Calling all K-culture fans, it’s time for the seventh annual Korean Film Festival in the UAE. The four-day-long festival will feature several award-winning Korean movies.
The Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the Korean Cultural Center has just announced the dates for the highly anticipated 2023 Korean Film Festival.
The festival will take place from June 8 to 11 at Vox Cinema in Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi.
It will bring to the UAE screens, a curated lineup of eight captivating Korean films spanning across various genres, each with its own unique story to tell.
The festival will kick off with the opening film ‘Hunt’, an action drama directed by the award-winning actor and filmmaker Lee Jung-jae. In 2021, Lee gained widespread international stardom and fame for his role as Seong Gi-hun, the main protagonist of Netflix's survival drama Squid Game. Considered one of the most successful actors in South Korea, he has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, six Baeksang Arts Awards, in addition to nominations for a Golden Globe Award and a Gotham Award.
Another critically acclaimed movie to be shown at the festival will be ‘The Night Owl’, directed by Ahn Tae-jin. This year, it won the 59th Baeksang Arts Award for Best Film.
The lineup also features action-comedies such as ‘Mission: Possible’, directed by Kim Hyung-joo, and ‘Confidential Assignment 2: International’, by Lee Seok-hoon.
Other films to be screened will include ‘Pororo and Friends: Virus Busters’, an animated adventure, which is quite popular among children, thriller-mystery ‘Confession’, and a science fiction action film ‘Alienoid Part 1’, directed by Choi Dong-hoon.
- The screening schedule for the Korean Film Festival 2023 is as follows:
- Hunt: Thursday, June 8 at 7pm
- Mission: Possible: Friday, June 9 at 5pm
- The Night Owl: Friday, June 9 at 7pm
- Pororo and Friends: Virus Busters: Saturday, June 10 at 3pm
- Confession: Saturday, June 10 at 5pm
- Confidential Assignment 2: International: Saturday, June 10 at 7pm
- Fanatic (documentary): Sunday, June 11 at 5 pm
- Alienoid Part 1: Sunday, June 11 at 7 pm
This year's festival is themed ‘Companionship’ – it aims to showcase the power of friendship and the deep emotional resonance found in Korean cinema.
"We are delighted to present the 2023 Korean Film Festival, which celebrates the theme of 'Companionship'. Through these carefully selected films, we hope to inspire viewers to appreciate the value of friendship and deepen the cultural exchange between Korea and the UAE," said Lee Yong Hee, director of the Korean Cultural Center in the UAE, in a press release sent to Gulf News.
“The Korean Film Festival 2023 promises to be an unforgettable cinematic experience, showcasing the rich storytelling, compelling performances, and emotional depth that Korean films are renowned for.”
Tickets for the festival will be available for purchase at Vox Cinema in Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi. For more information and updates, please visit the official website of the Korean Cultural Center - uae.korean-culture.org/en.
