Festivals: Udine
Udine 2024 Review: THEIR LAST LOVE AFFAIR, Lee Myung-se's Daring and Dazzling Tale of Illicit Romance
This year's Far East Film Festival is screening a large number of South Korean classics, including a full program dedicated to the country's fascinating 1950s output, such as Park Nam-ok's progressive drama The Widow, the first Korean film ever directed...
Udine 2024 Review: 12.12: THE DAY, Riveting Drama Brings Dark Episode of Korean History Into the Light
One of the final dark closets of modern Korean history gets thrown wide open in Kim Sung-soo's riveting historical drama 12.12: The Day. The film dramatises the coup d'état that took place in the wake of the assassination of President...
Udine 2024 Review: THE ROUNDUP: PUNISHMENT Wins One More Round in a Franchise Clinging to the Ropes
It’s Beast Cop vs Bitcoin in the fourth instalment of Ma Dong-seok’s enduringly popular Roundup action franchise, as his hulking detective goes toe-to-toe with a tech-savvy crime syndicate looking to expand into crypto. Helmed by action director Heo Myeong-haeng, Ma’s...
Udine 2024 Review: CITIZEN OF A KIND, A New Kind of Hero Rises in Delightful Female-Centric Vigilante Drama
If its films and dramas are to be believed, South Korea is a land teeming with vigilantes. They are typically brooding, sharply dressed and very attractive characters with dark pasts who mete out justice with brute strength or elaborate schemes,...
Udine 2022 Review: THUNDERBIRD, Money Makes People Do Bad Things in Grim and Gripping Korean Indie
Money can make people do funny things. It compels them to trust the wrong people, drives them to makes risky bets or, when all else fails, forces them to act out of desperation. Yet unlike riding a bike, when it...
Udine 2022 Review: KINGMAKER, Sumptuous Character Study and Tense Political Drama Makes for Thrilling History Lesson
The easiest way to describe Kingmaker, the latest film from The Merciless director Byung Sung-hyun, is as the Korean equivalent of George Clooney's election drama The Ides of March, a film that incidentally used the English word 'Kingmaker' as its...
Udine 2021: Far East Film Festival Unveils Packed Hybrid 23rd Edition
To the delight of Asian Cinema fans the world over, the Far East Film Festival has announced a packed 23rd edition, which will take place in the beautiful Italian city of Udine in a hybrid format, with all films screening...
Udine 2020: BETTER DAYS Scoops Golden Mulberry at 22nd Far East Film Festival
Derek Tsang’s celebrated youth drama Better Days claimed top honours over the weekend, as the 22nd Far East Film Festival awarded the Chinese film the Golden Mulberry Award, as voted for by their virtual audience. Adapting to accommodate social...
Udine 2020: Korean Disaster Epic ASHFALL to Open 22nd Far East Film Festival Online Edition, Full Lineup Announced
Star-studded South Korean disaster epic Ashfall has been unveiled as the opening film of this year’s Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy, which will be staged as an exclusively online affair due to the ongoing covid-19 lockdown. Ha Jung-woo,...
Udine 2020: Far East Film Festival Moves Online for 22nd Edition
Following the lead of numerous international events around the world, the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy has formally announced that this year’s event will be a solely online affair, due to the lingering global impact of the Covid-19...
Udine 2019: STILL HUMAN Big Winner at 21st Far East Film Festival
Just 24 hours after receiving the Golden Mulberry for Outstanding Achievement Award, Hong Kong superstar Anthony Wong Chau Sang was gracing the stage at the Teatro Nuovo Giovanni da Udine once again, where his new drama Still Human was awarded...
Udine 2019: 11 Films Not to be Missed at the 21st Far East Film Festival
Tomorrow sees the Far East Film Festival kick off its 21st edition in Udine, Italy, with an unprecedented celebration of Asian cinema the likes of which you won’t find anywhere else in Europe. An intoxicating blend of East and...
Udine 2019: Full Lineup Revealed for 21st Far East Film Festival
The Far East Film Festival has revealed the full lineup for its 21st edition, which will take place in Udine, Italy from 26 April - 4 May 2019. The packed roster of 76 films from 12 different countries includes 3...
Udine 2019: Sewol Ferry Drama BIRTHDAY to Open 21st Far East Film Festival
Birthday, the hugely anticipated South Korean drama reenacting the horrific tragedy of the Sewol ferry disaster, has been announced as the opening film of this year’s Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy. Produced by Lee Chang-dong, award-winning director...
Udine 2019: Anthony Wong to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at 21st Far East Film Festival
Hong Kong favourite Anthony Wong Chau Sang is to be honoured with the Golden Mulberry Award for Outstanding Achievement at this year’s Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy. The controversial performer has been a ubiquitous presence in the...
Udine 2018 Review: THE NAME, an Odd but Curiously Absorbing Japanese Indie
There is more than meets the eye in Toda Akihiro’s The Name, an odd but curiously absorbing mystery drama that appears deceptively simple from the outset. Within its modest trappings, this Japanese indie raises some thoughtful existential questions about personal...
Udine 2018 Review: THE SCYTHIAN LAMB, A Bizarre Genre Hybrid Infused with Kaiju Folklore
In the sleepy coastal town of Uobuka, the statue of a googly-eyed green sea monster named Nororo towers over a precipice. According to legend, Nororo is an evil presence from the sea and whoever looks into its eyes will be...
Udine 2018 Review: GONJIAM: HAUNTED ASYLUM May Scare You Away from Hospitals for Good
The history of Korean horror was rewritten this year by the most unlikely of contenders, as a low-budget found footage chiller became one of the top-selling K-horrors of all time. Without the benefit of any stars, Epitaph co-director Jung Bum-sik...
Udine 2018 Review: THE RUNNING ACTRESS Dashes to Victory
Ever since picking up a Best New Actor Prize from the Venice International Film Festival for Oasis in 2002, Moon So-ri has been known as one of the top performers in the Korean film industry. Now, after impressing viewers and...
Udine 2018 Review: BE WITH YOU, Pleasant Fantasy Drama Stays the Course
The Korean fantasy romance, a genre that has spawned modern classics such as Il Mare and Ditto, has fallen on hard times in recent years but makes a strong case for a return to form with Be With You, an...