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Art and Culture

It's almost the weekend now and I know many of us are looking forward to rooting for the Korean team during the Olympics. People from all around the world are now in London to cheer their teams on, and for those of you who are there right now, our Michelle Kim is here to tell us about some events that have been created to introduce Korean culture to the global audience.

Hello Michelle

[Reporter : ] Hello Conn-young

So what events can we look forward to this weekend in London[Reporter : ] We only have one day left until the start of the fierce but friendly competition between countries from all around the world for the London Olympics. And for people who are visiting or already living in London, the Korean cultural institute is offering a series of film screenings, exhibitions, performances and fashion shows to introduce Korean culture to the world. Here are just some of the events that will be happening this weekend.

With all eyes on London, two Korean groups will highlight the beauty of traditional music in two concerts at the Southbank Center on the 28th and 29th.

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In the first concert, the four-person band Gong Myung creates diverse rhythms and harmonies on a combination of 30 instruments.

On the following day, the ensemble Baram Ggot, which means Wind Flower, offers music played on traditional Korean instruments such as the gayageum, geomungo, dae-geum, jang-go and the drums. The sounds of the sitar, a traditional Indian instrument, are also part of the mix, and together the instruments create modernized melodies that they say, quote, "will give listeners an endless sense of the freedom of sound".

Elsewhere in London, fashion designer Lee Sang-bong puts his work on display in a fashion show at the Victoria and Albert Museum on the 30th. Lee is famous for using Chinese characters as accents on his clothing. His designs express the beauty of Korean traditions and are infused with a contemporary feel. The fashion show will be followed by a reception featuring Korean cuisine created by chef Leo Kang.

This seems like a great opportunity to go and enjoy Korean food and culture -- even for Koreans living in London, because I've lived abroad for a while and you miss these things, you know

[Reporter : ] I know. When I was studying abroad, I missed the food and being around Koreans so much. And if there had been an event like this, I think I would have appreciated it a lot. For non-Koreans, it will be a great way to get a taste of Korean culture.

Definitely. And now I hear you're going to tell us about another event that will be taking place abroad

[Reporter : ] The final preparations for this year's International Venice Film Festival are well under way and the line-up of films for the 11-day movie extravaganza has just been announced. Let's take a look to see what movies will be in the competition.

The 69th International Venice Film Festival is making its final preparations for the opening day on August 29th.
This year, the festival is showing off a mix of Hollywood glamour and lesser-known movie makers.

The big names competing for the Golden Lion this year include Cannes Palm d'Or winner Terrence Malick and Brian De Palma.
Malick's film iis "To the Wonder" and stars Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Rachel Wiesz and Javier Bardem.
McAdams also stars in De Palma's film "Passion", which also features Noomi Rapace.

Among the other 18 films in the competition section are "Spring Breakers" directed by Harmony Korine, Ramin Bahrani's "At Any Price" and Japanese director Takeshi Kitano's latest film, "Outrage Beyond".
The jury will be led by U.S. director Michael Mann.

The festival opens with the latest film by Mira Nair, "The Reluctant Fundamentalist", a thriller starring Riz Ahmed, Kate Hudson, Kiefer Sutherland, and Liev Schreiber.

Also showing at the festival will be Spike Lee's documentary on Michael Jackson, "Bad 25", Rober Redford's "The Company You Keep", "Tai Chi 0" by Stephen Fung, Amos Gitai's "Lullaby to My Father" and Ariel Vromen's "The Iceman".
The festival runs from August 29th to September 8th.

It sounds like another exciting 11 days for movie lovers. Will there be any Korean films showing at the festival

[Reporter : ] Yes. Kim Ki-duk's "Pieta", which I talked about here earlier this week, will be competing against other films for the Golden Lion. Meahwhile, during a news conference on Thursday when they were telling us about the line-up for this year's festival, Artistic Director Alberto Barbera said that there was a little secret that they were not revealing fully just yet. All he said was that there will be an 18th film in the competition and it will be a Chinese film.

I guess we will have to wait patiently for the update on what film that will be. And now to wrap things up, you have the events bulletin for us[Reporter : ] Yes I do. Today I have a music and camping festival that will be held on Dangnam Island, a concert featuring 6 talented Korean singers, and the second visit since 2002 by death metal band Cannibal Corpse, which will be in Korea in October. Here are the details.

Moon River 2012 is a music and camping festival on Yeoju Dangnam Island that will feature artists like Danny Jung, Woong San, The Solist and more. The festival will be held on the 11th and 12th of August.

6 talented Korean vocalists, including Lyn, Ali, Shin Yong-jae, and Ailee, will be performing at Olympic Park on the first day of September. The singers will be performing hits from the past to the present, for young and old to enjoy.

Death Metal band Cannibal Corpse will be in Korea for a concert on the 19th of October at Ax-Korea. The band debuted in 1988 with five band members and is now one of the leading groups in the brutal death metal genre. This will be their second visit to Korea since 2002 and they will be performing their songs from their newest album, "Torture".

Thank you for the update

[Reporter : ] My pleasure

Reporter : dainee@arirang.co.kr

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