The Bundaberg Region is set to host the Cinema K Outreach program, a free film funded by the Korean Government.
The heart-warming movie Little Forest will screen at the Moncrieff Entertainment Centre from 7pm on Thursday 20 June as part of a Korean Culture Day program.
Little Forest (리틀 포레스트) was an opening film at Korean Film Festival in Australia 2018 that attracted one of the biggest audiences in the festival’s history.
Korean Cultural Centre Australia cultural programs manager Francis Lee said Cinema K was launched last year so that residents outside of the cities where the festival was held could experience Korean film.
“There are lots of Korean people working around the Bundaberg area,” Francis said.
“There has been an increasing demand in our outreach programs from cities of Queensland and I am thrilled to finally bring a bit of Korean Culture to Bundaberg.
“The Australian and Korean communities in the region can meet each other and get to know more about the Korean culture”.
Film screening to make Korean community ‘feel at home'
Bundaberg and District Neighbourhood Centre CAMS multicultural program coordinator Dianne Hicks said the centre had suggested the idea at a Bundaberg Region Inclusive Community meeting.
“We are excited the Moncrieff is fully on board to make the idea a reality and are keen to promote cultural opportunities such as the Korean film screening,” Dianne said.
“It does warm our heart to see another community centre promoting inclusiveness in our diverse community.
“Our hope is that Bundaberg’s Korean community will feel at home where their language is featured at a public screening.”
She said the neighbourhood centre was a community information hub that offered free practical help, settlement and language information and literacy and numeracy programs.
“We also assist with learning Australian culture and facilitate opportunities for immigrants to share their culture.
“The Bundaberg Neighbourhood Centre has established a Multicultural Reference Group that meet once a month to identify what is importance to our culturally rich community, it is intended to initiate more relevant project opportunities and information sessions.”
Little Forest
Based on a popular Japanese manga series written by Daisuke Igarashi, the Korean film version of Little Forest is a story of Hye-won who returns to her country hometown leaving behind the hardships of living in a big city.
There she reunites with her childhood friends Jae-ha and Eun-sook who are living rural lives in their own ways. Hye-won’s days are filled with simple but peaceful moments as she prepares meals with her organic ingredients. Throughout four seasons Hye-won slowly finds real pleasure in living the simple life, and realizes the genuine reason that led her back to her homeland.
The Bundaberg screening is free but bookings are required via cinema@koreanculture.org.au. Little Forest is a PG-13 film in Korean with English subtitles.
- June entertainment bonanza at the Moncrieff
