Korean cinema returns to Budapest this September with 24 feature films, three visiting directors and a programme stretching from historical drama to occult action and zombie comedy.
The 19th Korean Film Festival will run from 25 September to 2 October at Budapest’s Corvin Cinema, offering audiences a broader look at South Korean filmmaking beyond global hits such as Parasite and Squid Game.
Organised by the Korean Cultural Center, this year’s festival is divided into four sections – Fresh, Faces, Focus and Extra – and will also feature post-screening conversations with three Korean directors.
From a child king to demon hunters
The festival opens with Chang Hang-jun’s historical drama The King’s Warden, set in 15th-century Joseon. The story follows the leader of an impoverished mountain village who is unexpectedly entrusted with Yi Hong-wi, a young king forced from the throne.
Elsewhere, the programme moves rapidly between genres. Heartman: Rock and Love brings a former musician face to face with his first love, while The Ugly begins with human remains discovered after four decades.
At the more spectacular end of the line is Holy Night: Demon Hunters, in which three people with supernatural abilities attempt to save Seoul from a devil-worshipping criminal organisation.
An 80-day journey from Gwangju to Budapest
One film has an unusually direct Hungarian connection.
3 Gen. Journey follows a grandfather, a father and two children travelling by electric car from Gwangju to Budapest over 80 days. It forms part of the festival’s Focus: On the Road selection, built around journeys that do not always end where their protagonists expect.
Budapest audiences will also have the opportunity to meet Korean filmmakers in person. Song Jinuk and Jang Kunjae will take part in CineTalk events on 26 September, followed by Lee Seonyeon on 27 September. The discussions will be held in Hungarian and Korean.
Korean independent cinema gets its own spotlight
The festival’s Extra section will present five films selected with its official partner, the Jeonju International Film Festival.
The line-up explores relationships, financial insecurity, family ties and historical trauma. Among the more unusual titles is documentary Horoomon, which uses the history of a popular Japanese dish to explore the identity and exclusion experienced by the Korean minority in Japan.
And finally, a zombie daughter
The festival closes on 2 October with comedy My Daughter is a Zombie. Adapted from a popular webtoon, it follows a father who refuses to abandon his daughter after she becomes a zombie. He hides her in the countryside with her grandmother and attempts to teach her how to behave like a human again.
Despite the supernatural premise, the film is ultimately built around the relationship between father and daughter.
The Festival will take place at Corvin Cinema in Budapest from 25 September to 2 October 2026.
- Venue: Corvin Cinema, 1082 Budapest, Corvin köz 1.
- Tickets: available from 10 September, both online via Corvin Cinema and at the cinema box office
- Programme and further information: koreaifilmfesztival.hu
- Facebook event: available on the festival’s official event page
