Italy was once again awash with Korean colours at the 9th Florence Korean Film Festival.
This year the festival was able to secure a veritable whose who of Korean directors including BONG Joon-ho (<The Host> 2006), LEE Chang-dong (<Secret Sunshine> 2007), IM Sang-soo (<The President’s Last Bang> 2005) and LEE Kyu-man (<Wide Awake> 2007).  In addition, as well as 10,000 audience members, a number of other guests were in attendance including Italian directors Roger Diodati, and Leonardo Cinieri Lombroso and YOO Dong-suk, director of the Korean Film Festival in France (Festival Franco Corren du Film). 

The festival contained a number of sections including a retrospective of BONG Joon-ho, a special presentation of the Cannes premiering <The Housemaid> (IM Sang-soo 2010) as well as LEE Chang-dong’s Cannes winning <Poetry> (2010).  Other sections included the K-Thriller Showcase and short film section ‘Shorts Shorts’.  In the festivals Film Competition section ‘Korean Horizons’, the jury awarded its top prize to feature debut director KIM Sung-ho’s film <She Came From> (2010).  The film which has also played at last year’s Jeonju International Film Festival plots the journey of a film director who, while staying in Busan, finds his own life becomes intertwined in a screen play he is writing. 

The Florence Korean Film Festival begun March the 25th and wrapped up April 2.  The festival is held with support from KOFIC.