London East Asia Film Festival 2022 programme announced

The London East Asia Film Festival (LEAFF), the capital’s most celebrated champion of East Asian cinema and culture, headed by Festival Director Hyejung Jeon, opens its 7th year on 19th October at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square with the UK premiere of HUNT, the latest spy action drama directed by the award-winning Actor Lee Jung-Jae.

This year’s programme includes the cinematic offerings of China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia and focuses on dystopia vs utopia. Through the unique perspectives of East Asian filmmakers, LEAFF offers compelling insight into how the history of East Asia has shaped what our future holds.

To include this core theme, LEAFF works with Artist Sea Hyun Lee, known to endlessly reconstructs and and reconstitutes landscapes. The delicate washes of red shows both the utopia and dystopia. Having studied in London, Lee’s painting comprehensively blends traditional Korean landscape painting with the Western style.

Official Selection

The LEAFF official selection presents some of the best East Asian films of the year – from box office hits to critically acclaimed features, LEAFF celebrates the return of highly influential filmmakers. These include Dir. Ann Hui’s latest feature, Love After Love, Dir. Koji Fukada’s Love Life, as well as the highest grossing Korean film of the year, The Roundup, produced by the Marvel star, Don Lee.

Straight from wowing audiences at international film festivals such as Cannes, LEAFF will screen the year’s most anticipated films, including Director Han Jae-Rim’s Emergency Declaration with Actor Yim Si-Wan in attendance for a Q&A and Director Tang Fu Ruei’s Fantasy.World. Actor Lee Jung-Eun, known for her iconic performance in Parasite will also visit London for the UK premiere screening of Hommage with Director Shin Su-won.

This strands reflects on the tumultuous era in a tale of a family of Sichuan Opera artists in A New Old Play and engages audiences to consider the future with the critically acclaimed Hong Kong feature, Warriors of Future that is set in 2055 when wars have ravaged the Earth with the prevalent use of military robots, and global warming and disasters have destroyed and polluted the atmosphere entirely.

Competition

LEAFF’s Competition seeks out East Asia’s most talented emerging directors. This year LEAFF partners with London Critics’ Circle, that was first established in 1913 for professional British critics. This year sees a diverse range of films from East Asia by directors all of whom have made three features or less.

Art house gems will be screened in this strand including the black comedy Manchurian Tiger (dir. Geng Jun), suspense-filled The Apartment with Two Women (dir. Kim Se-In), compelling feature produced by Fruit Chan, Pretty Heart (dir. Terry Ng Ka Wai) as well as the latest cinematic offering, The Sparring Partner (dir. Ho Cheuk-tin).

Documentary

This year, LEAFF introduces a documentary award in Competition. The strand will screen five titles with an overarching theme of finding oneself. Hou Hsiao-hsien’s production, Salute (dir. Yao Hung-i) commemorates the glorious two decades of dancer Sheu Fang-yi’s career and captures her moving toward the unknown future. Fanatic (dir. Oh Se-Yeon) delves into the fan culture, Virga (dir. Won Ho-Yeon, Jung Tae-Kyoung) follows the second generation of undocumented immigrant children.

Actor Focus: Lee Jung-Jae

This year, LEAFF celebrates the works of Lee Jung-Jae, the acclaimed Korean actor who has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Critics’ Choice Television Award and more.

Lee gained widespread international stardom after his outstanding performance in Squid Game. LEAFF handpicked a selection of films including the first feature Lee starred in, The Young Man (dir. Bae Chang-ho), which will be restored and screened as a UK premiere. The audience will be able to catch the diverse characters Lee has played in The Housemaid (dir. Im Sang-soo), New World (dir. Park Hoon-jung), Deliver Us From Evil (dir. Hong Won-chan), and HUNT (Lee’s directorial debut).

Filmmaker Focus: Cinematographer Mark Lee

Mark Lee Ping-bing is a Taiwanese cinematographer cinematographer, photographer and author with over 70 works in his filmography. He is known for his prolific collaboration with Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien and LEAFF has already screened many features shot by the cinematographer. This strand will be dedicated to focus on the life and works of Mark Lee.

Director Chiang Hsiu-chiung and Kwan Pun Leung’s documentary from 2009 about Mark Lee entitled Let The Wind Carry Me will also be screened in this strand.

Halloween Horror Special

LEAFF celebrates Halloween with Asian horror thrillers: Warning From Hell (dir. Danny Pang), Tales From The Occult 2 (dir. Frank Hui, Doris Wong, Daniel Chan) and The Funeral (dir. Shen Dan-Guei).

Festival Director Hyejung Jeon said, “LEAFF’s mission has always been to celebrate the wealth and creativity of East Asian cinema with audiences in London. We are extremely glad to be able to bring LEAFF in full swing and welcome some of the world’s finest filmmakers from East Asia to the cultural capital and act as a platform to bridge the gap between countries and communities through cinema and culture.”

The 7th London East Asia Film Festival is kindly sponsored by Samyang, HiteJinro, BBQ, CJ Bibigo and supported by Seoul Tourism Organization, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Taipei Representative Office in London, Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, City of Jeonju, KOTRA, Korea Tourism Organization.

