Voice of London

 

The London Korean Film Festival kicked off this week, with a range of Korean films and special guests appearing at events across London.

The festival is celebrating its 13th year and will host screenings in central locations throughout London, including Picturehouse Central, Regent Street Cinema and the British Museum.

One of the top screenings this weekend is an LGBT love story, The Poet and The Boy, a comedy-drama about a married poet in South Korea who falls in love with a teenage boy who works in the local doughnut shop. This follows from success in the Best Screenplay category at the Busan film critics awards and the Women in film Korea awards.

Director Kim Lang-Hee and lead actor Yang Ik-June will take part in a Q&A session after the screening this evening at Picturehouse Central.

Also on the line-up this weekend is The Princess and the Matchmaker, a story about a young princess who defies expectations by refusing to accept an arranged marriage. Instead, she takes matters into her own hands and attempts to find a future husband by herself. The screening will be held Sunday evening at Picturehouse Central.

The Return has the prestigious slot at the closing gala on 14th November, hosted at Regent Street Cinema and followed by a Q&A with lead actress Karoline Sophie Lee. The film explores the emotional turmoil of two Danish-Korean adoptees, Katherine and Thomas, as they return to their motherland for the first time since being adopted.

Director Marlene Choi has been awarded a Rotterdam International film festival award for her work on this film.

With an increase in the buying of Korean films at Cannes this year, be sure to keep your eye out for some of these films in the future.

Words: Christian Onions | Subbing: Tabitha Durrant