Some of the most creative filmmaking in the world today happens in Korea. DC's third Korean Film Festival will take place during an area-wide celebration of Korean art and culture in May and June, with screenings at AFI Silver, the Freer Gallery of Art, the National Museum of Natural History and the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Organized by Tom Vick, film programmer for the Smithsonian's Freer and Sackler Galleries, and Hyunjun Min of the University of Maryland, the festival is made possible by support from the Korea Foundation, the Korean Film Council, and the US-Korea Business Council. All films are in Korean with English subtitles. For complete program information, please visit www.asia.si.edu/KoreanFilm2007.

AFI Silver films include: SA-KWA; A DIRTY CARNIVAL [Biyeolhan geori]; MURDER, TAKE ONE [Baksu-chiltae deonar]; THE PRESIDENT'S LAST BANG [Geuddae geusaramdeul]; and A BITTERSWEET LIFE [Dalkomhan insaeng].

SA-KWA

By turns heartbreaking and humorous, Yi-kwan Kang's debut film features a powerhouse performance by the phenomenally gifted actress Moon So-ri. This subtle drama of shifting moods--with acute observation of the dynamics of relationships--stars Moon as a woman who, after being dumped by her fiance, marries another man but wonders if she's made the right choice.

DIR/SCR Yi-kwan Kang; PROD Yong-bae Choi. South Korea, 2005, color, 118 min. NOT RATED

Saturday, May 26, 6:00; Wednesday, May 30, 7:00

A DIRTY CARNIVAL [Biyeolhan geori]

A true gangland epic, Ha Yu's sprawling film charts the dangerous trajectory of a tough-but-honest young hoodlum who has to balance his devotion to family and friends with his duty to the treacherous gangsters he works for. Chock full of great characters and exciting action scenes, this movie delivers the goods.

DIR/SCR Ha Yu. South Korea, 2006, color, 141 min. NOT RATED

Saturday, June 9, 9:30; Sunday, June 10, 8:15

MURDER, TAKE ONE [Baksu-chiltae deonar]

A giddy mix of comedy, suspense, action and drama, this film from director Jin Jang is a murder mystery with a twist. When a beautiful executive is found murdered in a luxury hotel room, the police go in search of the killer--but the crime, it turns out, is much more than it seems. Not only that, their investigation is being broadcast on a reality television show.

DIR/SCR Jin Jang. South Korea, 2005, color, 115 min. NOT RATED

Tuesday, June 19, 9:30; Thursday, June 21, 9:20

THE PRESIDENT'S LAST BANG [Geuddae geusaramdeul]

A recreation of the events surrounding the 1979 assassination of Korean president Park Chung-hee, this biting, bitter political satire pulls no punches in its attack on corruption and cronyism in Park's repressive regime. Im Sang-soo's film is bold, thrilling, and full of pitch-black humor.

DIR/SCR Im Sang-soo; PROD Chul Shin. South Korea, 2005, color, 102 min. NOT RATED

Wednesday, June 20, 9:30; Friday, June 22, 9:30

A BITTERSWEET LIFE [Dalkomhan insaeng]

Sleek and stylish, this gangland saga from director Kim Ji-woon delivers the shootouts, vengeance and betrayal, but it also brings more depth to the screen than the average crime flick. This story of an assassin who discovers his conscience just a bit too late is a prime example of Korean action movies at their best.

DIR/SCR Kim Ji-woon; PROD Yo-jin Lee and Jeong-wan Oh. South Korea, 2005, color, 120 min. NOT RATED

Tuesday, June 26, 9:20; Thursday, June 28, 9:25