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Arts & Culture

Korean Movie Nights in New York

"Daytime Drinking" kicks off the Korean Movie Nights in New York.
Eleven Arts
"Daytime Drinking" kicks off the Korean Movie Nights in New York.

Free Korean Films at the Tribeca Cinemas

I wanted to give a shout out to a great FREE program that starts tonight in New York: Korean Movie Nights, Tuesdays at 7pm at the Tribeca Cinemas (54 Varick Street) beginning with "Daytime Drinking."

Okay I know I'm based in San Diego and it's just plain cruel (to Asian film fanatics like myself) to highlight something in New York when you might not be able to get to it but this yearlong series is just too good not to mention. I mean a year's worth of new Korean films for free!

Here's how the event organizers introduce the program in their press release: "The American people are under attack. Held hostage by a totalitarian regime based in Hollywood that insists on torturing them with terrible movies based on lame toys and old TV shows in clear violation of their human rights, America's citizens cry out to the international community for assistance... And Korea responds.

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"The Korean Cultural Service, the most battle-tested and technologically advanced arm of the Korean government, is staging an invasion of Manhattan to liberate Americans from their current system of entertainment. Coordinated by the director of the KCS, Soo Keun Song, every other Tuesday night, from January 12, 2010 until December 14, 2010, the Korean Cultural Service will be screening new Korean movies at the Tribeca Cinemas. That's right, America. For free."

How can you resist? All you have to do if you want to attend is RSVP to info@koreanculture.org or call 212-759-9550.

"Daytime Drinking"
Eleven Arts
"Daytime Drinking"

What they are calling "Stage One of the Korean Invasion" will be indie films. According to the press release: "The Korean film industry imploded in 2006. With too many films in production (so many movies were being made that cameras had to be borrowed from Japan) and too many bloated star vehicles hitting the market, the Korean film industry production bubble popped like a sub-prime mortgage crisis. But in late 2008 and 2009, hope was restored when a series of low budget, independent Korean movies became massive word-of-mouth hits. For the next eight weeks, the Korean Cultural Service will introduce these movies to America."

So tonight at 7pm there will be the New York premiere of "Daytime Drinking" (2008, 116 minutes, a farce that plays off the Korean notion that the rudest thing one can do is turn down a drink.

I'll be posting more about the festival as it continues. But if you are in New York, I urge you to seek this film series out.