In South Korea, women have been voicing out loud through activist movements such as #EscapeTheCorset, #MeToo, #MyLifeIsNotYourPorn, and 4B (or Four Nos - no romance, marriage, sex and childbirth). The first feminist political party, the Women’s Party, has also been recently formed to fight for more influence in the development of the deeply patriarchal and conservative Korean society.

More prominent and realistic images of women have also appeared in Korean cinema. A growing number of women filmmakers are creating courageous and captivating works to make their views be seen and heard, and #SendingMySpirit also encourages people to buy tickets for films with greater female involvement. Proudly presented by the Hong Kong Arts Centre, the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival and the Seoul Independent Film Festival, the Women Direct. Korean Indies! – Korean Women Independent Film Series brings you on a journey to explore the recent wave of women independent cinema. Our selected works observe and delineate women’s places and emotions in the Korean society with great intimacy and delicacy, and will show you a diversity of women’s lives that you might not have experienced before.

This film series takes place from March to July 2021 under the signature programme of the Hong Kong Arts Centre, Independently Yours.

Screening Schedule:

The Strangers 

Director: Myoung So-hee

Asian Vision Competition, Taiwan International Documentary Festival 2020
Wide Angle Competition, Busan International Film Festival 2018
Festival Film Dokumenter (Indonesia), 2019
Dhaka International Film Festival, 2020

Mother’s past. Daughter’s present.

16/4 (Fri) 7:30pm*
*With after-screening director’s chat. Conducted in English and Korean.

South Korea｜2018｜81 mins｜DCP｜Colour｜In Korean with English subtitles

In autumns, nightmares always creep up on So-hee. Desperate to get rid of the discomfort, she tries a change of scenery and returns to her hometown, Chuncheon, to see her mother, who she has ignored for a long time. So-hee starts recording her mother with a camera, trying to derive answers from questions that have been dormant and vague in the shadow of her mind. She weaves feelings and meanings out of her mother’s recollection of the past while her mother thinks it is better to forget. As So-hee sheds tears of agony for being unable to reconcile with their irresolvable conflicts, she wonders if their relationship is destined to be coloured by hurt and hate.
Director Myoung So-hee started making documentaries by chance and The Strangers is her first documentary feature. She is the assistant director of How to Become a Chair (2014).

Escape the Corset

Director: Lee Mi-hae

I want to live like myself.

17/4 (Sat) 4pm*
*With after-screening talk. Conducted in English.

South Korea｜2020｜60 mins｜DCP｜Colour｜In Korean with English subtitles

With the aim of liberating women from the rigid standards of beauty and the social pressure to conform, the Escape the Corset movement began in South Korea in 2018. It empowers women to express themselves through their own solidarity. Having short hair and no makeup is a common symbol of the movement. Women began to flood social media with selfies of untouched faces and videos of them smashing mashing makeup and cutting their own hair. It is not a mere matter of taste, but a statement of truth against the establishment. With a focus on hair, this documentary compiles interviews with South Korean women on the pressure that they face, their view on gender stereotypes and how they think the world should move forward.
This is the first documentary of director Lee Mi-hae, who cut her hair short, “If you have the courage to take a step forward, then you cannot fit me into what society demands, so that you can love yourself, and women of the next generations can enjoy a freer world.”

Lucky Chan-sil 

Director: Kim Cho-hee

Best New Actress, Baek Sang Art Awards (South Korea) 2020
KBS Independent Film Award, Busan International Film Festival 2019
Nominated for Best New Director and Best New Actress, Blue Dragon Awards (South Korea) 2020

She loves filmmaking, and dreams of Leslie Cheung.

17/4 (Sat) 7:30pm*
*With after-screening director’s chat. Conducted in Cantonese and Korean.
Moderator: Patrick Suen (Film Critic/Columnist)

South Korea｜2019｜96 mins｜DCP｜Colour｜In Korean with English subtitles

“I gave my life to film. No man, no children... Now I’m broke and losing my mind!" After the sudden death of her long-time director, once busy film producer Chan-sil finds herself jobless and listless, then she rents a room owned by a kind old lady. While quiet frustration and insecurity simmer in her new life, she becomes a cleaner of an actress, and meets a younger man who teaches French. Infatuated with him, she becomes anxious about her middle age, tantalising romance and non-career. Yet, Leslie Cheung is always there for her. Told with arresting honesty and humour, this story celebrates Chan-sil’s remarkable singularity and her quest for a life lived truly.
Writer-director Kim Cho-hee is the producer of ten of renowned director Hong Sang-soo’s films. Lucky Chan-sil is her directorial debut. It has participated in several festivals, such as San Francisco International Film Festival and Udine Far East Film Festival, and has been critically acclaimed and awarded. Kim has also made numerous short films that entered many festivals.

For details of other screenings of this film series, click on the links below.

March 2021

A Boy and Sungreen (Director: Ahn Ju-young)
South Korea｜2018｜99 mins｜DCP｜Colour｜In Korean with English subtitles

Itaewon (Director: Kangyu Garam)
South Korea｜2016/2019｜98 mins｜DCP｜Colour｜In Korean with English subtitles

Click to know more about screenings in March 2021

April 2021

The Strangers (Director: Myoung So-hee)
South Korea｜2018｜81 mins｜DCP｜Colour｜In Korean with English subtitles

Escape the Corset (Director: Lee Mi-hae)
South Korea｜2020｜60 mins｜DCP｜Colour｜In Korean with English subtitles

Lucky Chan-sil (Director: Kim Cho-hee)
South Korea｜2019｜96 mins｜DCP｜Colour｜In Korean with English subtitles

Click to know more about screenings in April 2021

May 2021

maggie (Director: Yi Ok-seop)
South Korea｜2018｜89 mins｜DCP｜Colour｜In Korean with English subtitles

For Vagina's Sake (Director: Kim Bo-Ram)
2017｜Documentary｜Colour｜DCP｜73min
South Korea｜2017｜73 mins｜DCP｜Colour｜In Korean with English subtitles

Way Back Home (Director: Park Sun-joo)
South Korea｜2019｜114 mins｜DCP｜Colour｜In Korean with English subtitles

Click to know more about screenings in May 2021

June 2021

Microhabitat (Director: Jeon Go-woon)
South Korea｜2018｜106 mins｜DCP｜Colour｜In Korean with English subtitles

Untold (Director: Lee-kil Bora)
South Korea｜2018/2020｜79 mins｜DCP｜Colour｜In Korean with English subtitles

Click to know more about screenings in June 2021

July 2021

Movements (Director: Jeong Da-hee)
South Korea｜2019｜10 mins｜DCP｜Colour｜In Korean with English subtitles

Unpredictable Boy (Director: Goong Yu-jeong)
South Korea｜2019｜31 mins｜DCP｜Colour｜In Korean with English subtitles

Beginners’ Class (Director: Kim Hyun-jung)
South Korea｜2019｜50 mins｜DCP｜Colour｜In Korean with English subtitles

The Pregnant Tree and the Goblin (Director: Kim Dong-ryung and Park Kyoung-tae)
South Korea｜2019｜115 mins｜DCP｜Colour｜In Korean with English subtitles

Click to know more about screenings in July 2021

Ticketing Information:

Individual tickets: $80 / $64*