Korea’s film industry is flourishing. From April 4 through June 12, the Korean Film Festival screens documentaries, shorts, features, and indie films. On April 25 and 27, award-winning director Lee Chang-dong introduces and talks about two of his works: 2007’s Secret Sunshine, about a grieving mother, and 2000’s Peppermint Candy, which chronicles the life of a former soldier and police officer in South Korea.
On May 11, director Lee Yoon-ki and festival co-organizer Hyunjun Min lead a panel discussion about the changing perspectives on love and marriage in Korean cinema. Following the talk, Lee Yoon-ki’s Ad Lib Night, about a father’s dying wish to see his daughter again, is screened.
A selection of contemporary films includes Tazza: The High Rollers, a crime thriller about underground gambling, and the documentary Our School, about a group of pro–North Korea students at a school on the Japanese island of Hokkaido.
Screenings are at the Freer Gallery’s Meyer Auditorium (12th St. and Jefferson Dr., SW), the AFI Silver Theatre (8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring), and the National Museum of Women in the Arts (1250 New York Ave., NW). Film prices vary. Visit www.asia.si.edu/koreanfilm2008 or call 202-633-4880.
