Korean Film Festival 2016 opens at SM City Iloilo

Five blockbuster Korean films are now showing at SM City Iloilo Cinema 8 for free as the Korean Film Festival 2016 formally opened Thursday.

Themed "Strong Hearts", the movies feature characters with strong personalities; people who pursue their goals and desires with courage and determination. The movies are: Ode to My Father, Confession of Murder, How to Use Guys with Secret Tips, The Suspect, and Beauty Inside.

Organizers prepared cocktails catered by Esca's and Bonchon Chicken at the lobby of Cinema 8 before the opening ceremony and first screening of the movie Ode to My Father. The event was attended by distinguished guests which include members of Iloilo Korean community, executives of Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines, SM top executives, press and bloggers.

VIPs enjoy the cocktails at lobby of SM Cinema 8.

In a statement read by executive assistant Dominador Co, Mayor Jed Patrick E. Mabilog said that "the 2016 Korean Film Festival 2016 will give Ilonggos and Korean an opportunity to come together and celebrate our respective cultures."

Executive assistant Dominador Co delivers the message of Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog.

"I am quite confident that the festival will further enhance the understanding of the diversity of Korean culture and provide a wider window and important platform in enhancing the cultural exchange and cooperation between South Korea and Iloilo City," Mabilog added.

Ilonggos and Korean mingle just before the start of the opening ceremony.

Mr. Gilber Domingo, SM City Iloilo mall manager, said that they are happy to share "critically-acclaimed samples of Korea's booming film industry."

"The blockbuster masterpieces to be shown in the next three days are perfect representations of Korea's passion for arts."

Here's the schedule for the screenings at Cinema 8:
September 22, Thursday
7:00PM - Ode to My Father

September 23, Friday
12:00PM - Confession of Murder
3:00PM - How to Use Guys with Secret Tips
6:00PM - The Suspect




September 24, Saturday
12:00PM - The Suspect
3:00PM - Beauty Inside
6:00PM - Ode to My Father

September 25, Sunday
12:00PM - How to Use Guys with Secret Tips
3:00PM - Confession of Murder
6:00PM - Beauty Inside



If you love Korean drama films, go for Ode to My Father, as it depicts modern Korean history from the 1950s to the present day. The movie tells the life of an ordinary man, as he experienced events such as the Hungnam evacuation of 1950 during the Korean War, the government’s decision to dispatch nurses and miners to Germany in the 1960s, and the Vietnam War.

Thanks SM City Iloilo for inviting me!

Those who want a light, feel-good movies should line up for How to Use Guys with Secret Tips, a wacky and charming tale of an overworked woman’s attempt to improve her relationship with men. Beauty Inside is also a good choice; it is about a furniture designer who wakes up in a different body everyday, regardless of age, gender, and nationality and how he could reunite with his special someone.

Crime and action film lovers may opt for Confession of Murder, which is about a man who confesses murders he committed by publishing a book and a detective who is searching for the author of the book; and The Suspect, which is about a North Korean agent who tries to uncover the volatile secrets hidden inside the eyeglasses of a dead man after he’s betrayed and has escaped.

Of course, you can watch all 5 films as admission is free.


Korean Film Festival 2016 is a joint partnership between the Korean Embassy’s Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines and SM Cinema. Other partners include the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), Film Cultural Exchange Program, the Korea Tourism Organization – Manila (KTO), and the Korea Copyright Commission.