The Smithsonian Institution's Korean Film Festival DC 2008, organized through the Smithsonian's Freer and Sackler Galleries and made possible by the Korea Foundation, the Korean Film Council, and the US-Korea Business Council, continues into June. The remaining film showings fall into two categories: New Korean Cinema and "
Love is a Crazy Thing". More information available is at
Open the link
"
Empress Chung": Korean Folktale through Animated Film
Tuesday, June 3 at 7 p.m.
Meyer Auditorium in the Freer Gallery of Art
Independence Avenue at 12th Street, SW, Washington D.C.
For more information: 202 633 1000
Free with a ticket
Join Dr. Heinz Insu Fenkl, Associate Professor of English at SUNY New Paltz, for a stimulating discussion of
Nelson Shin's rarely screened animated film "
Empress Chung". Explore the way this film, based on the folktale Shimchong, the Blindman's Daughter, reflects central Korean values. 2005 / 94 min.
"
The King and the Clown"
Wednesday, June 11 at 9:10 p.m.
Thursday, June 12 at 9:10 p.m.
AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center
8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD
For more information:
Open the link or call 301-495-6700.
Bawdiness takes center stage in this blend of drama and comedy from director
Lee Joon-ik. Set in the sixteenth century, it follows the adventures of two traveling male acrobats who run afoul of the palace for lampooning the king in their performances. They get into even more trouble when the king falls in love with one of them (much to the consternation of the queen). A box office smash in Korea, this is a provocative blend of history, humor, and romance, both gay and straight. Intended for mature audiences. 2006 / 120 min.
"
Love is a Crazy Thing"
Wednesday, June 4 at 9 p.m.
Thursday, June 5 at 9:15 p.m.
AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center
8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD
For more information:
Open the link or call 301-495-6700.
Korea's transformation over the last decade into a high-tech economy has brought vast social changes. This section of the festival presents films that illustrate these developments by looking at evolving notions of family and romantic relationships.
This might sound like a romantic comedy, but don't be fooled by the title.
Oh Seok-geun's film is an intense, involving drama. Its heroine, a single mother who makes ends meet by doing embroidery, also works as a phone sex operator. At the encouragement of a friend, she graduates to a better paying job as a bargirl, where she eventually falls for a charming customer who may not be what he seems. Intended for mature audiences. 2005 / 101 min.
