2025 Korean Film Festival in Berlin
Freie Universität together with King Sejong Institute will host the 2025 Korean Cinema from February 19 to 21
February 12th, 2025
Freie Universität Berlin, in collaboration with the King Sejong Institute, will host the 2025 Korean Cinema from February 19 to 21. The program, featuring renowned film scholar Lee Hyangjin, will look at the social criticism and aesthetic triumphs of Korean popular cinema.
Through selected works and discussions, the event highlights Korea’s shared historical memory and social empathy, showcasing a film culture that continues to captivate global audiences. Politics is a major driving element behind the development of Korean film, becoming a distinguishing feature of Korean popular culture.
The program includes screenings of Veteran (2015), Veteran 2: I, the Executioner (2024), and Black Republic (1990), alongside guest talks by Kang Hye Jeong, producer and CEO of Filmmaker R&K, and Park Kwang Su, Chairman of the Busan International Film Festival.
"Veteran" (2015), directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, depicts the fight between justice and corporate power, addressing modern South Korean themes of economic imbalance and corporate malfeasance. "Veteran 2: I, the Executioner" follows a group of detectives as they combat crime. The last film, "Black Republic" (1990), is a striking picture of South Korea's societal conflicts in the 1990s, set in a coal-mining village under threat of closure. It depicts the realities of working-class neighbourhoods while also addressing critical themes including economic hardship, social inequity, and the democratisation movement.
By bringing together filmmakers, scholars, and cinephiles, this event—supported by the King Sejong Institute—aims to create a greater awareness of Korean cinema and its potential to reflect and modify society narrative.
