Korean film festival makes a debut in Lagos

The Nigerian film industry continues to attract interest from far and near. Such indication became evident last week with the first Korean Film Festival taking place in Lagos. The festival’s aim was to get Nigeria and South Korea to work together for possible collaborations.

According to the Director of Korean Cultural Centre, Abuja, Sungrae Han, “I know that Nigerian films are very popular on the African continent. They have a very strong presence in the international film industry and many people enjoy Nollywood films. As such, I think that it is very meaningful for us to be here for the purpose of cultural exchange, especially between Korea and Nigeria. I look forward to our partnership in the future.”

The festival screened some award-winning Korean films from an industry considered the “most popular in the world,” according to Han. The opening movie, A Hard Day, a suspense-filled film, had the audience sitting on the edge of their seat. It is about a homicide detective, Ko Gun-su, who, while driving back from his mother’s funeral, runs over a man in a dark, deserted street. In a moment of desperation, he dumps the body in a coffin alongside his mother. A few days later, Gun-su flips through a listing of open cases and finds his accident victim. His colleague is on the accident case and is slowly making progress. To make matters worse, a witness steps forward – a detective named Park Chang-min…

Other movies screened at the three days festival included All About My Wife and Man on The Edge. There was also Korean instant food bazaar, where guests enjoyed a treat of convenient, tasty and nutritious meals made by the Korean community in Lagos.