19th London Korean Film Festival: “It’s Okay!” Review

It’s Okay!, the directorial debut of Kim Hye-young, is a coming-of-age film centered around the trials and tribulations of In-young (Lee Re), who in a cruel twist of fate loses her mother and sole caretaker during a triumphant performance of a traditional fan dance by the Seoul International Arts Company. As the beat of the…

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…

9th London East Asia Film Festival: “Locust” Review

Every generation has its angry young men, rebelling against the cultural conformity of the era. From James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause and Marlon Brando in The Wild One pushing back against the stifling conservatism of the Eisenhower age, to the various turn-of-the-century studies of disaffected adults stilted by middle-class life, these are snapshots…

One Fluid Night LGBTQIA+ Film Festival: A Weekend of Love, Life, and Identity

Launched in September 2023 at Genesis Cinema in East London, One Fluid Night (OFN) is a groundbreaking film event that presents a competition of short films alongside performances by singers, dancers, and cabaret artists, all celebrating the multifaceted themes of life, love, and identity through the lens of international LGBTQIA+ cinema. After a successful year…

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 –…