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The 12th Korean Film Festival Canada held in Montreal will be wrapping up 7June2025.
“Hole”, a 2023 K Short by Hyein Hwang, screened on 24May2025 but it surely and deservedly must pop-up in the festival circuit.
Kafkaesque initially gradually transcending into absolute horror and I am not referencing the Borror genre of horror with slashing, spewing guts and predictable violence. This is pure thinking person’s horror triggered by suspense and curiosity that may kill the cat. The horror is psychological.
Jeong-mi is a junior child welfare officer in Seoul under the tutelage of her boss who leaves her to finish off the day’s tasks to attend his wedding anniversary party.
Two young children on her “list” have not been attending school for months so the situation must be investigated. Are the parting words of her boss indicative of child welfare authorities in South Korea; “Children lie a lot so don’t believe everything they say.”
Jeong-mi attends the home of the two children who take her to a room with a manhole cover over a deep hole where the children say they can hear their parents’ voices coming from below. These children are to be believed. There are voices and noises coming from the bottom of this deep hole. At this point your curiosity may be quickly transformed into terror of a menacing nature.
Bone chilling and delightfully discrete! High class horror!
RKS 2025 Film Rating 94/100.
“Variation” can be interpreted as an innocuous 24-hour snapshot of a relationship between a young Korean couple reuniting after previously ending their relationship. Alternatively, it may have a deeper meaning. In film multiple interpretations frequently point to a layered and complex production which we have here.
Veering off the innocuous interpretation route my take is that “Variation” tackles the ever-changing pattern of human romantic relationships. Like the continually changing tattoos on the man’s back a relationship is in a constant state of flux.
The repeated references to an airplane trip accentuate a relationship is rarely static but moves in as in a journey.
The woman states she wants the man to act just like the way he did when they first met but the reality of their relationship, even with a short 24-hour time period, is beyond what the relationship was in the past.
“Variation” is a K-Short directed by Ji-hoon Park screening at the 12th Korean Film Festival of Canada in Montreal 22May-7June2025.
“Variation” can be interpreted as an innocuous 24-hour snapshot of a relationship between a young Korean couple reuniting after previously ending their relationship. Alternatively, it may have a deeper meaning. In film multiple interpretations frequently point to a layered and complex production which we have here.
Veering off the innocuous interpretation route my take is that “Variation” tackles the ever-changing pattern of human romantic relationships. Like the continually changing tattoos on the man’s back a relationship is in a constant state of flux.
The repeated references to an airplane trip accentuate a relationship is rarely static but moves in as in a journey.
The woman states she wants the man to act just like the way he did when they first met but the reality of their relationship, even with a short 24-hour time period, is beyond what the relationship was in the past.
Christina (Tina), also known as Big Daddy Queen Power is a Korean-Italian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist was the host for the evening. You can sample her work here. Everyone was a delight to meet and exchange with.
Cinema is the mirror through which society gazes at itself and the 12th Korean Film Festival Canada (KFFC) is a kaleidoscope—an exquisitely curated, multidimensional experience refracting the vivid, vulnerable, and visionary expressions of Korea, Asia, and beyond. Running from May 22nd to June 28th, 2025, across multiple in-the-know venues in Tiohtiá:ke/Montréal, this year’s edition is not merely a festival—it’s a manifesto. A love letter to art, technology, intercultural communion, and the dreamlike dimensions where they intertwine.
This year's theme, a graceful continuation of 2024’s motif, “Arts & Technologies: Sleep, Dream, Body,” elegantly invites us to question the relationship between our inner landscapes and the cinematic canvas. With events sprawling across Cinéma Moderne, Cinéma du Musée, Centre Création Danse Nyata Nyata, Goethe-Institut Montréal, and the sun-drenched outdoor esplanade of Bassin Peel, the 12th KFFC is not just an occasion to watch films—it’s where culture, contemporary zeitgeist, and philosophy converge.
Opening night at Cinéma du Musée unfolded with quiet sophistication and purpose. Guests from across Montreal’s creative community gathered over thoughtfully prepared Korean dishes courtesy of DANO FOODS, exchanging ideas, impressions, and anticipation.
But beyond the convivial atmosphere, something more meaningful was taking shape. Korean cinema and Asian art weren’t just on the schedule—they were part of a growing cultural movement. Their presence reflected not only artistic excellence but also a shift in global attention, capturing the ethos of this time with stories that resonate across borders.
