New Currents in Korean Cinema—Politics, Gender and Filmmaking

Up to now Korean cinema has been a predominantly male preserve, however, the importance of female film makers and central female figures has grown significantly in the current Korean cinema. At the same time, the national and international success of Korean film has been paralleled by an increase in the number of young directors. This is also apparent in this year’s programme for korean cinema today: seven of the ten films presented are debut feature films. In the panel the festival’s debut directors, together with the film historian Cho Young-jung, will critically examine Korea’s contemporary film landscape. What are training and financing conditions like for directors in Korea? And what opportunities are there for independent film beyond the official film policy? What can we expect from young film makers? And what changes are traditional gender roles undergoing?