The Korean Film Festival in Singapore Returns For Its 13th Edition2 min read
Reading Time: 2 minutesNow in its 13th year, the Korean Film Festival in Singapore returns this year with a line-up featuring eight critically acclaimed award-winning and nominated films. Ranging from the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winning Parasite to the genre-bending musical Swing Kids, these titles will be screened over two weekends from 18 to 27 October at various venues including Shaw Theatres Lido and The Projector.
For the festival’s Opening Film, we have the movie Little Forest (2018), which illustrates the story of a young woman who gets tired of her complex life in the big city and moves back to her hometown in the countryside. There, she heals her emotional wounds with the help of nature, food and her long-time friends.
The mastermind behind the film, female director Yim Soon-rye will be in attendance for Q&A on the opening night on 18 October. She is also conducting a masterclass at Nanyang Technological University’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information’s (WKWSCI) Lee Foundation Lecture Theatre on the same day. The masterclass will be hosted by the WKWSCI, in association with the university’s School of Art, Design and Media (ADM).
Other acclaimed Korean films in the programme line-up include Burning, the latest psychological drama by acclaimed director Lee Chang-dong; Farming Boys, a documentary on young Koreans pursuing their dreams of sustainable living; Swing Kids, a whimsical music film about passion and persevering through difficult circumstances; Queen of Walking which contains a warm inspiring message for the youth; and finally Leafie, A Hen Into A Wild, a popular children’s animation that was a box office hit back home in Korea.
All film screenings are free to the public with online registration through www.koreanfilmfestivalsg.com
Korean Film Festival 2019 and Opening Night are organised in collaboration with the Singapore Film Society.
About Yim Soon-rye
Amidst the prominently male-dominated film industry, there is one woman who stands out in the ranks. Yim Soon-rye has become considered as “one of the few leading female auteurs of Korean New Wave Cinema”. Yim, originally from Incheon, is an English Literature graduate from the acclaimed Hanyang University. Upon graduation, she ventured abroad and claimed her Master’s in Film Studies from the prestigious Universitē Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis, where she did her thesis study on world-renowned Japanese filmmaker Kenji Mizoguchi, who is known for his usage of mise-en-scène and long takes. We can see his influence throughout Yim’s work, particularly in our opening film Little Forest. Yim Soon-rye continually uses filmmaking as a medium to express her world views and as a platform to comment on social issues. Her activism for animal rights was also reflected in her productions, exploring relationships between humans and their pets.
Photo credit: Korean Film Festival In Singapore Facebook
