Korean filmfest at SM Cinemas

MANILA, Philippines - Korean film enthusiasts have more onscreen excitement to look forward to as the annual Korean Film Festival showcases seven blockbuster and critically-acclaimed films at select SM Cinemas.

A joint partnership between the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines and SM Cinema, the film festival will have screenings starting today until Oct. 4 at SM City Cebu, and at SM Megamall on Oct. 8 to 11.

Other partners include the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), Film Cultural Exchange Program, Korea Tourism Organization-Manila (KTO), Korea Copyright Commission and Park Inn by Radisson in Davao.

The featured films offer a glimpse of Korean history and culture. The Front, starring Shin Ha-Yyun and Go Soo, is about the connection of two friends despite the emergence of the Korean War in 1950. Duresori: The Voice of East, the story of a group of traditional Korean music students in their last year of high school, delivers an enriching perspective on Korean music.

Other films highlight different aspects of Korean everyday life. Hope, starring Sol Kyung-Gu, Uhm Ji-Won and Lee Re, is about a family whose bond was made stronger by the ordeal that their child had to go. 

On the lighter side, there is Miss Granny, a story about a woman in her 70s who magically finds herself in the body of her 20-year-old self after having her picture taken at a mysterious photo studio; and Marriage Blue, a blockbuster movie about the life of four couples who are about to get married but are faced with doubts about whether this will work.

There are also crime and action films such as Cold Eyes, which is about a high-technology police surveillance team’s attempt to take down a gang of ruthless bank robbers; and The Thieves — the fourth highest-grossing movie in Korean film history — which is about the connection among different kinds of people who are brought together by their love for money.

For details, call the Korean Cultural Center at 555-1711 or e-mail at [email protected]. 

The 2015 Korean Film Festival is one of the many interesting cultural events of SM Cinema.