Two legends of Chinese cinema gracing the stage are enough to get anyone buzzing for the show to come, and Tsui’s adaptation film, Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants, was no less anticipated than his other fantastical masterpieces. Before the film’s international festival premiere at the 27th Udine Far East Film Festival, legendary wuxia…
Category: Foreign Films
27th Far East Film Festival: In Conversation with Chieh Shuen Bin, Director of “Organ Child” and Actress Moon Lee
Organ trafficking is a global crisis that hides in plain sight. Generating more than $1.7 billion annually, it’s estimated that one in ten organ transplants occurs through illegal means. In Asia, the growing gap between the wealthy and the poor only intensifies the trade’s horrors. These are not just numbers; they are lives torn apart,…
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 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: In Conversation with Antoinette Jadaone, Director of “Sunshine”
Filipino filmmaker Antoinette Jadaone has won acclaim for telling intense women’s stories and for having the courage to tackle controversial issues that are mostly avoided in her conservative homeland. But it’s fair to say that Jadaone’s latest production, Sunshine, is her boldest – and perhaps most brilliant – yet. The film features Maris Racal as…
27th Far East Film Festival: “Angry Squad” Review
When tax collector Kumazawa Jino (Seiyo Uchino) is scammed out of his hard-earned bonus by a professional swindler he is, quite rightly, angry. He decides to go after the man, but when he does find Himuro (Masaki Okada) the scam artist does the unexpected, he offers him a deal: immunity in exchange for help taking…
27th Far East Film Festival: “Cells at Work!” Review
If you’ve ever wondered what happens in the human body then Cells at Work! has the answers, well, kind of. Based on the manga of the same name by Akame Shimizu, Takeuchi Hideki has created a colourful, comical movie that is as hilarious as it is heartfelt. The story is set within the bodies of…
27th Far East Film Festival: “My Friend An Delie” Review
Childhood could be compared to a butterfly’s wing. So vital to the creature’s navigation yet so delicate that any human could tear it and impair it forever, the similar fragility of a young mind is not something that should ever be ill-treated. Director and actor Dong Zijian’s My Friend An Delie, in all its care…
27th Far East Film Festival: “The Stone” Review
What happens when two artists, known more for their work in music, acting, and design, step behind the camera to tell a story rooted in faith, greed, and blood? You get The Stone – a hypnotic, high-stakes thriller that pierces the surface of Thai spiritual subculture and delivers a cinematic experience rooted in Thai identity…
“Cloud” Review: Capitalism and Alienation in the Digital Age
Few directors are as skilled as Japanese auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa when it comes to articulating the alienation and paranoia of the digital age. One of his first international breakouts, already decades deep into his career, was 2001’s Pulse, a distressing ghost story about the gradual supernatural invasion of the online world which managed to accurately…
39th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival: In Conversation with Lee Yujin, Director of “Manok” – Exclusive Interview
South Korean filmmaker Lee Yujin brings a refreshing and nuanced perspective to the screen with Manok, a film that beautifully combines humour with moving themes of acceptance and belonging. Set in the rural village of Iban-ri, Manok follows its titular character as she returns to her hometown in the wake of her mother’s passing, only…
39th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival: In Conversation with Kim Si-a – Exclusive Interview
At just 16, Kim Si-a proved she is a truly talented young actress with her superb performance in Summer’s Camera, directed by Divine Sung. She beautifully portrayed the emotions of a teenager experiencing grief and self-discovery through her first love. After the world premiere at the 39th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, we sat…
39th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival: In Conversation with Divine Sung, Director of “Summer’s Camera” – Exclusive Interview
Divine Sung is a filmmaker based in Seoul with an MFA in Film Directing from the Korea National University of Arts. She has directed short films such as True Story (2018) and My Boyfriend and Our Yesterday (2023). Summer’s Camera is her feature film debut. Summer’s Camera had its world premiere at the 39th BFI…
