The curators for our film category “East Meets West” are KFFC’s Founder and Artistic Director, Mi-Jeong Lee, and Cinéma Moderne’s Programming Manager, Benjamin Pelletier.T

he category “East Meets West” represents cultural bridges without borders made by remarkable feature films. The following three Asian masters films are invited: the Québec premier of HONG Sangsoo’s in water (2023, Korea), HOU Hsiao-hsien’s A Time to Live and a Time to Die (1985, Taiwan) in tribute to HOU’s unforgettable lifelong achievements, and JEONG Jae-eun’s Take Care of My Cat (2001, Korea), a timeless coming of age film by an iconic Korean female director.

Though the three films come from different decades, and are stylistically and narratively unique, they all present stories about everyday life and the process of growing into adulthood. in water (2023) documents connection and creativity as three friends shoot a film together, A Time to Live and a Time to Die (1985) follows the semi-autobiographical childhood and adolescence of director HOU, and Take Care of My Cat (2001) grapples with the realities of post-graduation friendship and career building. Aligned with the 11th KFFC theme, “Art & Technologies: Sleep, Dream, Body,” HONG Sangsoo, HOU Hsiao-hsien, and JEONG Jae-eun’s films incorporate shots of landscapes and cityscapes––using the camera to showcase their beauty.