What happens when three generations set off from Gwangju to Budapest in an electric car? Can you save a family member who has turned into a zombie? And what secrets can surface from a family’s past after forty years? From 25 September to 2 October, the Korean Film Festival returns to Corvin Cinema with 24 feature films. From historical drama and road movies to occult action, this year’s programme brings a remarkably varied selection of stories to the big screen, while three Korean directors will also meet audiences in person at post-screening talks.
These days, Korean cinema is about much more than Parasite or Squid Game. What is perhaps less visible behind these international successes is just how diverse the country’s film scene really is. Organised by the Korean Cultural Center, the 19th Korean Film Festival sets out to showcase exactly that diversity, with this year’s programme built around four sections: Fresh, Faces, Focus and Extra.
It All Begins with a Child King
The festival opens on 25 September with Chang Hang-jun’s historical drama The King’s Warden. Set in 15th-century Joseon, the story follows the head of a poor mountain village who hopes his community might prosper by taking in an exiled nobleman. There is just one catch: the man entrusted to his care is no ordinary noble, but Yi Hong-wi, the young king who has been forced from the throne.
The historical drama was a major success in South Korea, attracting more than 16 million cinemagoers by April following its February release. It also won the Audience Award at the Udine Far East Film Festival and received several Baeksang Arts Awards.
Romance, Family Secrets and Demon Hunters
The Fresh section is perhaps the best place to see just how difficult it is to define contemporary Korean cinema by any single genre.
In Heartman: Rock and Love, a former musician’s first love unexpectedly reappears in his life. In The Ugly, human remains discovered after forty years set off an investigation into a family’s past, while Project Y follows two women who risk everything on a dangerous plan. At the other end of the spectrum is Holy Night: Demon Hunters, in which a trio with supernatural powers must save Seoul from a criminal organisation that worships the devil.
What Is It Like to Be a Child in Yoon Ga-eun’s World?
This year’s Faces section turns the spotlight on the films of Yoon Ga-eun. The director is particularly interested in childhood and adolescence, but not in an idealised version of them. In her films, friendships fall apart, families face crises, and young characters discover far too early what it means to feel like an outsider.
Four of her works will be screened at the festival, including The World of Love, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, as well as The World of Us and The House of Us.
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From Gwangju to Budapest – by Electric Car
In this year’s Focus: On the Road selection, everyone is heading somewhere – although where they end up may not be where they originally intended to go.
The film with the most direct connection to Hungary is 3 Gen. Journey. A grandfather, a father and two children travel from Gwangju to Budapest by electric car over the course of 80 days. Elsewhere in the selection, a family heads to Gyeongju in search of revenge, two strangers set off into the unknown together, and another family embarks on one final trip, only to uncover a long-held secret along the way.
Festivalgoers will also have the chance to meet three Korean directors in person. Song Jinuk and Jang Kunjae will take part in CineTalk events on 26 September, followed by Lee Seonyeon on 27 September. The post-screening conversations will be held in Hungarian and Korean.
Five Films from Jeonju
The Extra section presents five films selected by the festival’s official partner, the Jeonju International Film Festival. The selection offers a glimpse into a less familiar side of Korean independent cinema, exploring relationships, financial insecurity, family ties and historical trauma.
Living Through the Same Season traces the memories of a relationship across four seasons, while Insomnia confronts a young married couple with a brutal moral dilemma after they lose all their savings in a housing rental scam. Two award-winning filmmakers will also be in Budapest in person: Jang Kunjae will meet audiences after the screening of Spring Snow, while Lee Seonyeon will discuss her debut feature, The Summer That Slipped Away.
One of the most distinctive films in the selection is the documentary Horoomon. The history of a now-popular Japanese dish is closely intertwined with the past of the Korean minority living in Japan. Beginning with something as everyday as food, the film opens up a much larger story about identity, exclusion and a century of historical memory.
Saving the Zombie for Last
The festival closes on 2 October with the comedy My Daughter is a Zombie. The premise sounds familiar enough: an outbreak begins and someone turns into a zombie. This time, however, that someone is a young girl – and her father refuses to give up on her.
He takes her to the countryside to stay with her grandmother, hides her from the outside world and attempts to teach her how to be human again. Adapted from a popular webtoon, the film playfully turns the conventions of the zombie genre on their head while telling, at its heart, a story about the relationship between a father and his daughter.
Audiences will once again be able to vote for their favourite film throughout the festival, with the Audience Award presented before the screening of the closing film.
Event: 19th Korean Film Festival
Dates: 25 September – 2 October 2026
Venue: Corvin Cinema (1082 Budapest, Corvin köz 1.)
Tickets: Available from 10 September online via Corvin Cinema and at the cinema box office
More information: koreaifilmfesztival.hu
The festival’s Facebook event page is available here.
Images featured in this press release are courtesy of the Korean Cultural Center. The programme is subject to change. The organisers reserve the right to make changes to the programme.
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