The Asian Film Awards have once again shown the genius of Asian cinema, with Exhuma taking the lead in this year’s nominations. Earning an impressive 11 nominations across major categories, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Newcomer, Best Screenplay, and more, Exhuma has quickly become a prime example of the power…
Tag: cinema
“By the Stream” Review
There is no easy entry point to the work of Hong Sang-soo. Even though his style remains consistent, his Eric Rohmer-inspired narratives frequently built around off-the-cuff drunken conversations and meandering walks around Seoul, there’s a density to the storytelling not always immediately apparent. His earlier work could often be in conversation with itself, with metatextual…
Wang Bing’s “Youth” Trilogy: Voices from China’s Hidden Factories – Film Review
The history of cinema, in many ways, began in the factory – its first frames capturing the daily lives of male and female workers as they filed out of the Lumière factory in Lyon in 1895. This simple, silent image marked the inception of the filmic medium, recording not just the physical movement of workers,…
Lindsay McIntyre on Cultural Preservation and Storytelling Through “NIGIQTUQ (The South Wind)”
Native cinema, whether from the Americas, Australia, the Pacific Islands, or any other region, plays a vital role in today’s film industry by serving as a powerful medium for storytelling, cultural preservation, and social advocacy. For far too long, Indigenous communities have been underrepresented or misrepresented in mainstream media. Native filmmakers are now reclaiming their…
19th London Korean Film Festival: “The Guest” Review
The slasher genre has long been a cornerstone of horror cinema, terrifying audiences with its iconic villains, suspenseful storytelling, and gruesome kills. From the masked killers of Halloween to the supernatural terrors of A Nightmare on Elm Street, slashers continue to draw viewers into their blood-soaked worlds. At the heart of the slasher genre lies…
19th London Korean Film Festival: “The Truth Beneath” Review
Lee Kyoung-mi’s The Truth Beneath, a superb dark thriller, served as the Opening Night film at the London Korean Film Festival in 2016, and now it has returned to the festival once more. Co-written by Park Chan-wook, The Truth Beneath takes audiences on a harrowing journey through the grimy underbelly of politics and the personal…
9th London East Asia Film Festival: “Exhuma” Review
What do a Feng Shui master, a mortician, and a shaman all have in common? No, this isn’t the setup for a terrible joke; instead, it’s the main plot of the Korean supernatural horror film Exhuma. Although the film starts off slowly, it effectively introduces the main characters and their backgrounds. Additionally, it provides an…
BFI Announces Full Programme for ECHOES IN TIME: KOREAN FILMS OF THE GOLDEN AGE AND NEW CINEMA
The BFI has announced the full program for Echoes in Time: Korean Films of the Golden Age and New Cinema, a major new season running from 28 October to 31 December at BFI Southbank. Curated by Young Jin Eric Choi and Goran Topalovic, the season spotlights two transformative eras in Korean cinema: the Golden Age…
Um Tae Goo: Finding Depth in Every Role – Exclusive Interview
To be an actor is to walk a fine line between reality and illusion, between self and character, and nowhere is this delicate dance more visible than in roles that challenge and stretch the frame of identity. The beauty of acting lies in the ability to entertain and in the subtle journey of transformation –…
Celebrating the Finest in East Asian Cinema, the 9th London East Asia Film Festival Returns from October 23 to November 3, 2024
London East Asia Film Festival (LEAFF), a premier celebration of East Asian cinema and culture, is returning for its ninth iteration. Kicking off on October 23, 2024, at the ODEON Luxe Leicester Square, the festival will debut with the UK premiere of Escape, an intense drama by the acclaimed director Lee Jong-Pil. The event will…
VIEW OF THE ARTS 