In celebration of the 70 years of Philippine-Korean friendship, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines (KCC), the Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange (KOFICE) and SM, present the Korean Film Festival in seven cities around the Philippines.
This year’s festival with the theme “Sailing Beyond Together,” kicks off in Manila on Nov. 6 at the Samsung Hall in SM Aura Premier. No less than Jeon Go-woon, director of the festival’s opening film Microhabitat, will grace the opening night with a Special Director’s Talk.
Jeon Go-woon’s Microhabitat is an award-winning comedy-drama film which follows the story of Miso who gets by in her life by housekeeping. When the government doubles the price of her favorite things – cigarettes and whiskey, she decided to leave her house. Before doing so, she makes a list of friends, who may or may not, be willing to make a space or two for her.
Through the festival, Filipino audiences will see the masterful storytelling, acting, and technological advancement in Korea’s thriving film industry. Film enthusiasts can also look forward to the critically-acclaimed and most talked-about 2019 movie in Korea entitled Parasite by Bong Joon-Ho.
The film, which won the prestigious Palm D’Or at the Cannes film festival, is about the poor and unemployed Ki-Taek who lives with his family in a damp, insect-infested semi-basement apartment at the low-income area in Seoul. His son, Ki-Woo, is offered a tutoring job while he’s abroad where he enters the life of the wealthy Park family, with his own family lurking in the background.
Other festival must-sees include comedy film Miss Granny by Hwang Dong-hyeuk, drama films Little Forest by Yim Soon-rye, House of Humming Bird by Kim Bora, and House of Us by Yoon Ga-Eun. Romance film Architecture 101 by Lee Yong-Joo will also be shown.
A total of seven films will be screened simultaneously on Nov. 7 and 8 in seven SM Malls including SM City Fairview, SM City Cebu, SM City Iloilo, SM City Davao, SM City Olongapo Central, SM City Clark, and SM City Dasmariñas. All screenings are for free and on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Korean Film Festival is one of the many exciting cross-cultural events at SM Cinema.