Bong Joon Ho’s early short Incoherence (1994)—yes, the Bong Joon Ho, pre-Parasite—resurfaced like a long-lost archival gem. Equal parts hilarious and horrifying, the film exposes social hypocrisies with the surgical precision only a genius-in-the-making could muster. It was followed by Sea, Carry My Dream (2023), a poetic animated ode to displaced communities from director Masoud Raouf, that reminded us dreams are borderless, and sometimes boats are too small for the weight of hope they carry.
And finally, Silver Apricot (2024) by Jang Man-min—a slow-burn, emotionally exquisite feature tracing one woman’s painful, comedic, and ultimately liberating unraveling of family ties and societal expectations. It was less a film, more a therapy session disguised in soft pastels and digital brushstrokes.
This year’s KFFC doesn’t merely project films—it reflects the moment. With over 40 programs, including 27 Asian arthouse films, VR installations, media arts exhibitions, and interdisciplinary roundtables, KFFC 2025 stands boldly at the confluence of artistic innovation and cultural diplomacy.
As Jae Wan Lee, Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Montréal, eloquently noted, "Films allow Korea and Canada to access segments of each nation's histories, societies and cultures." His words ring especially poignant during the 2024–2025 Korea-Canada Year of Cultural Exchange, underlining cinema's soft power to unite, challenge, and transform.
This year’s festival is more than a redux—it’s a reimagining. The newly introduced Intercultural Encounters on June 6 promises to be a free, dynamic symposium of conversations, collaborations, and cross-pollinations. Think TED Talk meets K-pop fan forum with a dash of global think-tank—yes, it’s that cool.
From June 11–14, the Goethe-Institut Montréal hosts a Media Arts Exhibition exploring how VR and immersive installations can alter, or perhaps awaken, our perception of embodiment and memory.
And then, there’s KFFC Plein Air—the festival’s flirtation with the outdoors, a full-day celebration on June 28th at Bassin Peel in partnership with La Semaine Coréenne – Édition Jeju and Cinéma sous les étoiles. Picture this: a velvet Montréal evening, stars above, water beside, Korean cinema on the big screen, and community all around. You’ll want to bring your best picnic blanket—and your most photogenic outfit.
All good things must end, but not without a cinematic mic drop. The closing program on June 7th at Cinéma Moderne features two films that blur the lines between memory, identity, and ideology with a sophistication rarely seen outside museum walls.
Hong Sang-soo’s A Traveler’s Needs (2024), starring the ever-radiant Isabelle Huppert, is a minimalist marvel about dislocation and desire. And Helen Lee’s Paris to Pyongyang (2024) is a masterclass in autobiographical storytelling—juxtaposing 1950s French intellectual fervor with the delicate, fading recollections of a Korean grandmother. It’s poignant. It’s political. It’s pure poetry.
Arts Est-Ouest présente la 12e édition du Festival du Film Coréen Canada (FFCC), qui débute le 22 mai et se poursuit jusqu’au 28 juin dans cinq lieux à Montréal : Cinéma du Musée, Cinéma Moderne, Goethe-Institut Montréal, Centre Création Danse Nyata Nyata et Bassin Peel.
Le 12e FFCC présente plus de 40 programmes, dont 27 films d’art asiatique, des expositions de réalité virtuelle, des installations d’arts médiatiques, des festivités interculturelles et des projections en plein air. Le festival s’ouvre le jeudi 22 mai à 18h avec une réception au Cinéma du Musée, suivie d’un programme de projection mettant en vedette le premier court métrage du célèbre réalisateur Bong Joon Ho, Incoherence (1994) et le premier long métrage de Jang Man-min, Silver Apricot (2024), tous deux produits par l’Académie Coréenne des Arts Cinématographiques (KAFA).
Le programme se clôture le 7 juin au Cinéma Moderne en présentant le film A Traveler’s Needs (2024) du réalisateur Hong Sangsoo, avec Isabelle Huppert, aux côtés du film de la cinéaste canado-coréenne Helen Lee, Paris to Pyongyang (2024), un captivant essai-documentaire juxtaposant les récits parallèles des intellectuels parisiens des années 1950 et les souvenirs de la grand-mère de la cinéaste sur la Corée.
En plus de l’ouverture et de la clôture du festival, le FFCC propose d’autres projections.
Une sélection d’animations classiques coréennes de 1980 à 2012 sera disponible en streaming gratuit tout au long du festival.
Les films seront disponible ici.
Cinéma Moderne
La Vitrine des réalisatrices, K-Shorts : 5 Voix principales, présente des œuvres exceptionnelles de cinéastes coréennes, dont la lauréate du Festival de Cannes Kim Bora, réalisatrice de House of Hummingbird, The Recorder Exam et le film Hole de Hwang Hye-in.
