Weekend Screenings Korean War Films at KOFA

The Korean Film Archive (KOFA) programmed Korean films dealing with the Korean War and the division of Korea with English subtitles. The films will be screened on weekend afternoons in the month June. The program is titled "War and Society: 1950-2000" ( Open the link ) and features Korean classic films starting from 1950 up to contemporary blockbusters until 2000.

The Korean Film Archive hopes to achieve a better understanding of the Korean society and its people among foreigners through this series of films. The Korean War and the division of Korea are such pivotal and influential elements of contemporary Korea, that insight in these aspects are crucial for understanding Korea.

Many Korean films deal with the Korean War and/or the division of Korea. Films using this subject matter vary greatly in genre and style. From a bleak spy-thriller like "Double Agent" to a comedy like Spy Girl. The list of most popular films in Korea contains many films that would qualify for the Korean Film Archive's "War and Society: 1950-2000".

Recent blockbusters with the theme are: Shiri, JSA - Joint Security Area, Silmido and Taegukgi. The latest big-budget film about the division, "Typhoon", didn't create a wave like its predecessors. Typhoon was recently released in North American cinemas.

From the contemporary popular films the Korean Film Archive selected JSA Joint Security Area (PARK Chan-wook, 2000). The other chosen films are LEE Kang-cheon's Piagol (1955), SHIN Sang-ok's The Red Muffler (1964), IM Kwon-taek's Mismatched Noses (1980), BAE Chang-ho's The Winter Was Warm That Year (1984), JEONG Ji-young's North Korean Partisan in South Korea (1990), PARK Kwang-su's To the Starry Island (1993), and LEE Kwang-mo's Spring in My Hometown (1998).

Yi Ch'ang-ho (KOFIC)