Three Korean films, including the much-acclaimed The Good, the Bad, the Weird (directed by Kim Ji-woon), have been invited to the The Times BFI 52nd London Film Festival (LFF) to be held in Britain from Oct. 15 to 30.

According to the list of films invited to this year's festival released on the LFF Secretariat's webpage, The Good, the Bad, the Weird was invited to the "Film on the Square" division and two other Korean films, Night and Day (directed by Hong Sang-soo) and Hansel and Gretel (directed by Yim Phil-sung) were invited to the "World Cinema" division.

The "Film on the Square" section introduces noticeable new releases around the world, while the "World Cinema" division shows movies that reflect the current trends in cinema.

The Good, the Bad, the Weird was inspired by Sergio Leone's classic 1966 spaghetti Western The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, starring Clint Eastwood.

The story line follows three Korean men and their entanglement with the Japanese army, Chinese and Russian bandits, accompanied by many exciting action scenes set in Manchuria in the 1930s.

The movie was screened in the gala section at the Cannes film festival this year and it is reported to have received a standing ovation.

Meanwhile, Hong's Night and Day is the story about a painter who has fled to Paris. Kim Young-ho plays the runaway artist while Park Eun-hye plays an art student studying in France. Hansel and Gretel by Yim is a thriller.

The London Film Festival marks its 52nd anniversary this year and is a prestigious international film festival, where about 300 films from 60 countries are shown annually.

By Han Aran
Korea.net Staff Writer