5524 rue Saint-Patrick #210, Montréal, QC H4E 1A8
Directors Factory présentera 6 courts métrages réalisés par des cinéastes débutants lors du 514: Emerging Directors Showcase.
Directors Factory est un espace ouvert et dynamique pour les artistes médiatiques canado-asiatiques à toutes les étapes de leur carrière, où nos histoires vécues se tissent en productions créatives qui fusionnent avec des pratiques de recherche-création, présentant explorations et présentations.
Cinéma Moderne
EstRencontreOuest (ERO) présente des films asiatiques canadiens et internationaux, dont Paris to Pyongyang de Helen Lee (2024) et Mongrels de Jerome Yoo (2024). ERO représente l’intégration du Festival AmérAsia (créé en 1999) au FFCC, poursuivant sa tradition de 25 ans de célébration des arts de la diaspora asiatique.
Bassin Peel
Le FFCC s’associe au MKFCM pour présenter une projection spéciale au Bassin Peel durant le Festival de culture coréenne La Semaine de la Corée – Édition Jeju!
12e FESTIVAL DU FILM CORÉEN CANADA
Arts et Technologies : Sommeil, Rêve, Corpsdu 22 mai au 28 juin 2025 40 programmes comprenant 3 premières mondiales, la vitrine des réalisatrices, des courts métrages gratuits en ligne, des expositions de réalité virtuelle, des projections en plein air et bien plus encore, se déroulant pendant le Mois du patrimoine asiatique dans plus de lieux que jamais auparavant!
SOIRÉE D’OUVERTURE
jeudi 22 mai 18h
Arts East-West proudly presents the 12th edition of the Korean Film Festival Canada (KFFC), which kicks off on May 22nd and runs until June 28th across five cherished venues in Tiohtiá/Montréal: Cinéma du Musée, Cinéma Moderne, Goethe-Institut Montréal, Centre Création Danse Nyata Nyata, and Bassin Peel.
Coinciding with Asian Heritage Month, the 12th KFFC features more than 40 programs, including 27 Asian arthouse films, VR exhibitions, media arts installations, intercultural festivities, and outdoor screenings. The festival opens on Thursday, May 22nd with a reception at Cinéma du Musée, followed by a screening program featuring preeminent director Bong Joon Ho’s first short film Incoherence (1994) and Jang Man-min's debut feature Silver Apricot (2024), both produced by the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA).
"We are super excited about the programming this year," said Annabelle Kang, a Canadian-Korean artist and writer, and Assistant Director of Arts East-West. "We have some new initiatives to the festival this year. We are holding a program called Intercultural Encounters on June 6th and this is a free program. We are also hosting a media arts exhibition on June 11-14 at Goethe-Institut. And on June 28th there will be an outdoor screening at Bassin Peel as part of La Semaine de la Corée - Édition Jeju."
The closing program on June 7th at Cinéma Moderne will feature acclaimed director Hong Sang soo's A Traveler's Needs (2024) starring Isabelle Huppert, alongside Korean-Canadian filmmaker Helen Lee's Paris to Pyongyang (2024), a captivating essay documentary juxtaposing dual narratives of 1950s Parisian intellectuals and the filmmaker's grandmother's memories of Korea.
Arts East-West proudly presents the 12th edition of the Korean Film Festival Canada (KFFC), which kicks off on May 22nd and runs until June 28th across five cherished venues in Tiohtiá/Montréal: Cinéma du Musée, Cinéma Moderne, Goethe-Institut Montréal, Centre Création Danse Nyata Nyata, and Bassin Peel.
Coinciding with Asian Heritage Month, the 12th KFFC features more than 40 programs, including 27 Asian arthouse films, VR exhibitions, media arts installations, intercultural festivities, and outdoor screenings. The festival opens on Thursday, May 22nd with a reception at Cinéma du Musée, followed by a screening program featuring preeminent director Bong Joon Ho’s first short film Incoherence (1994) and Jang Man-min's debut feature Silver Apricot (2024), both produced by the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA).
"We are super excited about the programming this year," said Annabelle Kang, a Canadian-Korean artist and writer, and Assistant Director of Arts East-West. "We have some new initiatives to the festival this year. We are holding a program called Intercultural Encounters on June 6th and this is a free program. We are also hosting a media arts exhibition on June 11-14 at Goethe-Institut. And on June 28th there will be an outdoor screening at Bassin Peel as part of La Semaine de la Corée - Édition Jeju."
