be attending.”
The Opening Night movie is a historical offering with a touch of fiction called The Night Owl. Set in the 1400’s it’s a tension filled mystery until the very last frame and audiences should be at the edge of their seats throughout.
“Australian audiences will see all the historical buildings, royal kingdoms, and structures. There is much to enjoy and learn from this movie,” enthused Lee. A Q&A follows the screening with the director AN Tae-jin in attendance.
And what will audiences learn about life in Korea by watching a couple of movies at this film festival? “Watching these movies is like visiting this country. There is so much beautiful scenery in all these films and you’ll basically feel like you’re travelling all over Korea. There have been so many events in its rich history such as the invasion by China and Japan. Audiences will learn all the stories about Korea – the festival is basically a compressed version of Korea.”
LEE’S HOT PICKS
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL – A happily married woman receives devastating news that she has a fatal illness. She makes a plea to her husband to help her locate her long-lost first love in the time she has left. An emotional journey to love and reconnection.
NOTHING SERIOUS – Lonely and single, a disillusioned man who writes for a sex column fails to find romance, until he meets a woman who has abruptly ended a relationship. A movie especially for incurable romantics.
SOMEONE YOU LOVED – A young couple who have been together since college end their relationship and find new partners. But will they ultimately reunite? A drama about love and self-discovery.
Aug 24 – 29. Event George St. https://koffia.com.au
