Korean Film Festival Barcelona

×

Expand

The Korean Film Festival Barcelona returns to bring Korean culture and cuisine closer to the city through films ranging from independent auteur cinema to blockbuster hits.

The festival opens with Jang Hang-jun's The King's Warden a film that has, since its release, been a cinematic phenomenon, exceeding expectations and establishing itself as one of the year's biggest commercial successes.

Five examples of the best auteur cinema being made in Korea comprise the "Seoul Indies Section," including Chan Han-lok's Funky Freaky Freaks, a teen thriller where bullying and violence intertwine; Kim Bo-sol's animated film The Square, blends romantic melodrama with a spy thriller; and in Lee Yu-jin's Manok a middle-aged lesbian woman who runs a lesbian bar in Seoul sees her life take an unexpected turn when she receives news of her mother's death.

The "Premiers Section" is one of the most anticipated of the festival, viewers can enjoy both Spanish premieres of Korean films that have been successful, as well as the return of blockbusters that, although they have been shown in Spain, are making their Barcelona debut. This year, the films in the selection are characterized by their genre diversity: from thrillers to fantasy action films, romantic dramas, and independent films with social commentary. Also noteworthy is the presence of three female directors: Kim Do-young, Yoon Ga-eun, and Kim Mi-jo, who demonstrate the consolidation of the female perspective in recent Korean cinema. Kim Mi-Jo's darkly humorous thriller The Journey to Gyeong-ju constructs an intense road thriller that explores the limits of love, grief, and revenge.

The "Panorama Section" of the festival is dedicated to the Korean director Park Chan-wook and is titled: Women in the Cinema of Park Chan-wook. This program invites viewers to explore part of the filmography of one of the great auteurs of contemporary cinema through his female characters: complex, ambiguous, wounded, free and profoundly memorable. Screenings include Decision to Leave, and Stoker, his first film produced outside of Korea featuring Nicole Kidman.

Alongside stellar films, you can enjoy parallel activities like hangul writing, Korean gastronomy, workshops, exhibitions and Korean games that bring you even closer to Korean culture. All films are screened in original version and subtitled in Catalan or Spanish. General admission for films is €8.00, and tickets can be purchased on the Cinemes Girona official website.

September Film Festivals in Catalunya

As the summer winds down and all the fabulous music festivals come to an end, autumn's calendar fills up with some of Catalunya's most interesting and eclectic film festivals. Check out our article September Film Festivals in Catalunya where you'll find festivals celebrating B films, international indie films, young emerging Catalan talent and more.

October Film Festivals in and around Barcelona

October’s calendar is packed with an impressive list of film festivals in and around the city. Check out our article October Film Festivals in and around Barcelona where you'll find gritty investigative documentaries, hair-raising fantasy and horror flicks and everything in between!

For more events check our online events calendar.