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“26 Years” is a 2012 Korean movie, categorized as Action, Thriller & Suspense, Crime & Mystery, streaming on Viki. It’s another film to put on your list of “old but gold ~ hidden gems”. Summary: People who lost loved ones during the Gwangju Uprising in the 1980s still feel the pain a quarter of a century later, as if the events happened yesterday. But what can they do about it? ♦ He Owes the Citizens of South Korea an Apology From May 18 to May 27, 1980, a pivotal event took place in South Korea’s history referred to as The Gwangju Uprising, also known as the May 18 Democratic Uprising. It was tragic. Approximately 4,000+ citizens in the city of Gwangju lost their lives because the political leaders said that the use of military firepower on the protesters was justified. Years later the man who authorized this slaughter was brought to trial and judged, but he never paid...

As we have mentioned in our specific list, the Gwangju Massacre was one of the most horrendous events in contemporary Korean history, and the local movie industry could not avoid dealing extensively with the topic. Apart from filmmakers, however, a number of other artists have also dealt with the events, and Kang Full’s webtoon is one of the most popular to do so. As such, it was inevitable for the manhwa to be transferred to cinema also, but the first effort in 2008 was met with financial issues, with the production eventually stopping. 4 years later, , online donations poured in from 15,000 individuals amounting to ₩700 million, with singer Lee Seung-hwan contributing another ₩1 billion won, toward the film’s ₩4.6 billion production cost. The crowdfunding worked, and “26 years” was finally released in 2012, immediately topping the box office upon its opening.

“26 years” is screening at Florence Korea Film Festival

Starting with a rather...

Koreans are no strangers to protest. Underneath the thin veneer of idol culture, smart technology, and (now apparent) phenomenal pandemic-care, South Korea has juggled with a history rife with public discontent. Maybe this is more “Parasite” vibes; in 2016-17, for example, the Candlelight Demonstrations witnessed one of the largest protests in history. International media turned all eyes to Korea, as the uprising usurped the corrupt absurdities interwoven into Park Geun-hye’s administration. The historic moment brought to light (no pun intended) a crucial part to Korea’s contemporary democracy, the end-result of a long and hard road of protest.

Forty years ago, the death of a different political leader — Park Cheong-hee — eventually led to an earlier turning-point: the Gwangju Uprising of 1980 on May 18. This bloody revolt has carved a deep scar in lived memory. As politicians climbed to power and curators commemorated the city through Asia’s oldest biennial, filmmakers...

Veteran actor Jung Jin-young (“The King and the Clown“) has been working in the South Korean film industry for more than twenty years now and has worked with many great directors, like Lee Chang-dong, Lee Joon-ik and Hong Sang-soo as well as worked alongside many superstars like Song Kang-ho and Hwang Jung-min, to name but two. He is now all set to make the move behind the camera, as his debut directorial “Me and Me” is set to release.

Synopsis

That night, everything changed!

In a rural village, in a small quiet town, a couple dies in a mysterious fire accident.

Hyeong-goo who is in charge of the investigation, finds the villagers suspicious and then one morning, he falls into a shocking situation where his life is completely reversed.

His house, family, job, everything he knew was gone. Will he be able to get his life back again?

This is...