By [Update: I realized that I somehow screwed up the poster for Home Sweet Home the Korean indie film and instead had put in the poster for Home Sweet Home the Hong Kong horror movie. I sincerely apologize for the confusion, and the images have been fixed.]
So with all of that hot, messy courtroom action out of the way, it’s time for the continuing Korean Movie Night cinema extravaganza to get its indie hats on and go drink Pabst Blue Ribbon or whatever it is that indie filmmakers do. The films that are playing will be lesser known films by filmmakers you are even less likely to have heard of than all of the other Korean directors you’ve never heard of. If the posters (both below and in the gallery) are anything to go by, it’s going to be very interesting month. And as a special prize, for those of you who have nothing else to do on Halloween, there will be a screening of the Korean classic Memento Mori. For those of you who don’t know, all of these screenings are free (first come, first served) at the Tribeca Cinemas at 7 PM every other Tuesday (except for the Halloween one, which falls on a Wednesday).
Although we were unable to bring you early reviews from the last few series, it looks like we will be able to get back into that swing of things once again. So hopefully you will be able to come back here the day before the screenings to see if they’re worth your time.
Full PR with descriptions, directions, and all that other good stuff can be found below.
Korean Movie Night
from September 11, 2012 – October 9, 2012
courtesy of the Korean Cultural Service
Every other Tuesday @ 7pm
Tribeca Cinemas
(54 Varick Street, on the corner of Canal Street, one block from the A, C, E and 1 train Canal Street stops)
Price: FREE
All seating is first-come, first served.
Doors open at 6:30pm.
Series Six:
Gems of Korean Cinema
Autumn is upon us, and The Korean Cultural Service is ready to usher you into the Fall with a trio of trailblazing independent Korean gems, guaranteed to change your outlook on life!
Over the course of 2012’s Korean Movie Nights, you’ve been treated to big budget romances, action spectacles, and blockbuster comedies – but much like everywhere else on Earth, a country’s true cinematic gems come from its pioneering independent filmmakers, working outside the studio walls.
As September marches in, kick back and enjoy three of Korea’s most innovative and groundbreaking indies – brought to you for free, as always, by The Korean Cultural Service!
SEPTEMBER 11 – ROMANCE JOE (2011)
In his spirited first feature, director Lee Kwang-kuk weaves several wild narratives into a sophisticated web of storytelling. A young barmaid in a remote lodge, in lieu of payment, recalls the time she met a suicidal man who called himself Romance Joe. In another thread, a filmmaker agonizingly searches for a story that will bring his new project to life. The tangled narratives confuse, mesmerize, and shift expectations to unseen limits – all the while, constructing a shrewd cinematic chronicle that’s both whimsical and brilliant.
SEPTEMBER 25 – HOME SWEET HOME (2011)
North American Premiere
Tae-su is a promising young businessman with an amazing, supportive family, but all that changes when he loses everything overnight after underwriting a friend’s debt. Unable to bear the thought of selling their posh loft, his wife proposes divorcing on paper. Tae-su agrees and attempts to steer clear of creditors by hiding out at a low-cost lodging facility for the poor. There, a precocious teenage girl named Se-ra takes an interest in him, but it’s not before long her father intervenes – taking this “home is where the heart is” tale in a very different, surprising direction.
OCTOBER 9 – CHOKED (2011)
New York Premiere
It’s been a year since Hee-su vanished, along with every penny of her family’s money. As all of those close to her are torn apart and forced to face the bleak, harshness of life, they bond over their desire to get back on their feet – and get back what is theirs. A dark, intense look at is corruption of humanity, Choked examines the darker side of Korea in a way that only brave independent cinema can.
OCTOBER 31 – MEMENTO MORI (1999)
Special Halloween Screening!
As a special extra, join us for a special Halloween screening of a brilliant, scary Korean shocker!
Young Min-Ah discovers that two of her fellow high school students are holding onto a strange diary, capable of causing hallucinations. The two girls have an unusually strong bond, but when one of them suddenly and unexplainably kills herself, the entire school is shocked. Min-Ah, however, starts to feel different… as though she’s somehow possessed by the dead girl.