Korean Film Nights 2016

Working alongside the annual London Korean Film Festival which marked its 10th anniversary in 2015, Korean Film Nights extends the opportunities for audiences to enjoy Korean cinema all year-round. For 2016 we curated a programme entitled Ha Ha Ha: Translating Korean Humour. The title references Hong Sang-soo’s charming 2010 film Hahaha which was presented as part of the season.

2016's programme was based on the idea that, though some humour works universally, humour is more often than not local, playing frequently with cultural and linguistic nuances - whether referencing a specific sociopolitical situation, or making use of word-play or jokes. Though open to debate, British humour, for example, is widely associated with sarcasm and self-ridicule through a deadpan delivery. So what makes Korean humour distinct? Ha Ha Ha: Translating Korean Humour set out to explore this.