Pottery is as much a philosophy as it is an art form. In Mashiko and Kasama, two regions of Japan which is the home to some of the best potters in the world, this is especially the case. Those that work in these areas spend decades perfecting their craft, refining their skills until they are…
Category: Foreign Films
Pablo Larrain’s The Club
Many estimated directors have (had) a muse that inspired and encouraged their creations, and Pablo Larrain seems to be no different. It started with Larrain’s second feature and the depiction of human darkness that comes from the obsession with the limelight in Tony Manero (Larrain, 2008), continued with politically-ridden hysteria and violence, imbued with emotion…
In Conversation with Baek Jae-ho
Before embarking on a career as a director, Baek Jae-ho performed as an actor in 17 films. In addition to acting and directing, he now works as a producer, cinematographer and screenwriter; in this respect, Baek Jae-ho is like Bob the Builder of Korean cinema. His recent project and directorial debut, We Will Be Ok, was…
Benson Lee’s Seoul Searching
“It took me sixteen years to make Seoul Searching and bring it onto the big screen,” Benson Lee admits in the interview for View of the Arts. Seoul Searching, based on the filmmaker’s personal experiences, is an endearing youth comedy which depicts foreign-born teenagers of Korean ancestry learning what it means to be Korean, and…
Min Kyu Dong’s The Treacherous
I have honestly lost count of how many period films, set in the Joseon Dynasty, have been made in Korea. It seems like this particular kingdom, which was founded by Yi Seong-gye in 1392, has left a significant legacy for modern Korea; not only when it comes to societal norms, attitudes and language, but it…
The 59th London Film Festival: The Wave
Recent years have been relatively successful for Scandinavian Cinema and its filmmakers, who constantly show that they are able to deliver good quality films. For instance: ZoZo (Sweden, 2005) by Josef Fares, Let the Right One In (Sweden, 2008) directed by Tomas Alfredson, Dancer in the Dark by Lars Von Tier (Denmark, 2001), The Hunt (Denmark,…
The 59th London Film Festival: In Conversation with Choi Dong-hoon, director of ‘Assassination’
Choi Dong-hoon, a South Korean director, began his voyage into filmmaking in 2004 when he released The Big Swing, a crime thriller, which brought him instantaneous praise from domestic and foreign critics. A couple of years later, Choi Dong-hoon repeated his previous success with another interesting production, Tazza: The High Rollers, an adaptation of Huh Young-man and…
The 10th London Korean Film Festival: We Will Be Ok Review
Would You Rather Die than Lead an Ordinary Life? It happens, every once upon a film festival moon. Those of you who have visited a film festival or two – especially if you were there as press – know what the usual rhythm is like. You dig and tread and boot and occasionally half-sleep your…
The 10th London Korean Film Festival: Twenty
Lee Byeong-heon, a South Korean filmmaker, debuted with the feature Cheer Up Mr Lee in 2013, which subsequently came to win the Audience Award at Seoul International Film Festival. A couple of years later, he released his second movie entitled Twenty; a coming-of-age film which brought him wide recognition among the foreign as well as domestic audience….
The 10th London Korean Film Festival: In Conversation with Jang Kun- jae
South Korean filmmaker Jang Kun- jae is one of the emerging filmmakers in Korea, who is known for his naturalistic films such as Eighteen (2010), Sleepless Night (2013) and A Midsummer Fantasia (2015). Kun- jae is a handy man when it comes to filmmaking; he edits, produces and directs his own films. His debut feature Eighteen…
The 59th London Film Festival: Assassination
A genius storyteller for his spectacular ability to develop elaborate stories, someone once said about Choi Dong-hoon, one of the most successful South Korean film directors in modern Korean cinema. All his five productions, The Big Swindle (2004), Tazza: The High Roller (2006), Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard (2009), The Thieves (2012) and his latest hit Assassination…
The 10th London Korean Film Festival: The Royal Tailor
Lee Won- seok debuted in 2013 with the vivacious romantic comedy How To Use Guys With Secret Tips. It became an unexpected hit among critics as well as the viewers. Nevertheless, it did not do well in the box office mainly because it was up against three biggest production of the 2013; The Berlin File…
The 59th BFI London Film Festival: 11 Minutes
After a 5 year hiatus, Jerzy Skolimowski has finally released his new film entitled 11 Minutes. The apocalyptic thriller has already received positive reviews at this year’s Venice International Film Festival, where it was nominated to Golden Lion in the main competition section. It was also screened in the Masters section of the 2015 Toronto…
23rd Raindance Film Festival: Fires on the Plain and In Conversation with Shinya Tsukamoto
Japan’s involvement in the World War II began on December 7 1941, when it attacked the American base in Hawaii, Pearl Harbor. On the same day, Japanese airplanes raided airports in the Philippines, and two days later, the Imperial Army landed in the country and started its carnage. After a few turbulent months of fighting,…
