-
6 books by 5 Korean female authors
I recently returned from a week-long trip to Seoul. Although I had previously been on ‘a cinematic journey to South Korea’, this was actually the first time I set foot in the country. It’s been 4 years since ‘Parasite’, directed by Bong Joon-ho, won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. This was a historical moment: ‘Parasite’ was the first South Korean film to have been nominated in these categories, as well as the first non-English language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Since then, I have watched many more films from South Korea, listened to Korean music (not only K-pop) and…
-
A cinematic journey around the world
On Saturday 2nd September, hundreds of cinemas across the UK are coming together for National Cinema Day. Although I’m not currently in the UK, I would like to take this opportunity and embark on a cinematic journey around the world. I will discuss 10 films which have travelling at their core and take place in exotic countries that I would like to visit (either for the first time or visit again). I’m starting this cinematic journey around the world from Greece, the country where I was born and I’m currently in. Triangle of Sadness – Greece Triangle of Sadness is one of the most recent films in this list. It…
-
20 European TV series to watch
It is not a secret that I enjoy watching European TV series; they offer an interesting insight into different cultures that are foreign to me. In fact, I recently published the post ‘Nordic Noir: 20 Scandinavian TV series to watch’, whereas last year I published the post ‘9 Italian TV series to watch‘. Today, I’m visiting a total of 10 European countries, including my home country. Without further ado, here are 20 European TV series I would recommend. 20 European TV series to watch (in alphabetical order) Capitani (Luxemburg) Capitani is a Luxembourgish crime drama, available on Netflix. There are currently two seasons, with twelve episodes each. In the first…
-
Nordic Noir: 20 Scandinavian TV series to watch
The winner of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest was rightfully Sweden with the song “Tattoo”, performed by Loreen. Although Sweden won the jury vote and the overall competition, it actually came second in the public vote. Neighbouring Finland might have won the public vote, but came second overall (in my opinion, it should have come last). Sweden’s other neighbour, Norway, finished fifth, whereas Denmark and Iceland did not qualify for the final. Inspired by Eurovision, today I’m reflecting on the Scandinavian TV series (mostly crime dramas) I’ve recently watched (as well as some older ones). 20 Scandinavian TV series to watch I have previously written about Norwegian, Finnish and Icelandic TV series, but…
-
Beyond K-pop: the culture of South Korea
The recent increase in the global popularity of South Korean culture is commonly referred to as ‘K-wave’, ‘Korean wave’ or ‘Hallyu’. It’s been almost 3 years since ‘Parasite’, directed by Bong Joon-ho, won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. This was a historical moment: ‘Parasite’ was the first South Korean film to have been nominated in these categories, as well as the first non-English language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Since then, I have watched many more films from South Korea, a country that I’m yet to visit, and I have been slowly riding the ‘Korean wave’. Today, I’d like…
-
7 international films I’ve watched in 2022
I have previously written about international films, including films nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film before 2020), my favourite Oscar, and films I’ve watched in film festivals. As another year is coming to an end, I have been reflecting on the films I’ve watched in the last 12 months. Of those, 7 were international. Before I further discuss those, I would like to note that I have borrowed the terminology used by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (best known around the world for its annual Academy Awards, a.k.a. “The Oscars”). So, ‘international’ refers to films in a…
-
From ‘No Time to Die’ to 5 films about grief
It’s been two months since ‘No Time to Die’, the twenty-fifth in the James Bond series, was released. Filming locations included some of my favourite places in the world, such as Italy (Matera), the Caribbean (Jamaica), Norway, the Faroe Islands and London. As much as I enjoyed following the fictional British MI6 agent around the world (SPOILER ALERT FOLLOWS), I was shocked by the ending, where Bond dies. A few weeks later, I attended the Leeds International Film Festival, which took place from 3 to 18 November. Interestingly, five of the six films I watched (chosen either by myself or my friend Jini) were films about grief. Drive My Car…
-
My favourite Eurovision songs
I first watched the Eurovision Song Contest in 1993, and I have watched it almost every year since then. Sadly, last year it was cancelled due to the pandemic. However, even though the pandemic is far from over, the contest has not been cancelled this year and the final is due to take place tonight. Today, I’d like to take this opportunity to look back to the last two decades and share my favourite Eurovision songs from 40(ish) participating countries (as well as some interesting facts and trivia). I have to admit that choosing my favourite song from each participating country proved quite a challenge; some countries have participated with…
-
10 Finnish & Icelandic TV series to watch
According to the ninth World Happiness Report, published in March 2021, Finland is once again on the top of the happiness rankings (for a fourth year running). It is closely followed by another Nordic country, Iceland. To gain a deeper understanding of the Finnish and Icelandic psyche respectively, I have been reading books and watching films and TV series from both these countries. Today, I discuss some of the Finnish and Icelandic TV series I’ve recently watched. 5 Finnish TV series to watch All The Sins ‘All The Sins’ (‘Kaikki synnit’) is a crime series set in a rural community in Northern Finland. There are two seasons, with six 45-minute-long…
-
Best International Feature Film goes to…
The Oscars are due in just two days, on 26 April. Last year, a few weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic hit Europe and the Americas, the South Korean film ‘Parasite’, directed by Bong Joon-ho, won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, but also the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. This was a historical moment: ‘Parasite’ was the first South Korean film to have been nominated in these categories, as well as the first non-English language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. This year, there will be a total of 23 Academy Awards. Of those, the one I’m most excited about…