“They were truly born to be on stage”, one of MCND’s fans exclaimed after the gig. [twitter handle: HUIJUNLVR]. And she was right! It is very rare for me, a person who is quite particular about the K-pop music they enjoy, to be absorbed by a new up-and-coming boy-group’s performance. But let’s start from the…
“Singing Is About Feelings” – In Conversation with CHOA, a South Korean Singer
K-pop holds a specific place in the Korean music industry, and if one wants to survive in such a place, they have to make sure that they won’t become a star for just a single season. Unfortunately, this often happens to idols who decide to leave their groups to focus on solo careers or at…
“If One Person Somewhere Is Affected by the Emotions or the Words of My Songs, That’s Enough Reason for Me to Make Music.” – In Conversation with Kim Jeong-uk, a Singer-songwriter and Rapper
Kim Jeong-uk, a South Korean singer-songwriter and rapper, began his music career when he debuted as a member of a boy group, 24K, back in 2012. After a relatively successful career with the group, the artist decided to pursue a solo career. In 2019, Jeong-uk released his first EP called #down which brought a new…
Santi Review
Santi (Jon Gutierrez) sits wedged on a sofa at a dinner party with his girlfriend Violet (Zulekha Chaka). He’s politely listening as two of Violet’s friends bicker about the ongoings of a night out – a night out Santi clearly wasn’t invited to. Squished on-screen between their two out-of-focus side profiles, Santi can’t get a…
Pachinko Review
It’s the beginning of the 20th century and the Korean peninsula is under Japanese rule in Apple TV+’s new drama Pachinko. Sunja (Yeon Yu-na), a young girl, although poor, has a decent life. She has a good mother, Yangjin (Jeong In-ji) and a father for whom she is the apple of his eye. After her…
“Lyrics That Hit Me More Profoundly Are the Lyrics That I Thought a Lot about and Invested a Lot of Time Into.” – In Conversation with Kyle Lo, a South Korean Singer-songwriter and Producer
It is said that long-term contact with music improves cognitive function. There is no denial that music is the embodiment of beauty; it makes everyday activities more pleasant and often transfers the listener into “another dimension”. I have never thought that I would be grateful for social media, such as Instagram. Searching for new artists…
In Conversation with Michał Krzywicki and Dagmara Brodziak, Creators of “The Day I Found a Girl in the Trash”
Raindance Film Festival, founded and run by Elliot Grove, has been helping emerging filmmakers since 1993. Although one wishes for more diversity in the festival programme – there is not enough Asian, South American nor African cinema – it is good to see that Eastern European cinema has been recognised for its talents. During the…
“Memoria” Review
At the 2018 Rotterdam Film Festival, director Apichatpong Weerasethakul opened the doors to the SleepCinemaHotel, a pop-up space playing a 120-hour art installation he’d directed, inviting all attendees to fall asleep to his typically dreamlike series of images. Weerasethakul believes in the relationship between cinema and dreams so strongly he actively encourages people to nod…
“I Want to Have More Freedom with Music. I Want to Enjoy Myself More and Feel at Ease with Making Music” – In Conversation with Sway D
There is no denial that hip-hop culture is now a global phenomenon. Although hip-hop originated in the US, it has always changed within a local [country’s] context. Since BTS came to light, the South Korean music industry has been taking the world by storm. But let’s not forget, the country is more than just K-pop,…
“My Films Are Never About the Past but They Are About the Way the Past Is Connected to the Present.” – In Conversation with Sergei Loznitsa, Director of “Babi Yar. Context”
Sergei Loznitsa, a Ukrainian filmmaker, has always been a regular at the Cannes Film Festival. He might not have been a frequent guest at BFI London Film Festival, however, whenever he attends the event, you know you will always be in for a treat with his new work. Sergei has been making films since 1996…
CL Brings Immense Energy to London’s Village Underground
Who is CL? It is hard to describe her in one word – to the majority, she is a queen of K-pop, to some she is the ultimate Korean Hip-Hop gem. I don’t think I want to put her in any sort of category as CL tends to be versatile when it comes to her…
In Conversation with Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr., Director of “Wild Indian”
While the world is consumed by greed, hate and other unnecessary things, those who deserve attention are passing almost unnoticed, including Native Americans. They are often invisible, and so is their suffering. In the United States of America, one of the richest countries in the world, Native Americans have suffered, well, since the day colonists…
“The Long Goodbye” Review
What makes one British? A birth certificate, an accent or a passport? There is no denial that the UK has always been resistant to the idea that immigrants could become a permanent part of British society. However, when Brexit hit the ground, no one could have predicted how much hate would resurface. To be clear,…
“Aloners” Review
There’s nothing groundbreaking in the idea that, rather than bringing us closer together, technology has left us more divided and isolated than ever before. There have been several films in recent years that have criticised the dehumanisation of the digital age, and almost all of them have invited immediate parody (most notably, Jason Reitman’s Men,…
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