18th Korean Film Festival in Budapest in October

Between October 10 and 17, Korean cinema will once again take center stage in Budapest. A total of 29 South Korean films will be screened at the Corvin Cinema, including award-winning works, real audience favorites and recent premieres. The screenings will be accompanied by Hungarian and English subtitles, and the program will also feature audience meetings and special accompanying events.

As viewers have come to expect, thematic sections will help them navigate the film selection in 2025, which will be enriched by an opening and closing film, and the organizers have even added a bonus block this year. One of the pillars of the program is the 80th anniversary of Korea's national liberation: in honor of this, films that focus on historical memory will also be screened. In addition to the screenings, exclusive accompanying programs await those interested, so they can meet the directors of three films, participate in audience voting, and even attend a master class with professionals. The Korean Cultural Center, the Jeonju International Film Festival, and the Korean National Film Archive will present 29 films over the course of a week, all of which will be screened in Hungary for the first time.

The festival kicks off with an award-winning film. The historical drama Harbin (2024) tells the story of An Jung-geun, an activist in the independence movement known as the "Korean Spring," starring Hyon Bin, who is well known to Hungarian audiences. The closing will also be strong, as they will bid farewell to this year's participants with a blockbuster, screening the sequel to Top Secret Agent, which was presented at the 14th Korean Film Festival. The second part was a real box office hit in Korea, the third highest-grossing film in local cinemas.

In the Fresh section of the festival, the organizers have once again selected the best of the current Korean cinema program. The selection is both entertaining and thought-provoking, guiding viewers from the effects of technology to the labyrinth of human emotions.

In the Faces section, viewers can get to know the outstanding talents of the Korean film world. The program features the works of three promising directors — Shim Hyeongjun, Oh Jung-min, and Kangyu Garam — and after the screenings, viewers will have the opportunity to meet them in person at the CineTalk program.

This time, the Focus section centers on Korean national liberation. Films from different eras and genres evoke the struggle for freedom, paying tribute to the 80th anniversary.

The Extra block features award-winning films from the Jeonju International Film Festival, the festival's official partner and sponsor. A special feature of the program is that four short films will be screened in succession in one evening, providing an insight into the world of Korea's new generation of filmmakers.

The Bonus section features a selection by the Hungarian organizers of the Korean Film Club, which has been operating for 15 years, showing the diversity of Korean cinema from a unique perspective.