DOC Films Presents: Classics of South Korean Cinema

Published on January 19, 2022 

Since the late 1990s, South Korean cinema has become internationally prominent in the cult and festival circuits, particularly for films that exhibit stylistic extremity, or that tackle complex social issues, like class, in a more direct way than other popular genre cinemas. However, South Korea has had a robust cinema since the mid-1950s.  Join Doc Films and the Center for East Asian Studies for weekly screenings of classic Korean films during this quarter, taking place every Friday at 7:00 pm US CT, beginning in January 2022 through March 4, 2022.  The films in this series have been recognized as the early masterpieces of South Korean cinema, and include horror films that have inspired Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook (The Housemaid and I-eo Island), as well as melodramas and comedies that have inspired great contemporary South Korean filmmakers like Hong Sang-soo, Lee Chang-dong, and others. 

The following films will be screened during the 2021-2022 winter quarter: 

The Housemaid (Kim Ki-young, 1960)
DCP Courtesy of World Cinema Foundation

My Mother and Her Guest (Shin Sang-ok, 1961)
35mm Print Courtesy of MOMA

Madame Freedom (Han Hyeong-mo, 1956)
35mm Print Courtesy of the Korean Film Archive

The Coachman (Kang Dae-jin, 1961)
35mm Print Courtesy of the Korean Film Archive

The Daughters of Kim’s Pharmacy (Yu Hyeon-mok, 1963)
35mm Print Courtesy of the Korean Film Archive

A Flower in Hell (Shin Sang-ok, 1958)
Courtesy of the Korean Film Archive

The full schedule, including dates and venue, can be found here.

This series is co-sponsored with the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Chicago with generous support from a Title VI National Resource Center Grant from the U.S. Department of Education.