She has travelled across the world to curate the perfect film festival (Picture: Katy Kyng Min)

The London East Asian Film Festival, which starts today, is the talk of the town. A rare gem in the world of film festivals, film aficionados and Kpop connoisseurs alike will get the chance to feast on films from countries all over Asia, including China, South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia.

In its third year (though there was a mini pre-festival in 2015 with seven feature films), the festival boasts 60 films, including six international premiers, eight European premiers and 23 UK premiers.

And it’s a unique festival for lots of reasons: Its focus is unequivocally Asia, and it has a healthy helping of both big commercial hotshots as well as niche art house titles.



Oh, and it has a female director.


‘There are 3,000 film festivals but not many female directors. Sometimes when I go to meetings, they don’t realise who I am. In Korea, the hierarchy can be…difficult.’

Hyejung Jeon was born in South Korea, and her encyclopaedic knowledge of her own culture is a force to be reckoned with. Once a dance choreographer, and having spent 10 years shaping and growing the London Korean Film Festival, LEAFF is the accumulation of countless hours of work.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk exclusively, director Jeon says that Korean culture is having a bit of a moment in the Western world.

‘Before BTS, actually, we had B-Boys. They were actually the first Korean content to go global. Sadler’s Wells Theatre still has an annual breakdance convention and the last performance is always Korean.’

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Kpop boyband BTS’ astronomical rise is the stuff of dreams – they’ve broken global records, they were the first Korean band to have a speaking spot at the UN assembly and their fans reach far and wide. In the London leg of their world tour the concerts sold out in minutes. Why are they so popular?

‘They say BTS is like Beatles…Well, they’re so popular because of social media. And they don’t just sing – it’s total culture: music, art, fashion…everything. We can show everything.

‘We have so many senses, and we have to satisfy them all: Music for ears, visuals for eyes and so on. Everything.’

(Picture: Katy Kyung Min)

And it’s not just their eclectic talents: it’s the fandom, too.

‘Korean fans taught English ones. Our fandom culture is very strong you see,’ she explained.

Can this interest in Korea translate to film?

‘It’s getting there,’ director Jeon muses, and her eyes light up when she remembers. ‘Sadiq Khan once told me London’s diversity is amazing because we have LEAFF. There is a demand for diverse stories.’

One of the festival sections is ‘Stories of Women’ and this year will be showcasing lives of women across Asia, with the gender-swapping Miss Baek (South Korea) and Comrade Kim Goes Flying, the festival’s first North Korean feature.



In light of #Metoo, which saw women rise above Hollywood’s pernicious culture of sexual assault and sexism, the section seems particularly important.

So important in fact, that it got Park Chan Wook’s seal of approval (the director of the recently critically acclaimed Handmaiden).

‘He saw the section, which was supposed to be temporary in last year’s festival, and told me I should keep it there,’ Jeon smiles. ‘So I did.’

LEAFF will commence on the 25 October and close on the 4 November and will be showing across select cinemas in London.