The top 5 Korean premieres at the 2024 Busan film festival, from The Killers to Uprising

Our pick of Korean movies that premiered at the film festival, from crime comedy collection The Killers to period action thriller Uprising

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Gang Dong-won as Cheon-yeong in a still from Uprising, which premiered at the 2024 Busan International Film Festival. Photo: Lee Jae-hyuk/Netflix

Published: 11:15am, 11 Oct 2024Updated: 11:21am, 11 Oct 2024

The Busan International Film Festival screened a bumper crop of Korean titles this year, including several high-profile world premieres, in addition to serving as a platform for a wide range of new voices in the indie realm.

Below are our five favourite Korean titles from the festival.

1. Uprising

Netflix’s period action film Uprising, produced and co-written by Park Chan-wook, caused some controversy when it was selected as the opening film of this year’s Busan International Film Festival, as it was the first streaming film selected to open the fest.

Yet even those protesting the selection would have a hard time denying the merits of this über-violent, wildly inventive and thoroughly entertaining tale of former friends, played by Gang Dong-won and Park Jung-min, who find themselves at the end of each other’s swords.

Director Kim Sang-man (Midnight FM) crafts a stylised and surprisingly funny slice of period mayhem that is gripping from start to finish.

2. Kike Will Hit a Home Run

Indie filmmaker Park Song-yeol’s second film plays to the strengths of his 2022 debut Hot in Day, Cold at Night, upping the ante with a mix of wry humour and dry style that calls to mind the work of Finnish master Aki Kaurismaki.

Park and his wife and producer Won Hyang-ra once again team up on screen to play an ordinary couple doing the utmost to scrape by.