South Korea not only dominates when it comes to technology, but it is also a leader when it comes to pop music. While K-pop plunges through the globe, there are various other genres that deserve one’s attention, not only Korean hip-hop, but also R&B. R&B is not unknown to the Korean market; although it has…
“My Origins are Part of My Identity, They Have Built Within Me a Dual Artistic Personality and Each Culture Influences the Other” – In Conversation with Tiffany Bouelle
The undulating lines and curves within the geometric formations of Franco-Japanese artist Tiffany Bouelle’s work provide us with a refined view of complex subjects. Having extensively travelled from a young age, Bouelle is concerned and simultaneously fascinated by culture, drawn towards the similarities and differences within her surroundings and the people she encounters. Most recently…
BlackStar Film Festival Announces Full Lineup, Ticketing, and More for 2020 Festival
BlackStar Film Festival, the world’s premier celebration of Black, Brown, and Indigenous film and video artists, is pleased to announce the full lineup of films for the 2020 program, which will take place August 20-26, 2020. In response to COVID-19, the ninth edition of the festival will be presented entirely online this year. This year’s…
“For Me, Art is a Special, Sometimes Anonymous, and Sometimes a One-way Channel that Transmits an Emotional Message Without Connecting the Sender and Receiver.” – In Conversation with Appias Albina
Jevgenija Jones, known by her artistic name, Appias Albina, dreamed of being an artist since she was a young girl. Born and raised in Vilnius, Lithuania, Jevgenija graduated from the Academy of Arts and went straight into making art. On top of that, she also worked as a jewellery maker, graphic designer, illustrator and audiovisual…
“I Would Love to Bring Value to the Different Communities that I Could Influence Through My Art.” – In Conversation with Gabby Onme
Hip-hop has always been recognized as the most politicized genre of music. Compared to pop, rock and other genres, hip-hop has been franker and more ruthless. However, no one could have predicted that hip-hop, which was supposed to be another form of entertainment, would overturn the modern way of understanding the function of art in…
22nd Udine Far East Film Festival: Victim(s) Review
Audiovisual texts, mainly film, are a desirable tool in the axiological education of many people. Thanks to the projection-identification mechanism, we can often relate to a film character and experience various emotional states with them, self-reflect and, like pedagogues, improve our quality of life by analysing our own emotions. There is one particular subject that…
22nd Udine Far East Film Festival: The House of Us Review
Wise upon her years, 12-year-old Lee Hana (Kim Na-yeon) is the backbone of her family; acting as a peacekeeper as she tries to calm raging arguments between her parents who are going through a divorce. Constantly cooking dinners in an attempt to bring her family back together – Hana’s gastronomic displays of affection aren’t appreciated…
22nd Udine Far East Film Festival: In Conversation with Eunsoo Cho, Cinematographer of ‘Victim(s)’
Eunsoo Cho, born and raised in Seoul, Korea, has been an avid film lover since she was very young. She studied at the Korean National University of Arts, and received her M.F.A at the School of Cinematic Arts in the University of Southern California. In both schools, her focus was cinematography. Throughout the years, many…
22nd Udine Far East Film Festival – Life Finds a Way Review
Returning with his famous love for shooting in black and white and observing the mundane, Hirobumi Watanabe creates a refreshing and funny reflection on when it means to be a creative and what it means to create in his film Life Finds a Way. Starring as himself, Watanabe is spending the summer living at his…
22nd Udine Far East Film Festival – In Conversation with Layla Ji, Director of ‘Victim(s)’
Layla Ji has always been an ambitious individual. At the age of 18, she decided to move from China to the US to study a double major in Business Management and Radio/TV/Film Production. After four years, she proudly graduated with honours and later went on to study at Columbia University where she finished the MFA…
22nd Udine Far East Film Festival: Ashfall Review
Recently, filmmakers have been attracted to making disaster films more than ever. Whether they show that we would be swallowed by a tsunami, a whirlwind or fires, blown away by a comet, burnt by an erupting volcano or perished by inhaling poisonous gases, the productions have become bold, filled with endless CGI, harrowing action, but…
22nd Udine Far East Film Festival: Dance with Me Review
Shizuka Suzuki (Ayaka Miyoshi) hates musicals, or at least that’s what she claims after a traumatic incident from her childhood leads her to despise the stage. So, when she decides to take her niece to visit a fair in the park and magician Machin Ueda (Akira Takarada) hypnotises her into turning all life situations into…
22nd Udine Far East Film Festival: Exit Review
Up amongst Seoul’s rollercoaster of a skyline, Yong-nam (Jo Jung-suk) and Eui-Ju (Lim Yoona) are hurdling from building to building desperately trying to outrun and outsmart the toxic fog slowly following them across the city. Opening up this year’s London East Asia Film Festival, Lee Sang-geun’s feature debut Exit is a joyful, lively but somewhat…
22nd Udine Far East Film Festival: Vertigo Review
Life can often throw you curveballs, but a person can only endure so much while also trying to reach deeper into oneself to find what gives them a reason to live. Vertigo, written and directed by Jeon Gye-soo, depicts one of these emotional and complex life stories. Seo-young (Chun Woo-hee: The Wailing, Han Gong-ju) struggles with her existence;…
