Thursday, March 19 / 7 pm / Korean Cultural Centre

Guest Speaker: Aaron Nam (Korean Film Archives)

Feature presentation \

Presented as part of IFFO’s annual SAVE AS conference, this rarely screened and recently rediscovered classic is one of several 1950s films restored by the Korean Film Archives. A fascinating hybrid of documentary and fiction, Nakdong River is a rare example of a film actually produced during chaotic period of the Korean War (1950-1953). Its fictional story revolves around Il-ryeong who, after graduating from university, returns to the village of his birth along the shores of the Nakdong River. Together with his girlfriend Ok-nam, he tries to educate and guide the villagers to a better life. Meanwhile, the ravages of war are rapidly approaching. Interwoven with this narrative are often poetic documentary sequences celebrating the ancient river and its close connection to Korean history.  

“Nakdong River is an important historical document in that it is a rare example of a film that was made and screened as the Korean War was still being fought, though by 1952 the battle lines had moved far to the north. Director Jeon Chang-keun fluidly recreates the rhythms of village life on film… . It’s some of the film’s most ordinary moments that are most effective, capturing the resilience of people living through a time of great instability.”

Darcy Paquet, Far East Film Festival

Presented with the generous collaboration of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, the Korean Cultural Centre, and the Korean Film Archives.