London Korean Film Festival Returns for 21st Edition in November
Where the Festival Is Unfolding Across the City
If you have ever strolled along the Thames at Southbank on a crisp autumn evening, you already know how much the BFI draws people in. This November, its screens become the centrepiece of the London Korean Film Festival, which returns for its 21st edition from Monday 2 to Monday 16 November 2026. The programme is spread across three venues: BFI Southbank, Ciné Lumière and the ICA. The ICA sits on The Mall, only a short walk from Trafalgar Square, so anyone who has spent an afternoon among the fountains and lions can slip into a screening without a long journey. For those of us who usually treat Southbank as a place for riverside walks and lunchtime coffee, the next two weeks turn it into a gathering point for conversation and cinema. The spread across venues also matters. It means that residents in different parts of town can reach a screening without crossing the city, and it keeps one of London’s most energetic cultural events from feeling confined to a single postcode. Whether you are a regular at the BFI or someone who rarely visits central London, this is a good excuse to explore a corner of the capital you might otherwise overlook.
The People Behind the Screens
The festival is organised by the Korean Cultural Centre UK, which has built a reputation for bringing South Korean film, music and food to British audiences. Its programme this year reads like a roll call of the country’s most talked-about creative names. The opening night brings the UK premiere of The Journey to Gyeong-ju, a crime drama directed by Kim Mi-jo and starring Lee Jung-eun, the actor many of us remember from Parasite. Their Q&A will give audiences a rare chance to hear the people behind the film explain their choices on screen. Elsewhere, Lee Chang-dong’s Possible Love, a Venice Silver Lion winner, returns to the spotlight, while Pachinko’s Kim Min-ha leads Hana Korea, a drama directed by Frederik Sølberg. For local businesses, the effect is tangible. Cafés, restaurants and bars near the venues tend to see a noticeable rise in custom during festival weeks, as audiences gather before and after screenings. Independent bookshops and Korean grocers in the surrounding areas often benefit too, with curious newcomers picking up a snack or a novel on the way home. For the film community, the Women’s Voices strand offers emerging writers and animators a platform alongside established names, which is good news for anyone in London hoping to break into the industry.
What Locals Should Know and Do Next
The most practical advice is simple: book early. Premieres, galas and Q&A sessions with filmmakers in attendance tend to sell quickly, particularly the opening night on 2 November and the closing film, Tristes Tropiques, on 16 November. Full details, including the full schedule and ticketing information, are available at koreanfilm.co.uk, and it is worth checking the listings regularly, as talks and extra screenings are sometimes added after the initial announcement. If you are new to Korean cinema, the festival is an ideal introduction. Crime thrillers, family dramas, documentaries and independent films offer very different windows into the country’s storytelling, and the chance to hear directors speak afterwards adds real depth to each screening. Students, film enthusiasts and aspiring filmmakers should look closely at the short films in the Women’s Voices strand, which often reveal fresh talent before it reaches wider audiences. Finally, keep an eye on what comes next. The city’s appetite for Korean culture has grown visibly in recent years, from food festivals to markets that sell out quickly. If this year’s festival draws the crowds it deserves, expect more events like it, and expect London to keep welcoming them.
Source: The London Korean Film Festival Returns for Two Weeks
Film lovers planning to visit London this November can enjoy a packed programme of Korean cinema across the city’s festival venues.
