Time Traveling from 1950 Through Film
Since last year, the Korean Film Festival Canada (KFFC) has doubled their film selection to host 45 films, presenting films from Korea, Canada, and around the world, to celebrate transnational feminist intersectionality through the theme of Women’s Perspectives. Watch the festival trailer to get a taste of the wide array of stories as seen through the eyes of women.
Offering viewers the opportunity to time-travel from their own couches, KFFC is pleased to recommend 9 Korean classical films from 1950 that set milestones of the Korean New Wave and the Korean New Cinema. The 9 features include:
- Widow (1955) by PARK Nam-Okm who is archived as the first woman director in Korean cinema;
- Mist (1967) by KIM Soo Young, considered as one of the directors KIM Soo Young’s most beloved masterpieces;
- A Day Off (1968) by LEE Man Hee, censored from the public for over 30 years after its production due to it being controversial at the time, A Day Off touches on “modern” subjects such as abortion and suicide;
- Insect Women (1972) by KIM Ki-Young, staring Yun Yeojeong and full of experimental spirit and oddness;
- The March of Fools (1975) by HA Gil Jong, a commentary on gender politics, social oppression, and a snapshot of the youth culture in Seoul in the 1970s;
- Declaration of Idiot (1983) by LEE Chang-Ho and LEE Man Hee, known as the pioneers of the Korea New Wave cinema;
- Whale Hunting (1984) by BAE Chang Ho, once nicknamed the Steven Spielberg of Korean Cinema, BAE Chang Ho has become one of the most commercially successful directors in South Korea after creating so many cinematic hits and masterpieces;
- The Oldest Son (1985) by LEE Doo Young, a story of the social anxiety of losing traditional family values during a socioeconomic growth in the technology and computer industry during the 80s;
- Seopyeonje (1993) by IM Kwon-Taek, based on the Korean traditional musical voice sung by women, Pansori, and directed by the representative director of the national cinema who has made over 100 films with Seopyeonje being the 93rd.
The 8th KFFC invites the public to encounter a full of exciting yet heartwarming films through the eyes of women throughout the century, illuminating what has changed. Learn more about the fantastic lineup and book tickets to virtual screenings through their website.
ART-Talks Deadline Extended
As part of their mandate to uplift intersectional voices from the Korean diaspora and beyond, they’ve extended the submission deadline for emerging filmmakers. Co-hosted by the Asian Art Publication Lab, 2021’s ART-Talks responds to the theme of “Women’s lives and perspectives”, with a focus on the Korean experience. They are inviting a truly exciting selection of artists, scholars, experts, and professionals who respond to this theme in their work.
They are also introducing an opportunity for emerging scholars, artists, and professionals who are interested in this topic to submit their own work to the ART-Talks. Interested participants are invited to submit their work in video form (presentations, video essays, or creative films), or as a written essay, by September 30th here.
The presentations will be available to watch on-demand on their website, and they will be wrapping up the ART+Talks with a live Q&A event on Zoom on October 30th, 2021 @ 7 p.m. Montréal (Oct. 31, 2021, @ 8 a.m. Seoul).
