In celebration of our exhibition “Hallyu! The Korean Wave,” join us in exploring some of South Korea’s greatest auteurs and their films that sent shockwaves around the globe.

The cinema of South Korea is as charged and turbulent as the nation’s recent past. After enjoying a golden age of successful melodramas following the nation's liberation from Japanese rule in 1945, a new government enforced strict censorship on the film industry from the 1960s until the pro-democracy movement of 1987 forced reforms. Finally able to express themselves freely, Korean filmmakers infused their works with searing emotions built up from decades of suppression. Beginning in the late 1990s, this creative thaw blossomed into a full-blown renaissance—known as the Korean New Wave. Since then, South Korean cinema has become a salient driver of the globalization of Korean culture at large, a phenomenon known as hallyu.

As varied as the films are, some unifying themes have emerged within the Korean New Wave: tales of vengeance (Oldboy, Poetry), romantic longing and obsession (Burning), class conflict (Parasite; Snowpiercer; Train to Busan), and echoes of film noir.

Our first batch of screenings goes on sale April 9, and you can check back for additional films and showtimes throughout the spring. When you’re done watching, head to “Hallyu! The Korean Wave” to look for the seeds of these stories in Korea’s culture and history.