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As the year nears its end, so does the fall festival circuit of 2015 wind to a close. Generally considered to kick off with the Venice International Film Festival in late August, the fall festival season is a time of year when many arthouse filmmakers release their latest works. Most prominent in the news are the various highbrow Hollywood offerings that hope to enter the Oscar race, many of which debut at the Telluride or Toronto Film Festivals in early September.

 

But it’s also a time to discover what other countries have to offer on the global stage. Always a major presence is Korean cinema and this year proved no different with an eclectic variety of  dark third feature was featured in the programs s, hailing both from the commercial and independent realms, securing multiple berths at top international events.

 

 

Among the Korean films that have traveled extensively the last few months, perhaps the most visible were the latest works from auteur filmmaker HONG Sang-soo and action director RYOO Seung-wan, names known among festival goers for years but who both reached new heights in 2015.

 

Shortly before Venice, HONG debuted Right Now, Wrong Then to immediate acclaim at the Locarno International Film Festival, where it picked up the top Golden Leopard prize (his most prestigious award to date), as well as Best Actor for lead JUNG Jae-young. Ever since, the arthouse title has been in hot demand, securing invitations to the Toronto, Vancouver, Busan, Tokyo, BFI London and Taipei Golden Horse Film Festivals, among many others. It was also invited to the New York Film Festival, where it took part in the prestigious main slate, which features many of the hottest festival titles from around the world any given year. It was the eighth time that the cineaste has been featured at NYFF, proof of his status of one of the world’s most respected arthouse directors.

 

On the opposite end of the scale, RYOO’s action-thriller Veteran got off to stellar start in domestic theaters in early August, eventually finding its way to 13.41 million admissions (USD 91.05 million), the third highest haul of all time for a Korean film. But it has been just as successful at foreign events, starting off with an invitation to the Vanguard section in Toronto, alongside KWON Oh-kwang’s high concept drama Collective Invention. The film was subsequently released in North America theatrically, where it generated USD 1.2 million, and continued its festival trail in other territories. At the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, where it was one of a dozen Korean films on show, it triumphed in the Focus Asia category by picking up the Best Asian Film award. It also served as the opening film of the Korean Film Festival in Paris (FFCP) and the London East Asian Film Festival (LEAFF).

 

Mirroring their recent popularity in Korea, big-budget Joseon Era (1392-1897) period films have also been consistently present on the circuit, with titles such as the erotic The Treacherous, fashion-conscious The Royal Tailor and dramatic The Throne leading the way.

 

From Memento Mori (1999) director MIN Kyu-dong, The Treacherous chronicled the debauched reign of King Yeonsan. The steamy title has been popular at fantastic fests, earning strong notices from audiences at Fantastic Fest and Sitges. LEE Won-suk’s stylish The Royal Tailor may not have gone down so well with Korean audiences, but since the beginning of the year it has proven popular with foreign viewers. In spring it picked up the Black Dragon prize at the Udine Far East Film Festival and in Sitges it was the opening film for the New Visions section. It also screened in Vancouver and the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival.

 

Lastly, The Throne, featuring the powerhouse combination of The King And The Clown (2005) director LEE Joon-ik and Snowpiercer (2013) star SONG Kang-ho, was chosen as the Korean representative for the foreign language category at the Academy Awards next year and recently screened at the Hawaii International Film Festival and in competition at the prestigious Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.

 

Almost as popular have been films set during Korea’s Colonial Era (1910-45), when it was occupied by Japan. LEE Hae-young’s high school-set psychological thriller The Silenced screened at Fantasia, but far more pervasive has been CHOI Dong-hoon’s The Thieves (2012) follow-up Assassination, featuring stars Gianna JUN, HA Jung-woo and LEE Jung-jae. Following its international premiere at Fantasia, the period action hit screened in Sitges, BFI London and the New York Korean Film Festival (NYKFF). Set in the 1970s, YOO Ha’s gangster epic Gangnam Blues also secured berths in Sitges and Stockholm.

 

 

 

Looking at the indie sector, films from the Korean Academy of Film Arts were particularly sought after, with both their 2014 animations Crimson Whale and On The White Planet screening in Fantasia. The former was also in Sitges while the later went to Neuchatel and the Dijon International Film Festival. KAFA’s feature Alice in Earnestland from AHN Gooc-jin, following its Best Korean Film Award from the Jeonju International Film Festival, was seen in Stockholm, Vancouver, Golden Horse Taipei and FFCP. Meanwhile, both of indie maverick LEE Sang-woo’s 2015 films, Speed and Dirty Romance, were invited to Fantastic Fest. Speed went on to Sitges while Dirty Romance was invited to compete at the Singapore International Film Festival.

 

But it wasn’t just new films that found their way into international programs, as a number of films that debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May have endured throughout the year. Though no Korean films appeared in Cannes’ official competition this year, the country’s presence was larger than usual on the Croisette with four titles spread across the Un Certain Regard, Midnight Screenings and Critics’ Week lineups, all of which also screened at the Busan International Film Festival in early October.

 

Among those, the most successful has surely been the horror-thriller Office, the debut directing gig of The Chaser (2008) and The Yellow Sea (2010) scribe HONG Won-chan. A recurring fixture on the fantastic film festival circuit, the workplace chiller has appeared at the Neuchatel and Sitges International Fantastic Film Festivals, Fantasia, Fantastic Fest and Fantasy Filmfest. It also appeared at the Stockholm and Ljubljana International Film Festivals, LEAFF and served as the opening film of the NYKFF.

 

From the Un Certain Regard lineup at Cannes, both OH Seung-uk’s The Shameless and SHIN Su-won’s Madonna were invited to the New York Korean Film Festival this month. The former, starring Jeon Do-yeon, also served as the opening film of the Asian World Film Festival and screened at FFCP, while Shin’s dark third feature was featured in the programs of BFI London and Stockholm. Lastly, Critic’s Week film Coin Locker Girl, from HAN Jun-hee and starring KIM Hye-soo and KIM Go-eun, continued to receive festival invites, including to Sitges.