The closing program on June 7th at Cinéma Moderne will feature acclaimed director Hong Sang soo's A Traveler's Needs (2024) starring Isabelle Huppert, alongside Korean-Canadian filmmaker Helen Lee's Paris to Pyongyang (2024), a captivating essay documentary juxtaposing dual narratives of 1950s Parisian intellectuals and the filmmaker's grandmother's memories of Korea.
Arts Est-Ouest présente la 12e édition du Festival du Film Coréen Canada (FFCC), qui débute le 22 mai et se poursuit jusqu’au 28 juin dans cinq lieux prisés de Tiohtià:ke/Montréal : Cinéma du Musée, Cinéma Moderne, Goethe-Institut Montréal, Centre Création Danse Nyata Nyata et Bassin Peel. Coïncidant avec le Mois du patrimoine asiatique, le 12e FFCC présente plus de 40 programmes, dont 27 films d’art asiatiques, des expositions de réalité virtuelle, des installations d’arts médiatiques, des festivités interculturelles et des projections en plein air.
Le Festival du film coréen du Canada fait lui aussi la part belle aux courts métrages, en présentant entre autres dans son programme d’ouverture ce jeudi au Cinéma du Musée le tout premier opus du cinéaste oscarisé et « palmé » Bong Joon-ho, Incoherence. Samedi, le festival propose deux autres programmes de courts : la « Vitrine des réalisatrices, K-Shorts : 5 voix principales » au cinéma Moderne.
40 programmes comprenant 3 premières mondiales, la vitrine des réalisatrices, des courts métrages gratuits en ligne, des expositions de réalité virtuelle, des projections en plein air et bien plus encore, se déroulant pendant le Mois du patrimoine asiatique dans plus de lieux que jamais auparavant!
Arts Est-Ouest présente fièrement la 12e édition du Festival du Film Coréen Canada (FFCC), qui débute le 22 mai et se poursuit jusqu’au 28 juin dans cinq lieux prisés de Tiohtià:ke/Montréal : Cinéma du Musée, Cinéma Moderne, Goethe-Institut Montréal, Centre Création Danse Nyata Nyata et Bassin Peel.
Coïncidant avec le Mois du patrimoine asiatique, le 12e FFCC présente plus de 40 programmes, dont 27 films d’art asiatiques, des expositions de réalité virtuelle, des installations d’arts médiatiques, des festivités interculturelles et des projections en plein air.
Le festival s’ouvre le jeudi 22 mai à 18h avec une réception au Cinéma du Musée, suivie d’un programme de projection mettant en vedette le premier court métrage du célèbre réalisateur Bong Joon Ho, Incoherence (1994) et le premier long métrage de Jang Man-min, Silver Apricot(2024), tous deux produits par l’Académie Coréenne des Arts Cinématographiques (KAFA).
La directrice artistique Mi-Jeong Lee déclare : « Notre thème de deux ans ‘Arts et Technologies : Sommeil, Rêve, Corps’ culmine cette année avec un programme qui explore l’intersection fascinante des œuvres créatives et des avancées technologiques à travers la lentille du cinéma asiatique et de l’art médiatique. Nous avons invité plus de 35 films, expositions de réalité virtuelle et œuvres d’arts numériques qui mettent l’accent sur la spécificité culturelle asiatique, grâce à nos collaborations avec plus de 70 artistes et de nombreux partenaires. »
Le programme de clôture le 7 juin au Cinéma Moderne présentera le film acclamé du réalisateur Hong Sangsoo, A Traveler’s Needs (2024) avec Isabelle Huppert, aux côtés du film de la cinéaste canado-coréenne Helen Lee, Paris to Pyongyang (2024), un captivant essai-documentaire juxtaposant les récits parallèles des intellectuels parisiens des années 1950 et les souvenirs de la grand-mère de la cinéaste sur la Corée.
« Le FFCC est une célébration du cinéma coréen et de la diversité des voix canado-asiatiques… une programmation audacieuse et inspirante, nous transportant dans des histoires captivantes et des perspectives nouvelles. » — Jean-François Lamarche (Directeur de la programmation, Cinéma du Musée)
www.fr.artseastwest.ca/kffc/2025-kffc
Korean Film Festival Canada is a great opportunity to support the media arts.
Take in film screenings, roundtables and art talks.
The festival is on at various locations until June 28.
Korean Film Festival Canada (KFFC) aims to support Asian Canadian media arts through creation by artist-driven, theme-based initiatives directed at fostering cultural diversity in Canada; to explore Korean Canadian and pan-Asian Canadian identity through the arts and media with both an intercultural and intergenerational lens; to support emerging Asian Canadian artists through showcasing marginalized voices, and to embrace technology and opportunities for cultural and artistic discourse, online and in person, both nationally and globally.
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