Terracotta hold their Far East Film Festival yearly, each year bringing the best of Asian cinema to the UK for everyone to enjoy. This year brings a number of great Korean movies – including BIGBANG’s TOP’s latest featuring. Check out the listings after the jump.
A taut spy thriller starring CHOI Seung-hyun, a.k.a. rapper T.O.P. from super group Big Bang, as North Korean secret agent Ri Myung-hoon, undercover in a South Korean high school.
Imprisoned in a North Korean labour camp, Ri is offered a way out if he agrees to work as a spy. Leaving his younger sister behind, he heads South to track down a mysterious assassin picking off fellow agents. Allegiances become muddied when he befriends bullied classmate Hye-in (HAN Ye-ri), but Myung-hoon is ready to do whatever it takes to see his sister again.
A topical storyline, with adrenaline-rush bike chases and hard-boiled hand-to-hand combat. CHOI Seung-hyun (T.O.P.) puts in a suitably moody performance and shows off some impressive action skills as a tenacious teen assassin.
| May 31st, 3PM | Prince Charles Cinema | Buy Tickets |
A Joseon dynasty saga with a powerhouse cast.
Set in 15th century Korea, the film follows gifted physiognomist Nae-kyung (SONG Kang-ho, THE HOST, SYMPATHY FOR MR.VENGEANCE, SNOWPIERCER), who seizes the opportunity to cast off his peasant existence and advance through the ranks of the warrior nobles in the capital.
But Nae-kyung, caught up in a dangerous game, soon gets trapped between its two deadliest players—Grand Prince Sooyang (LEE Jung-jae), known as “the Wolf”, simmering with menacing ambition, and Kim Jong-seo (BAEK Yoon-shik), “the Tiger”, charged with maintaining royal power.
Director HAN (THE SHOW MUST GO ON) exemplifies the current trend in Korean cinema of historical dramatisations with this film, bringing together assured performances, sumptuous visuals and costume design, and finding beauty in the violence of medieval court machinations.
| May 30th, 6:15PM | Prince Charles Cinema | Buy Tickets |
KIM Ki-duk’s daring portrayal of a dysfunctional family, filmed without dialogue, making this disturbing drama all the more potent.
A spurned wife seeks revenge against her adulterous husband. In a fit of rage, she grabs a knife and tries to castrate him. He fights her off, so instead she lashes out at her teenage son. Distraught and driven by guilt, the father explores desperate methods in order to help his maimed son.
A chain of twisted events brings father and son unexpectedly closer together in this provocative, pitch black comedy, that only a very talented director and cast could pull off. Starring promising newcomer SEO Young-ju (JUVENILE OFFENDER) as the son, Cho Jae-hyun (CROCODILE, THE ISLE, BAD GUY) as the father, and LEE Eun-woo who plays both wife and mistress.
| May 30th, 9:10PM | Prince Charles Cinema | Buy Tickets |
The festival will also be host to a number of other Asian films, including a special focus on Filipino cinema. Check out the full schedule here. You can follow Terracotta Film Festival on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates on the festival.
Please note that the listed times for the movies are the film start time, doors open 15 minutes before! There are also group discounts available for groups larger than 10. For more info on that, contact the cinema box office: 020 7494 3654 (this number is for Prince Charles Cinema only).
Which films are you planning to see? Let us know in the comments section!
