by REERA YOO | @reeraboo
editor@charactermedia.com
The Los Angeles Film Festival, which runs from June 10-18 this year, unveiled the lineup for its 21st annual festival on Tuesday. A total of 74 feature films, 60 short films and more than 50 new media works representing 35 countries were invited to be screened at the upcoming festival.
Three feature-length films by Korean or Korean American directors have been included in the program.
Gala Screening | Buy tickets
Writer-director: Benson Lee
Cast: Justin Chon, Jessika Van, Estaban Ahn, Albert Kong, Teo Yoo, Byul Kang, Cha In-pyo
Based on director Benson Lee’s own experience, Seoul Searching follows a group of Korean high school misfits from around the globe exploring what it means to be Korean during a Seoul summer camp in 1986.
My Love, Don’t Cross That River
Documentary Competition | Buy tickets
Writer-director: Jin Mo-young
Cast: Cho Byeong-man, Kang Kye-yeol
Known as the “100-year-old lovebirds,” Kang Kye-yeol and Cho Byeong-man have been married for 76 years. Living in a sleepy mountain village in the Gangwon province, the elderly couple loves each other dearly, wearing traditional Korean clothes and falling asleep while holding hands. For 15 months, director Jin Mo-young documents the peaceful life of the 98-year-old husband and 89-year-old wife.
World Fiction Competition | Buy Tickets
Writer-director: Jang Kun-jae
Cast: Kim Sae-byuk, Ryo Iwase, Lim Hyung-kook
A Midsummer’s Fantasia opens in black-and-white with a Korean filmmaker and his interpreter visiting the small rural town of Gojo in Japan. While scouting locations a new film, the pair discover an aging community that is on the verge of disappearing after its younger citizens have abandoned the sleepy town and moved to the city. The latter half of the film, which is shot in color, follows a tale hatched in the director’s mind about a budding romance between a young Korean actress and a Japanese persimmon farmer.
A Midsummer’s Fantasia is a co-production between South Korea and Japan.
Bonus: While the following film was neither written or directed by a filmmaker of Korean descent, it features a leading Korean American actress.
It’s Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong
U.S. Fiction Competition | Buy tickets
Writer-director: Emily Ting
Cast: Jamie Chung, Bryan Greenberg
In It’s Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong, a Chinese American toy designer visiting Hong Kong for the first time meets an American expat who gives her a tour of the city. While meandering through the nighttime streets of Hong Kong, the two find themselves attracted to each other in their carefree conversations.
To view the full lineup for the 21st annual L.A. Film Festival, visit their official website.
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