We present a list of twenty films you should not miss at the London East Asia Film Festival which will take place from October 24th until November 3rd, in London, United Kingdom.

About the festival:
LEAFF aims to champion the growing collaboration in East Asian filmmaking with a philosophy that marks a shift in the cinematic landscape of East Asia, and moves away from cultural and cinematic borders. Our vision is to bring a much wider, eclectic, and diverse programme of films from over 13 countries to show the richness and diversity of the region and its people. We want to draw people in with the familiar, and offer opportunities to see something new.

Selected Films:

A Girl Missing by Koji Fukada – Japan | 2019 – 111 minutes

Ichiko is a care-giver and a nurse. She provide home-care to the Oishos’ elderly woman and is almost considered part of the family as she visits and performs her tasks routinely. What is more, Ichiko is helping Oisho Motoko to also become a care-giver and potentially replace her one day. The two have become close, which is useful when Motoko’s sister Saki disappears. She is returned safely one week later, but the kidnapper is too close to home.

Screening:
October 31st (Thursday) | ODEON Covent Garden | 10:15 pm

Trailer:

Another Child by Kim Yoon-seok – Korea | 2019 – 118 minutes

17-year-old Joo-ri (Kim Hye-jun) catches her father Kwon Dae-won (Kim Yoon-seok) having an affair with restaurant owner Kim Mi-hee (Kim So-jin), who happens to be the mother of her classmate Yoon-ah (Park Se-jin). When they talk at school, the affair causes tension between the teenagers and it worsens when Yoon-ah reveals that her mother is pregnant. Whilst Joo-ri didn’t want her mother Yeong-joo (Yum Jung-ah) to find out about both the affair and pregnancy, everything begins to unravel when she meets Mi-hee and the baby has to be delivered prematurely.

Screening:
November 2nd (Saturday) | ODEON Convent Garden | 1:45 pm

Trailer:

G Affairs by Lee Cheuk Pan – Hong Kong | 2018 – 105 minutes

When the paths of a gifted female student, a cellist, an autistic teenager, a police officer, a prostitute, a teacher and a dog are entwined the very night a human head is discovered, attempting to crack the intriguing case leads to keywords all starting with the letter ‘G’. As the investigation continues, the complexity of the lives of Hong Kong people, the desperation faced by both locals and immigrants living in Hong Kong today are slowly uncovered and a suspenseful multifarious Hong Kong story is revealed.

Screening:
October 27th (Sunday) | ODEON Covent Garden | 5:15 pm

Trailer:

Heavy Craving by Pei-Ju Hsieh – Taiwan | 2019 – 90 minutes

“Ms. Dinosaur”, Jiang Ying-Juan, a big woman with a warm heart who loves to cook. Her plus-sized figure is often frowned upon. Her mother asks her to lose weight, her neighbor laughs at her, and strangers give her unwanted attention when merely riding a bus. One day, a delivery man saves her from a harassment. Encouraged by him, Jiang finally makes up her mind to lose weight. However, she struggles with the slimming center’s aggressive weight loss plan. When losing not only her health but her passion for cooking, Jiang starts to question the meaning and the definition of the so-called “better self…”

Screening:
October 31st (Thursday) | ODEON Covent Garden | 10:00 am

Trailer:

Inseparable Bros by Yuk Sang-hyo – Korea | 2019 – 114 minutes

Se-Ha (Shin Ha-Kyun) and Dong-Goo (Lee Kwang-Soo) are not blood-related brothers, but they have been like brothers for the past 20 years. Se-Ha is smart, but he has a physical disability. Dong-Goo is not very smart, but he is in excellent physical condition. These two men meet Mi-Hyun (Esom). She is the only person to treat them without prejudice. Mi-Hyun helps them get out into the world.

Screening:
November 3rd (Sunday) | ODEON Covent Garden | 9:00 am

Trailer:

Juror 8 by Hong Seung-wan – Korea | 2019 – 114 minutes

Kim Joon-Kyeom (Moon So-ri) is a presiding judge who leads the first civil participation of a criminal trial in South Korea. 8 jurors are selected for the criminal trial including Kwon Nam-Woo (Park Hyung-shik). The jurors are ordinary people, but, after they become jurors, they seek out the truth of the case.

Screening:
November 1st (Friday) | ODEON Covent Garden | 9:30 am

Trailer:

Nina Wu by Midi Z – Taiwan | 2019 – 103 minutes

After eight years toiling in bit-parts, aspiring actress Nina Wu finally gets her big break with a leading role in a spy thriller set in the 1960s. The part is challenging, not least because it calls for full nudity and explicit sex scenes, and the film’s director is often hard on her. But both the industry and the press are confident that the results are sensationally good. On the brink of triumph, though, Nina’s psychological resolve begins to crack. She rushes back to her family home to deal with two crises: her father’s business has gone bankrupt and her mother has suffered a heart attack. She dreams of rekindling a close relationship with her childhood friend Kiki but is haunted by paranoid fantasies that a mysterious woman is stalking and attacking her. As Nina clings to memories of happier times, it seems that there is one crucial memory that she is repressing…

Screening:
October 31st (Thursday) | ODEON Covent Garden | 12:00 pm

Trailer:

Port of Call by Philip Yung – Hong Kong | 2015 – 120 minutes

Detective Chong (Kwok) is an overly-dedicated member of the force with the slightly morbid hobby of taking selfie Polaroids at the crime scenes he investigates. Personal proclivities notwithstanding, he’s extremely good at his job, and is the natural choice for investigating officer when a potential murder scene is discovered bearing traces of heavy blood loss, but no body. The tenant of the blood-soaked flat, Ting Chichung (Michael Ning), comes under immediate suspicion, but when the identity of the potential victim is established to be teenaged Hunan migrant Wang Jiamei (Jessie Li), Det. Chong realises that the case may not be as straightforward as it seems.

Screening:
November 1st (Friday) | ODEON Covent Garden | 2:00 pm

Trailer:

Rainbow’s Sunset by Joel Lamangan – Philippines | 2019 – 105 minutes

Ramon, an 84-year-old retired politician, shocks his family with his decision to live with and take care of his gay, childhood best friend, Fredo, who’s dying of cancer. As it turns out, the two men are romantically in love.

Screening:
October 26th (Saturday) | ODEON Covent Garden | 9:00 am

Trailer:

Rivercide: The Secret Six by Kim Byeongki – Korea | 2019 – 94 minutes

The Korean news publication, Oh-My-News has been following former Korean president Lee Myung-bak regarding the ‘Pan Korea Grand Waterway’ project that he proclaimed as his main election pledge during his presidential candidate campaign. This film raises the issue of the ‘4 Great Rivers project’ by documenting those who sided with Lee’s government and those who stood their grounds to preserve the Geum, Nakdong, Han, and Yeongsan Rivers, and resist these rivers from being destroyed.

Screening:
October 28th (Monday) | Cinema Museum | 17:00 pm

To see the second part of this article please go here: PART 2 (Soon…)

For more information about the programme please visit the official website of the festival: London East Asia Film Festival