Grab your comfiest blanket, a bunch of movie snacks (some Korean food perhaps) and get ready for some seriously cool films.
The Korean Film Festival is back for its fifth year and will be running online from Thursday August 19 to Saturday August 28. The event is being held as part of the Korea-UAE Cultural Dialogue, and will include six feature length films and 18 short independent animations to enjoy.
You might like: Summer art exhibitions you have to try right now
Korean cinema has been gaining worldwide popularity, especially in recent years with films such as Parasite, which is a home-invasion drama that keeps your eyes glued to the screen the entire time you watch it. If you haven’t seen this film, which won the Academy Award for best picture in 2020, you should add it to your list. Read the full Time Out review of Parasite here.
During the run of the festival you can expect to find everything from documentaries to dramas, with a wide range of options to help audiences experience the scope of Korean cinema. The films will be shown with subtitles in Arabic and English, and will be limited to 500 viewers at a time.
The best news? The whole thing is free and available to any resident in the UAE. All you need to do is head to the event website and choose your film. Sounds like the perfect excuse to have a night in.
The films featured in the festival have all been well received in Korea, and many are winners of Korean film awards.
The list includes The Book of Fish, which won the Grand Prize; The Day I Died: Unclosed Case, which won the Best Scenario Award; Moving On, which won the Best New Director Award in the Baeksang Film Awards; and The Man Standing Next, which won the Best Picture at the Blue Dragon Awards.
One of the films you should definitely take a look at is Bori, which won a film award outside of Korea, and is about a young girl who is the only member of her family who can hear.
She feels alienated, especially when talking with her friends at school makes it harder to communicate with her family at home. Wishing to be deaf, she jumps into the sea and loses consciousness. When she wakes up, she pretends she can’t hear.
If you love Korean cinema (or even if you’re completely new to it) this sounds like a great opportunity to watch some good movies for free.
Aug 19-28. uae.korean-culture.org
Looking for more great things to do in the UAE?
All the movies you need to look out for in summer 2021
These are the top films to watch in the UAE this summer. Grab your popcorn.
Read more here.
Top staycation deals
All the best summer deals and offers to take advantage of this summer. Saving money and treating yourself? Yes please.
Read more here.
Live music has launched at Time Out Market Dubai
Head to the market to listen to some awesome gigs and stuff your face with incredible food. We’ll see you there.
Read more here.