Full listing (Korean titles in bold)

OPENING GALA

• HUNT (헌트) + Q&A with Director Lee Jung-Jae | Dir. Lee Jung-Jae | Korea | 2022 | 125 mins | Wed, Oct 19 2022, 19:30, Odeon Luxe Leicester Square

CLOSING GALA

• Warriors of Future | Dir. Ng Yuen-fai | Hong Kong | 2022 | 99 mins

LEAFF OFFICIAL SELECTION

• Hommage (오마주) + Q&A with Director Shin Su-Won and Actor Lee Jung-Eun | Dir. Shin Su-Won | Korea | 2021 | 108 mins | Fri, 21 Oct 2022, 18:00, Odeon West End
• Emergency Declaration (비상선언) + Q&A with Actor Lim Si-Wan | Dir. Han Jae-Rim | Korea | 2021 | 147 mins | Thu, 20 Oct 2022, 18:00, Odeon West End
• Murder Erased | Dir. Dennis Law | Hong Kong | 2022 | 90 mins
• Goddamned Asura | Dir. Lou Yi-an | Taiwan | 2021 | 114 mins
• The Roundup (범죄도시 2) | Dir. Lee Sang-Yong | Korea | 2022 | 106 mins | Thu, Oct 20 2022, 21:30, Odeon West End
• Wandering | Dir. Lee Sang-il | Japan | 2022 | 150 mins
• Love After Love | Dir. Ann Hui | China, Hong Kong | 2021 | 144 mins
• It’s All My Fault | Dir. Yusaku Matsumoto | Japan | 2022 | 121 mins
• A New Old Play | Dir. Qiu Jiongjiong | China | 2021 | 179 mins
• Just Remembering | Dir. Daigo Matsui | Japan | 2022 | 115 mins
• Coffin Painter | Dir. Da Fei | China | 2021 | 95 mins
• Offbeat Cops | Dir. Eiji Uchida | Japan | 2022 | 119 mins
• Fantasy·World | Dir. Freddy TANG Fu-jui | Taiwan | 2022 | 109 mins
• Love Life | Dir. Kōji Fukada | Japan | 2022 | 123 mins

COMPETITION

• ANIMA | Dir. Cao Jinling | China | 2021 | 120 mins
• Pretty Heart | Dir. Terry Ng Ka-wai | Hong Kong | 2022 | 98 mins
• The Abandoned | Dir. Tseng Ying-Ting | Taiwan | 2022 | 128 mins
• The Apartment with Two Women (같은 속옷을 입는 두 여자) | Dir. Kim Se-In | Korea | 2021 | 140 mins | Fri 28 Oct 2022 6:00pm, Cinema at Selfridges
• Missing | Dir. Shinzô Katayama | Japan | 2021 | 124 mins
• The Sparring Partner | Dir. Ho Cheuk-tin | Hong Kong | 2022 | 135 mins
• Mama Boy | Dir. Arvin Chen | Taiwan | 2022 | 98 mins
• Manchurian Tiger | Dir. Jun Geng | China | 2021 | 118 mins
• A Hundred Flowers | Dir. Genki Kawamura | Japan | 2022 | 104 mins
• Virgin Blue | Dir. Xiaoyu Niu | China | 2021 | 100 mins
• HUNT (헌트) | Dir. Lee Jung Jae | Korea | 2022 | 131 mins | Wed, Oct 19 2022, 19:30, Odeon Luxe Leicester Square

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

• Fanatic (성덕) | Dir. Oh Se-Yeon | Korea | 2022 | 84 mins | Wed, 26 Oct 2022 6:00pm, Cinema at Selfridges
• To My Nineteen-Year-Old Self | Dir. Mabel Cheung | Hong Kong | 2022 | 136 mins
• Salute | Dir. Yao Hung-i | Taiwan | 2022 | 136 mins
• Far Away Eyes | Dir. Wang Chun-Hong | Taiwan | 2021 | 79 mins
• Virga (땅에 닿지 않는 비) | Dir. Won Ho-Yeon, Jung Tae-Kyoung | Korea | 2022 | 75 mins | Sun, 23 Oct 2022, 11:00 Odeon West End

ACTOR FOCUS: LEE JUNG JAE

• The Young Man (젊은 남자) | Dir. Bae Chang Ho | Korea | 1994 | 115 mins | Thu, 20 Oct 12 noon, Cinema at Selfridges
• The Housemaid (하녀) | Dir. Im Sang Soo | Korea | 2010 | 107 mins | Sat, Oct 22, 17:15, Odeon West End
• New World (신세계) | Dir. Park Hoon Jung | Korea | 2013 | 134 mins | Mon 24 Oct 2022, 19:00 The Cinema Museum
• Deliver Us From Evil (다만 악에서 구하소서) | Dir. Hong Won Chan | Korea | 2020 | 108 mins | Wed, 26 Oct 2022 8:30pm, Cinema at Selfridges
• HUNT (헌트) | Dir. Lee Jung Jae | Korea | 2022 | 125 mins | Wed, Oct 19 2022, 19:30, Odeon Luxe Leicester Square

FILMMAKER FOCUS: CINEMATOGRAPHER MARK LEE

• Let The Wind Carry Me | Dir. Kwan Pun-leung | Taiwan | 2009 | 88 mins
• Flowers of Shanghai | Dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien | Taiwan | 1998 | 113 mins
• ANIMA | Dir. Cao Jinling | China | 2021 | 120 mins

CLASSICS RESTORED

• A Confucian Confusion | Dir. Edward Yang | Taiwan | 1996 | 121 mins
• The Young Man (젊은 남자) | Dir. Bae Chang Ho | Korea | 1994 | 115 mins | Thu, 20 Oct 12 noon, Cinema at Selfridges

HALLOWEEN HORROR SPECIAL

• Warning From Hell | Dir. Danny Pang | Malaysia, Thailand | 2022 | 80 mins
• Tales From the Occult 2 | Dir. Frank Hui, Doris Wong, Daniel Chan | Hong Kong | 2022 | 93 mins
• The Funeral | Dir. Shen Dan-Guei | Taiwan | 2022 | 103 mins

*Some titles are duplicated as they are a part of more than one strand.