The annual Singapore Korean Film Festival will be held from 7-17 October 2021. With the pandemic still among us and Safe Management Measures (SMM) still in place, this year’s festival will be a hybrid event.
The festival will showcase 8 movies at Golden Village Suntec over 2 weeks. Tickets are free and you can apply online at the SKFF website. Take note that you must be full vaccinated to watch the shows.
‘The Book of Fish’
Cast: Seol Kyung Gu, Byun Yo Han, Lee Jung Eun
Synopsis: The relationship between Jung Yak Jeon (Seol Kyung Gu) , an exiled scholar bureaucrat and Chang Dae (Byun Yo Han), a young fisherman on the remote island, Heuksando is explored in this drama. On the island, Yak Jeon becomes fascinated with fish and asks Chang Dae for help to write a book about these fishes. In return, he helped the young fisherman with his studies. Chang Dae, the poor fisherman living on a remote island, dreams of success by passing the national examinations.
The opening film ‘The Book of Fish’ will be screened simultaneously together with the Busan Film Festival 2021 on 7 October and is for invited guests only. This black and white movie is based on the true story of Jung Yak Jeon.
The other movies are
‘Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet’
Cast: Kang Ha Neul, Park Jung Min
Synopsis: This movie explores the life of the poet Yun Dong Ju (Kang Ha Neul), who used his passion and interest in poetry to stand up and fight against the Japanese during the colonial war. Together with his cousin, Song Mon Gyu (Park Jung Min), a writer, they were imprisoned and interrogated by the Japanese for their involvement in the Korea Independence Movement. This movie is also in black and white. For reasons to watch this movie, check out soompi’s input.
Screening date: Golden Village Suntec, 8 October (7pm), 15 October (7pm)
Cast: Lim Ji Ho
Synopsis: This is a documentary about the chef, Lim ji Ho’s journey though the span of Korea, in search of unusual ingredients and unique recipes. Along the way, he meets and cooks for the diverse people and communities he meets along the way. This documentary is produced by Uhm Jung Hwa.
Screening date: Golden Village Suntec, 9 October (2.20pm), 17 October (2.20pm)
‘Bori‘
Cast: Kim Ah Song, Kwak Jin, Hur Jin Na
Synopsis: Bo Ri (Kim Ah Song) is an 11-year-old girl, is the only family member in her family of four, who can hear. She acts as the mouth ad ears for her parents and younger brother. Although she is ‘normal’ outside her family, she feels alienated and abnormal within her family as they communicate in sign language. Frustrated, she wished she could be deaf as well. This movie explores the world of the disabled, but through the view point of the family members who are not.
Screening date: Golden Village Suntec, 9 October (4.30pm), 17 October (4.30pm)
Cast: Steven Yuen, Han Ye Ri, Youn Yuh Jung, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho
Synopsis: The Yi family moved from California to Arkansas in 1983, in a bid for a better living. Jacob (Steven Yuen) dreams of growing his own produce to sell. Life is hard and his wife, Monica (Han Ye Ri) is worried and finance as well as the health of her children. Monica’s mother, Soon Ja (Youn Yuh Jung) travelled to United States from Korea to help look after the grandchildren while the family tries to make life in the rural and wild land, attempting to achieve the American dream.
‘Minari’ was nominated and won prizes in various film festivals. In particular, Youn Yuh Jung, a veteran actress won the best the Best Supporting Actress at the 93rd Academy Awards. Youn speaks good English as she lived in the United States for a number of years. I would encourage you to watch ‘Youn’s Kitchen’ and ‘Youn’s Stay’ if you have not.
Screening dates: Golden Village Suntec, 9 October (7pm), 17 October (7pm)
Cast: Jo Jung Suk, Im Yoon A
Synopsis: Yong Nam (Jo Jung Suk) and Eui Joo Im Yoon A) were both avid were both avid and active rock climbers in their university days. Yong Nam’s feelings for Eui Joo were rejected back then. In present day, Yong Nam, who still likes Eui Joo, attempts to reconnect with her at his mother’s birthday. However, a terrorist attack meant they have to get everyone and themselves safely, through lots of improvised rock climbing actions.
Those who missed Jo Jung Suk in ‘Hospital Playlist’, here is another chance to catch him.
Screening dates: Golden Village Suntec, 10 October (2pm), 16 October (2pm)
‘Samjin Company English Class’
Cast: Ko Ah Song, Esom, Park Hye Soo
Synopsis: Three female employees, with only high school qualifications, struggle to be recognize and do ‘proper’ work instead of just running errands and making coffee. One day, the company announced that all employees who attained 600 or higher for TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) Exams will be promoted to Assistant Manager.
All three of them enrolled in the Samjin Company English class in the hopes of doing well in the exams and being promoted. However, along the way, they discovered corruption within their company.
Screening dates: Golden Village Suntec, 10 October (4.30pm), 16 October (4.30pm)
Deliver Us from Evil
Cast: Hwang Jung Min, Lee Jung Jae, Park Jeong Min
Synopsis: Kim In Nam (Park Jung Min), an ex National Intelligent Agency agent, and now a hitman, races to rescue his child from child trafficking. At the same time, he has to fight to stay alive from his enemy, Ray (Lee Jung Jae), who is out for revenge for the murder of his brother.
Lee Jung Jae has exploded in popularity since ‘The Squid Game’ on Netflix. His newly opened Instagram account has 1.9m followers now. But I will always remember him in ‘Il Mare’ with Jun Ji Hyun.
Screening dates: Golden Village Suntec, 10 October (7pm), 16 October (7pm)
You can apply for tickets here. For more information, go to Singapore Korean Film Festival’s website (www.sgkff.com) or Embassy of the Republic of Korea FB.
In addition, there will be 30 movies available for free viewing on meWatch for 5 weeks starting on 7 October. 6 movies will be released each week. Most of these movies are classics like ‘200 Pounds Beauty’, ‘Joint Security Area’, ‘Memoir of a Murderer’, ‘Lover’s Concerto’ and ‘The King and the Clown’.
– 200 Pounds Beauty
– A Bittersweet Life
– A Comoany Man
– A Tale of Two Sisters
– Blood and Ties
– Boomerang Family
– Commitment
– How to Steal a Dog
– Hwayi A Monster Boy
– Joint Security Area
– Lover’s Concerto
– Luck Key
– Memoir of a Murderer
– Roaring Currents
– Secret Reunion
– She’s on Duty
– Take Off
– The Client
– The Contact
– The King and the The Clown
– The Quiet Family
– The Theives
– The Uninvited
– Tread of Lies
– Welcome to Dongmakgol
– YMCA Baseball Team
– You are my sunshine
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