8th Korean Film Festival Frankfurt
The 8th Korean Film Festival took place in October from the 24th until the 27th at the CineStar Metropolis in Frankfurt, which established itself as festival location for the annual event. This year also marks the anniversary of 100 years of Korean film. During the four days of the festival, 15 movies of various genres were displayed on the big screen providing a cinematic experience for everyone. The movie Spring, Again (다시, 봄, 2019) was enjoyed by fantasy- and drama-lovers, whereas action and comedy fans found delight in the movie Extreme Job (극한직업, 2019). For those who were also interested in Korean history, the two movies A Resistance (항거: 유관순 이야기, 2019) and Mal-Mo-E: The Secret Mission (말모이) provided fascinating insights. Additionally, Project K collaborated with KIAFA (Korean Independent Animation Filmmakers Association) and showed three short movies, namely Balloon, Homesick and Armpit Hair Girl.
On Thursday around 6pm, the first guests were welcomed with appetizers and sparkling wine at the colourfully decorated foyer of the cinema. The award-winning opening film Parasite (기생충, 2019) directed by BONG Joon-ho, which was sold out during advance booking, was well received and talked about by the guests. This year, the movies were categorized in three different categories: “Art Film”, “Blockbuster” and “Must-see”. Focusing on the director BONG Joon-ho, the “Must-See” category displayed another two of his greatest works: Memories of Murder (살인의 추억 , 2003) and Mother (마더, 2009).
One of the highlights during the festival was the presence of the directorof Clean Up (호흡, 2019) KWON Man-ki who also participated in a Q&A session on Saturday evening where he answered questions of interested visitors. Another Q&A session was also held for the closing film Money (돈, 2019) on Sunday evening. The director PARK Noo-ri and producer PARK Min-jung were also present during the session.
This year too, the popular supporting program of the festival was not to be missed. The program offered visitors a chance to experience the Korean culture directly. At the beloved Hanbok-stall visitors could try on traditional costumes and take pictures, which could also be printed out right away on request. Creative indulgence was possible at the crafting stall providing guests with masks and fans they could paint and design, which was well received especially by our younger visitors. For those looking for a challenge, the “Fire Noodle Challenge” was perfect to prove their skills. Additionally, like the year before, the daily “Kimbap Workshop” enabled guests who were interested in the culinary culture of Korea to make their own Kimbap. There was also a merchandise stall with a variety of South Korean goods, such as socks, facial masks, postcards and many more. Although the K-pop dance contest did not take place this year, the Random Dance Game which took place on Saturday afternoon, was very well received by the many K-pop fans who arrived to dance together to their favorite music and choreography. Even after the 40 minutes of the dance game were up, they continued happily and enjoyed the atmosphere.
Film List
| A Resistance | 항거: 유관손 이야가 (2019) |
| Another Child | 미성년 (2019) |
| Clean Up | 호흡 (2019) |
| Extreme Job | 극한직업 (2019) |
| Ghost Walk | 밤의 문이 열린다 (2019) |
| House of Hummingbird | 벌새 (2018) |
| Mal-Mo-E : The Secret Mission | 말모이 (2019) |
| Memories of Murder | 살인의 추억 (2003) |
| Money | 돈 (2019) |
| Mother | 마더 (2009) |
| Parasite | 기생충 (2019) |
| Spring, Again | 다시, 봄 (2019) |
| The Dude in Me | 내안의 그놈 (2019) |
| The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil | 악인전 (2019) |
| The House of Us | 우리집 (2019) |
The Korean Film Festival 2019 would not have been possible without
HessenFilm & Medien GmbH, Stadt Frankfurt am Main, Kulturamt Frankfurt am Main, Korean Film Council, Korean Independent Animation Distribution, FIDELIS Accounting GmbH, re[mark]able
Hyundai Motor Europe GmbH, Samsung Electronics GmbH, Cinestar Metropolis, Kumho Tire Europe GmbH, Frankfurt RheinMain GmbH