Various London venues

Korean film is way more than just Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook, supreme though they are. In fact, Korea arguably has one of the world’s most exciting and mercurial film cultures, as proved by this splashy annual festival. Showcased at the BFI Southbank, Ciné Lumière, the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) and various other prestigious London picture houses, the line-up features 22 films screened across a fortnight, kicking off with Kim Mi-jo’s The Journey to Gyeong-ju (2025), a star-studded crime drama with grieving matriarch Ok-sil (Parasite’s Lee Jung-eun) and her three daughters (Gong Hyo-jin, Park So-dam, Lee Yeon) embarking on a road trip to avenge the murder of the youngest family member, followed by a Q&A with director Kim and actor Lee Jung-eun. While the closing gala, is the UK Premiere of Park Hoon-jung’s Tristes Tropiques (2025), alongside a Q&A with the filmmaker. Well-known for his gritty and ruthless action dramas, this film is a bloodbath triggered by the death of a kill-squad leader. It won the Nouveau Genre Grand Prize, the top honour in the international competition at the 32nd L’Étrange Festival. Have a butchers at the full programme here. 

This UK-wide festival, a primo showcase of Jewish diaspora storytelling, aims to explore Jewish life through film. This year it marks its 30th anniversary and features a lineup of more than 70 films, including 50 World or UK premieres, many fresh from Cannes, Sundance, Venice, Berlin and Tribeca. Look out for special gala screenings, including UK premiere of When The Night Falls (Nov 5), a Cannes premiere directed by and starring celebrated French actor-filmmaker Daniel Auteuil and based on a true story following a civil servant who defies the Nazi-imposed deadline to deport Jewish children from Vichy France; the UK premiere of The Wedding Entertainer (The Tale of Moishe Badhan) (Nov 12), a modern Jewish folktale about a down-on-his-luck wedding entertainer; and the UK premiere of The Last Concert (Nov 15), a thrilling cat-and-mouse drama, which will close out the festival.