Korean Film Festival is back in Manila with Korean filmmakers Hong Wonchan and Lee Woojung gracing the event
There is no denying that Filipinos are big Hallyu lovers. It can be seen in our obsession with Korean food, beauty regimen, and even on the shows and movies we watch. If you’re among the many who are passionate about the latter, better mark your calendars as the Korean Film Festival 2022 is happening in Manila this August.
From Aug 11 to 14, a total of seven Korean films released in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic will be screened in five SM Cinemas in Metro Manila at SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, SM City North EDSA, SM City Grand Central, and SM Southmall. All screenings are for free and on a first-come, first-served basis.
Marking the opening of the festival is the premiere of “Deliver Us From Evil.” Its director Hong Wonchan will be gracing the event, together with Lee Woojung, director of “Snowball.”
Planning to go to the cinemas soon? Here are the participating movies at the Korean Film Festival 2022 you definitely shouldn’t miss.
‘Deliver Us From Evil’
“Deliver Us From Evil” is an action/crime/drama film that follows the story of an assassin who goes to Thailand in order to solve a kidnapping case linked to him, and finds himself chased by a man whose sibling he killed.
The film, directed by Hong Wonchan has attracted almost 4.36 million Korean moviegoers in the midst of the pandemic in 2020. His debut film, “Office,” has been invited to the 68th Cannes Film Festival’s midnight screening in 2015.
‘Snowball’
“Snowball,” a youth drama film by Lee Woo Jung, narrates how Kang-yi runs away from home with her friends only to find a strange side of themselves while the balance of their friendship also tips in a weird way.
Director Woojung is a promising independent film director who started her career as an actress after studying theater and film at the university. She directed her first independent short film “Neither to Die nor to Leave” in 2012 and has begun to get more attention through her recent film “Snowball.”
More Korean movies
Other festival must-sees include the action-drama film “Escape from Mogadishu” by Ryu Seung-Wan, drama films “Miracle: Letters to the President” by Lee Jang-Hoon and “The Novelist’s Film” by Hong Sang-Soo, drama-mystery film “The Day I Died: Unclosed Case” by Park Jiwan, and comedy-romance film “Perhaps Love" by Jo Eun-Ji.
Korean Film Festival 2022 is a joint project of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines, and SM Cinemas. It is also in partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), Korean Film Council, Korean Tourism Organization (KTO) Manila Office, and aims to help moviegoers build new experiences, create bonds, and discover new goals.
Interested moviegoers may visit KCC’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, @KCCPhil, to reserve slots for the opening ceremony on Aug. 10 at SM Aura Premier Cinema 2 and for the “Talk with the Filmmakers” on Aug. 11, 1:30 p.m. at the FDCP Cinematheque Centre Manila.
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