About

‘Contemporary Mellow Dramas’ showcases the work of filmmakers from East Asia who have found international acclaim for their deft construction of intimate dramas. These films — from Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan — embrace a considered style of storytelling, in which small human interactions are woven into insightful portraits of contemporary life.

Drawing on the last ten years of cinema, this program explores a style of filmmaking that focuses on quietude and quotidian detail in its storytelling. These ‘mellow dramas’ have somewhat ephemeral boundaries and are linked more by mood or feeling than by strict narrative connections or subject matter. They are characterised by a sense of melancholy, highlighting the vagaries of human relationships, family ties, and life in a growing metropolis.

The filmmakers behind these ‘mellow dramas’ are a mix of acclaimed veterans — including Hong Sang-soo, Ann Hui, and recent Palme d’Or winner Hirokazu Koreeda — and emerging directors — such as Yang Mingming, Yui Kiyohara, and Jeon Go-Woon — whose voices are gaining greater prominence in the world of international cinema.

Program curated by Robert Hughes, Australian Cinémathèque.

List of Works

• Dear Doctor 2009 (Dir. Miwa Nishikawa)
• Poetry 2010 (Dir. Lee Chang-dong)
• A Simple Life 2011 (Dir. Ann Hui)
• Beijing Flickers 2012 (Dir. Zhang Yuan)
• Bends 2013 (Dir. Flora Lau)
• Like Father, Like Son 2013 (Dir. Hirokazu Koreeda)
• Gyeongju 2014 (Dir. Zhang Lu)
• Still the Water 2014 (Dir. Naomi Kawase)
• Happy Hour 2015 (Dir. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi)
• Murmur of the Hearts 2015 (Dir. Sylvia Chang)
• Our Little Sister 2015 (Dir. Hirokazu Koreeda)
• Right Now, Wrong Then 2015 (Dir. Hong Sang-soo)
• Heaven is Still Far Away 2016 (Dir. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi)
• After the Storm 2016 (Dir. Hirokazu Koreeda)
• The Bacchus Lady 2016 (Dir. E J-yong)
• The Long Excuse 2016 (Dir. Miwa Nishikawa)
• Yourself and Yours 2016 (Dir. Hong Sang-soo)
• A Tiger in Winter 2017 (Dir. Lee Kwang-kuk)
• Angels Wear White 2017 (Dir. Vivian Qu)
• The Day After 2017 (Dir. Hong Sang-soo)
• Last Child 2017 (Dir. Shin Dong-seok)
• Microhabitat 2017 (Dir. Jeon Go-woon)
• Old Love 2017 (Dir. Park Ki-yong)
• On the Beach at Night Alone 2017 (Dir. Hong Sang-soo)
• Our House 2017 (Dir. Yui Kiyohara)
• Walking Past the Future 2017 (Dir. Ruijin Li)
• Asako I & II 2018 (Dir. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi)
• Blue Wind Blows 2018 (Dir. Tetsuya Tomina)
• Girls Always Happy 2018 (Dir. Yang Mingming)
• Grass 2018 (Dir. Hong Sang-soo)
• Shoplifters 2018 (Dir. Hirokazu Koreeda)
• Xiao Mei 2018 (Dir. Maren Hwang)