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Theeeeey’re baaack!…
Following last years hugely successful launch of the Korean Film Festival In Australia (KOFFIA), the organizers have recently announced the full details the second year of the event, and they’ve taken things up another notch – or three. Not only will the festival be back at Dendy Cinemas in Circular Quay, Sydney from the 24th to the 29th of August, but it’s expanding to a whole other city as Melbourne joins in the fun. From the 10th to the 13th of September (with the Korean Thanksgiving Holiday of Chuseok on 12th August) ACMI Cinemas, Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Federation Square, Melbourne plays host to a second leg of screenings, forums, performances and more.
The films…
Well I’d like to congratulate the organizers for having a fine taste in their Korean cinema choices, this years line-up showcases a rounded mix of great titles – a total of 13 full length features and 7 shorts – including The Unjust, The Man From Nowhere, Secret Reunion, A Barefoot Dream and Park Chan-wook’s highly anticipated Night Fishing.
Our overview of the films screening at KOFFIA 2011 will appear shortly.
The Event…
One of the great things about the festival (and this appears to be typical of work of the Korean Cultural Centre in Sydney in general) is their passion and all-round EXCITEMENT for Korean cinema. KOFFIA Marketing Director Kieran Tully describes the scope of this years events:
“We are extremely thrilled to be back on the festival scene. 3 times as many screenings will take place this year, with 16 sessions in Sydney and 8 in Melbourne, as we are delighted to be expanding to another city and giving more Australians a chance to experience the wonders of Korean cinema.”
“This year we are also introducing an exciting group of themes that modern Korean cinema often reflects, namely “Crime and Punishment”, “Bloody Friday”, “Ride the Dream”, “Extraordinary Ordinary Families”, “Indie Cinema” and “Masters and Students”. 13 features and 7 shorts cover these themes in what is a very diverse line-up.”
Guests…
So what festival is complete without some special guests? KOFFIA has a whole stack of them:
Kieran Tully: “We will welcome special guests Kang Hye-jeong (Filmmaker R&K), Ryoo Seung-wan (Director), Adrian Martin (Monash University), Mathieu Ravier (The Festivalists), Richard Gray (The Reel Bits), Leonid Petrov (Sydney University), Jane Park (Sydney University), Al Cossar (Melbourne International Film Festival), Elizabeth Connor (Sydney University) and Christian Were (Madman Entertainment) to Q&As and Industry forums that will be both thought provoking and entertaining, and for the real die-hard Korean film fans out there!”
That’s right, the amazing director RYOO SEUNG-WAN will be in attendance (showcasing not only his latest film The Unjust, but his brilliant No Blood, No Tears) along with a whole stack of other great guests from different areas of interest.
It looks like KOFFIA 2011 is shaping up to be something special – to use what seems to be the festivals mantra:
“HOLD ON TIGHT!”
For more information go to the KOIFFA 2011 website: www.koffia.com.au. Tickets are on sale 3 weeks prior to the festival dates.
The full screening schedule can be found here.
KOFFIA is organised by the Korean Cultural Office in Sydney.
