Our gratitude to the tireless sharing & cool highlight by cacao at lovelbh.com

Anyone staying in London or Liverpool or somewhere nearby? Watch out for GBW screening this very week! What a treat & more.. so soon after the London Times Film Fest..

GBW will be screened on Nov 6 & 7 in London and on the 13th in Liverpool. Dir. Kim JiWoon will even be there! How cool is that! ^^
UK-Korean Film Festival 2008

Official Website www.koreafilm.co.uk

The Korean Cultural Centre is delighted to present Korean Film 08, which is in its third year. It has been incredibly successful over the last two years attracting people all over the UK who are keen to watch some Korean cinema.

Since the festival met unprecedented success at the Barbican Centre last year, it made perfect sense to return to this world -class venue situated in the heart of London. Like last year we have a superb programme giving the public a rare opportunity to watch some of the latest Korean feature films, animations and classics on the big screen.

The festival kicks off with a big bang with Kim Ji-woon’s (The Tale of Two Sisters, A Bittersweet Life) latest The Good, The Bad, The Weird being screened and Kim Ji-woon will be present for to introduce the film.  We also have other recent films on show including the big hits, Public Enemy Returns and Forever The Moment – both of which are UK premieres. It wouldn’t be a Korean Film Festival without some rare classics, so Korean Film 08 is a unique opportunity to watch some of the greatest Korean films of all time – The Housemaid and The Aimless Bullett (Olbaton). And it doesn’t stop there! There is also a Lee Chang-dong retrospective with rare access to all his films and finally, but by no means least, there are some of the best Korean animations on show including Aachi & Sspak.

Like last year the Korean Film Festival also goes on the move; the festival moves from London to Liverpool – The European Capital of Culture 2008 – on 13 November for 3 days of screenings, which includes The Good, The Bad, The Weird and Seven Days. This has only been made possible with the help of FACT (Foundation of ART & Creative Technology) who have a superb venue in the heart of Liverpool.

The Good, The Bad, The Weird

Showing at: Barbican Centre, London, FACT Picturehouse, Liverpool
Director: Kim Ji-woon
Cert: 15
Year: 2008
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Byeong-heon & Jeong Woo-seong

Kim Ji-woon’s wildly spectacular Kimchi Western is a mind blowing mash-up of influences, fusing Sergio Leone with Kurosawa, via Korea’s own brand of frantic shoot ‘em up action and frenetic comedy. Peppered with eye popping set pieces and draw dropping stunts, the plot tracks three very different outlaws, on the hunt for a lost treasure map in 1930’s Japanese controlled Manchuria. Starring Jeong Woo-seong, Lee Byeong-heon and Song Kang-ho as the titular anti-heroes, this genre-bending extravaganza was two years in the making and well worth the wait.

Public Enemy Returns

Showing at: Barbican Centre, London
Director: Kang woo-seok
Cert: 15
Year: 2008
Cast: Seol Kyeong-gu, Jeong Jae-yeong & Kang Shin-il

This third installment Kang Woo-seok’s internationally successful series has become one of the biggest hits in Korea this year. Expect plenty of Woo’s trademark wham-bam action as screen legend Sol Kyeong-gu returns as cop Kang Chul-joong, this time taking on high level corruption in the form of a super-successful business man – will Kang get his man this time?

Forever the Moment

Showing at: Barbican Centre, London
Director: Lim Soon-rye
Cert: 15
Year: 2008
Cast: Moon So-ri, Kim Jeong-eun & Eom Tae-woong

Based on the true story of Korea’s 2004 women’s Olympic hand-ball team and their moment in the spotlight in Athens, Forever…’s focus is as much on the private affairs of the players as their on court antics, exploring the bittersweet relationship between personal and professional lives, as the women struggle to maintain their families whilst upholding their country’s Olympic dreams. Sensitively handled, beautifully realized and ultimately very moving, this is a sports movie quite unlike any other.

