Ham Sung-won

The South Korean master of awkwardness Hong Sang-soo is one of our favorite living filmmakers. His cinephile dramedy Tale of Cinema features the director’s signature complex romances and soju-soaked emotions, while following a meta-structure that delightfully points to cinema’s magical powers.

Presented in a new restoration, Woman on the Beach opened Hong Sang-soo’s world to female characters, prefiguring his collaborations with Kim Min-hee. Subtly comedic and profoundly revealing about relationships between the genders, the film also pokes fun at the self-important artist at its center.