[KS] Korean Film Series at Smithsonian

[Alina Oh]

Korean New Wave Cinema Film Series
at the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian 
Institution, Washington, DC
March & April
The Korea Society is collaborating with the Smithsonian Institution's Freer 
Gallery of Art and Arthur Sackler Gallery to survey recent South Korean 
cinema in a film series organized by the Cinematheque Ontario (Toronto) 
with independent film curator Im Hyun-Ock (Seoul). The series will feature 
six of Korea's finest feature films from the past decade, including key 
films by Korea's veteran auteur, Im Kwon-Taek, and restrospectives of 
Korean New Wave directors Park Kwang-Su, Hong Sang- Soo and Lee Myung-Se.
Major trends in Korean cinema are best understood in the context of 
political change and the enduring effects of colonialism and civil war. The 
Korean New Wave began as a student movement in the 'dark days' of the late 
Seventies, just prior to the Kwangju Uprising. Activists criticized the 
highly conservative style of Chungmuro filmmaking for its lack of 
authenticity, dependence on tired genres, and failure to respond to social 
concerns. (Chungmuro is the district of Seoul where most commercial film 
companies are based.)The movement called for a new aesthetic which would 
speak directly to the Korean experience.
It is somewhat surprising that the New Wave movement was supported by the 
Korean government, who responded in 1984, by establishing the Korean Film 
Academy, mandated to facilitate the transition of young talent into the 
film industry. Another significant policy change came with the 1987 Film 
Act which abolished the quota system and deregulated the Korean film 
market. The South Korean film industry was opened to international 
interests, resulting in a flood of foreign (especially American) films and 
the ensuing attrition of Korean film production. Needless to say, 
contemporary Korean filmmakers have had to work in a more competitive 
atmosphere. The most recent trend is toward small, independent production 
companies, which are turning out a wide range of innovative films 
representative of the diversity of life in South Korea." - Susan Oxtoby, in 
her introduction to the Cinematheque Ontario film program.
Film Schedule
Sunday, March 5, 2:00pm, Sopyonje (1993, directed by Im Kwan-Taek)
Friday, March 17, 7:00pm, A Single Spark (1996, directed by Park Kwang-Su)
Sunday, March 26, 2:00pm, They, Like Us (aka The Black Republic, 1991, 
directed by Park Kwang-Su)
Sunday, April 2, 2:00pm, First Love (1993, directed by Lee Myung-Se)
Friday, April 7, 7:00pm, The Day a Pig Fell into the Well (1996, directed 
by Hong Sang-Soo)
Sunday, April 16, 2:00pm, Mandala (1981, directed by Im Kwon-Taek)

For film synopses, see www.koreasociety.org




Alina Oh
Program Associate
The Korea Society
212-759-7525 ext. 15
alina.ny at koreasociety.org



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