May 18

May 18 is based on the Gwangju massacre that took place in 1980, which occurred when President Chun Doo-hwan tried to remove rebels by using military force. Starring an all star cast including veteran actor Ahn Sung-ki and rising star Lee Jun-ki who rose to fame following his performance in The King and The Clown; this became an instant hit in South Korea amassing millions of admissions.

Showing at: Barbican Centre, London
Director: Kim Ji-hoon
Cert: 15
Year: 2007
Cast: Kim Sang-kyeong, Ahn Seong-gi, Lee Yo-won & Lee Joon-ki

Milky Way Liberation Front

Showing at: Barbican Centre, London
Director: Yoon Seong-ho
Cert: TBC
Year: 2007
Cast: Lim Ji-gyoo, Park hyeok-kwon & Seo Yeong-joo

Troubled director Yeong-Jae – played to Woody Allen-esque perfection by star Lim Ji-gyu – is trying to get his first film off the ground, whilst negotiating complicated matters of the heart and dealing with myriad comic setbacks, both real and fantastical. This breakthrough Indy delight from first time director Yoon joins a new generation of industry introspective film, descended from US satires The Player and Living in Oblivion but with oodles more heart.

Seven Days

Showing at: Barbican Centre, London, FACT Picturehouse, Liverpool
Director: Won Sin-yeon
Cert: 18
Year: 2007
Cast: Kim Yoon-jin, Kim Mi-sook & Park Hee-soon

Top lawyer Ji-yeon has just seven days to free a prisoner convicted of a brutal murder, or her young daughter will die. Desperately searching for her kidnapped child amongst Seoul’s dark alleys and dilapidated tenements, Ji-yeon finds herself caught in a deadly conspiracy that stretches from Korea’s savage underworld all the way to City Hall. Starring ‘Lost’ favourite Kim Yun-jin, Won’s sophisticated thriller keeps the adrenaline pumping from start to finish.

To book tickets, you can book via the Barbican website or call the cinema hotline 0845 120 7527.

Thu 6 Nov | Barbican Centre, London
7.00pm | Opening Gala: The Good, The Bad & The Weird Introduced by Kim Jee-woon

Fri 7 Nov | Barbican Centre, London
7.00pm | Special Preview: ScreenTalk with Kim Jee-woon & The Good, The Bad & The Weird

Sat 8 Nov | Barbican Centre, London
11.00am | Animation Day! Family Film Club (Shorts programme Ages 5+): Pumpkin Family + Tree Robo + Chiro & Friends + Pororo
12.30pm | Animation Day! (Shorts Programme 12+) Wanted + A Coffee Vending Machine & its Sword + Love is Protein
2.15pm | Animation Day! Aachi & Ssipak (15)

Sun 8 Nov | Barbican Centre, London
3.00pm | Lee Chang-dong Retrospective: Peppermint Candy
6.00pm | Lee Chang-dong Retrospective: Oasis
8.45pm | UK Premiere: Forever the Moment

Sun 9 Nov | Barbican Centre, London
5.00pm | Lee Chang-dong Retrospective: Green Fish
7.30pm | Lee Chang-dong Retrospective/Contemporary: Secret Sunshine + Intro by Tony Raynes + Short Lee Chang-dong lecture

Mon 10 Nov | Barbican Centre, London
6.30pm | Archive screening: The Housemaid
8.45pm | Archive screening: Olbaton

Tue 11 Nov | Barbican Centre, London
6.30pm | Contemporary Korean Cinema: Milky Way Liberation Front
8.45pm | Contemporary Korean Cinema: Seven Days

Wed 12 Nov | Barbican Centre, London
6.00pm | UK Premiere: May 18
8.30pm | UK Premiere: Public Enemy Returns

Thu 13 Nov | FACT Picturehouse, Liverpool
6.00pm | The Good, The Bad & The Weird

Fri 14 Nov | FACT Picturehouse, Liverpool
6.00pm | Seven Days
Source: www.koreafilm.co.uk