Khazsak Kramer’s debut in The Land of Morning Calm is a remarkably moving entry into the world of cinema. Taking on the role of Young Ran, a Vietnamese woman living in a rural Korean fishing village, Kramer brought to life a character who is strong yet emotional. From the moment she read the script, she…
Category: Korean Cinema
27th Udine Far East Film Festival: “The Square” Makes Its World Premiere
For over two decades, the Udine Far East Film Festival has been presenting a wide range of films from East and Southeast Asia. Often these features are making their European premieres or international festival premieres at Udine – but ever so often, the elegant Teatro Nuovo is graced with a world premiere, and audiences in…
27th Far East Film Festival: In Conversation with Jo Seon-ho and Kim Jae-joong, Director and Producer Respectively of “Hear Me: Our Summer”
The industry has needed a proper feel-good flick for a long time. Not just the bittersweet, but the genuine, wholeheartedness of a story designed to relight some hope in humanity. The Taiwanese hit romance Hear Me did this over a decade ago, and recently got its much-anticipated Korean redo. After its Italian premiere at the…
27th Far East Film Festival: In Conversation with Park Ri-woong, Director of “The Land of Morning Calm”
The Land of Morning Calm, directed by Park Ri-woong, is a powerful portrait of a fading Korean fishing village and the emotional dislocation of its residents. Supported by moving performances from Yoon Joo-sang, Yang Hee-kyung, and Khazsak Kramer, the film explores generational divides, economic decline, and the complex, often unspoken tensions surrounding immigration and arranged…
27th Far East Film Festival: In Conversation with E.oni, Director of “Love in the Big City”
In the contemporary Korean cinema, director Lee Eon-hee, known professionally as E. oni, is recognised for her quietly revolutionary voice in telling human stories. E.oni was part of the first graduating class of the Korea National University of Arts, where she majored in film. Her early career was rooted in foundational, behind-the-scenes work: she served…
27th Udine Far East Film Festival: “Hear Me: Our Summer” Review
What’s the happiest film you can think of? Is it one painted with flowers, and a dreamy major-key score? Is it about the ending, or is it the journey the characters took together that filled your heart with the most warmth? Perhaps the happiest film isn’t the one so sickly-sweet that it veers from realism,…
27th Far East Film Festival: “The Land of Morning Calm” Review
Set against the subdued beauty of a Korean fishing village, The Land of Morning Calm, written and directed by Park Ri-woong, is a restrained and moving exploration of displacement and the quiet tensions beneath everyday life. This is not a story about national identity or grand political themes. Instead, it is about people: ordinary, flawed,…
27th Far East Film Festival: “Love in the Big City” Review
If you never thought a plastic uterus model would make a good plant, prepare yourself for some redecorating. The stolen emblem sitting atop glass marbles as the years tick away is the most profound object you’ll see in the whole of E.oni’s Love in the Big City, a film that, despite the assumed subject matter,…
27th Far East Film Festival: “Dark Nuns” Review
What is the cardinal rule of any horror film? That it needs to be scary, of course. Unfortunately, exorcist drama Dark Nuns seems to have forgotten that. Directed by Kwon Hyuk-jae and a spin-off to The Priests, Dark Nuns follows Sister Giunia (Song Hye-kyo), an unordained nun who moonlights as an exorcist. She is one…
The World Premiere of “The Square”, the Animated Romantic Masterpiece, to Close the 27th Far East Film Festival in Udine
The curtain will officially close on the 27th edition of the Far East Film Festival with the world premiere of The Square, a beautifully made South Korean animated love story. Described as a poetic and visually enchanting work, The Square makes its global debut in Udine. In contrast, and perfectly complementing the tone of the…
VIEW OF THE ARTS 