Korean Cinema Today 2013, Jiseul, O Muel, Korea 2012, Film still, © Promo
Korean Cinema Today 2013, King of Pigs, Yeun Sang-ho, Korea 2011, Film still, © Promo

May 02–12, 2013

Korean Cinema Today 2013

Films from Busan International Film Festival

Film Festival

May 2–12, 2013

The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has in recent years become one of the most important and dynamic film festivals in Asia. Presented by the directors themselves,in this year’s film series, a restored Korean film classic will be screened along with nine new films from the last two festivals – a contemporary Korean cinema which moves “between formal experimentation and relentless images of society” presenting itself with an “extraordinary “political courage”.

Since the turn of the millennium, South Korean cinema has been booming with an energy seldom seen in the history of film. And the Korean wave is rolling well beyond the country’s borders. A generation of talented young filmmakers is drawing the world’s attention with its keen grasp of topical issues and its experimental zeal. For the second time, HKW is collaborating with the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) and the Korea Foundation to present a selection of the best new productions from the most exciting film scene in Asia today. Among these are films that delve into hitherto taboo periods of history and call for a reckoning with the nation’s past – but that also face the future, whether in subtle coming-of-age stories, gritty social studies or bold portraits of women.