Korea On Screen: Korean Cinema’s Celluloid Fever: The 1970s
Co-Presented by Korean Cultural Center New York, Film at Lincoln Center, Subway Cinema, Korean Film Archive
Additional support provided by the Korean Film Council
Thursday, May 21st, 2026, 5:30 PM
Korean Cultural Center New York
(122 E 32nd Street, New York, NY 10016)
Schedule
- 5:00 PM: Doors Open
- 5:30 PM: Break the Chain (쇠사슬을 끊어라, 99 min)
- 7:15 PM: Intermission
- 7:30 PM: The Good, the Bad, the Weird (좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈, 132 min)
* This special double feature screening begins at 5:30 PM and includes consecutive screenings of both films.
Ticket: FREE (RSVP REQUIRED)
* RSVP and seating are first come, first served.
* Doors open 30 minutes before showtime.
* Your tickets will be released to the standby line 10 minutes before the show, so we recommend you arrive early to secure your seats.
* For an additional question, please contact to film@koreanculture.org
* All contents featuring Korean dialogue will have English subtitles available.
The Korean Cultural Center New York proudly presents this special double feature as part of its Korea on Screen series—a year-long screening series celebrating the depth and diversity of Korean cinema. Through feature films, documentaries, short films, and independent productions, the series aims to broaden access to and appreciation of Korean cinema in New York City.
This special evening pairs Lee Man-hee’s North American Premiere 4K Remaster of Break the Chain (1971) with Kim Jee-woon’s The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008)—a film that takes direct inspiration from its 1971 predecessor. Together, the two films trace the lineage of Korea’s Manchurian Western tradition, from its golden-era origins to its modern reinvention, offering audiences a rare opportunity to witness the dialogue between a classic and the contemporary masterpiece it inspired.
◆ Program
Break the Chain
(쇠사슬을 끊어라)
Director: Lee Man-hee
Cast: Namkoong Won, Jang Dong-hwi, Heo Jang-kang
Runtime: 99 min
Genre: Action
Release Year: 1971
1930s Manchuria, A Tibetan Buddha statue holding the names of Korean independence fighters becomes the obsession of three self-serving rogues: a bandit, a mercenary, and a Japanese collaborator. None care about ideology—all want the payoff. These opportunistic outlaws, ready to betray each other at the drop of a hat, gradually find themselves pulled toward something larger. What binds them isn’t abstract nationalism, but raw, horizontal solidarity with the suffering right in front of them. Digitally mastered in 2022 by the Korean Film Archive.
The Good, the Bad, the Weird
(좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈)
Director: Kim Jee-woon
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, Jung Woo-sung
Runtime: 132 min
Genre: Action
Release Year: 2008
Three outlaws, one treasure map. The Manchurian steppe in flames. Kim Jee-woon’s delirious genre explosion takes direct inspiration from Lee Man-hee’s 1971 film Break the Chain, seizing Sergio Leone’s triangulated tension and denoting it across a dust-choked frontier of Japanese imperial cavalry and Korean desperadoes.
About Partners
◆ FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER
Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) is a nonprofit organization that celebrates cinema as an essential art form and fosters a vibrant home for film culture to thrive. FLC presents premier film festivals, retrospectives, new releases, and restorations year-round in state-of-the-art theaters at New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. FLC offers audiences the opportunity to discover works from established and emerging directors from around the world with a passionate community of film lovers at marquee events including the New York Film Festival and New Directors/New Films.
Founded in 1969, FLC is committed to preserving the excitement of the theatrical experience for all audiences, advancing high-quality film journalism through the publication of Film Comment, cultivating the next generation of film industry professionals through our FLC Academies, and enriching the lives of all who engage with our programs.
◆ SUBWAY CINEMA
Subway Cinema is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization dedicated to the exhibition and appreciation of Asian popular cinema. Founded in 1999, it has nurtured Asian film culture in the U.S. by championing directors including Johnnie To, Tsui Hark, Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho, Takashi Miike, Kim Jee-woon, Ryoo Seung-wan, Seijun Suzuki, Sion Sono, and others. Subway Cinema founded and ran the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF)—North America’s premier popular Asian cinema festival—for 17 years. Its current focus is retrospective programming and preserving America’s Asian film exhibition heritage.
◆KOREAN FILM ARCHIVE
The Korean Film Archive (KOFA) is the national film archive of the Republic of Korea. Founded in 1974 as a non-profit organization, it operates under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and has been a member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) since 1985. KOFA is dedicated to safeguarding Korea’s cinematic heritage by collecting, cataloguing, preserving, restoring, screening, and providing access to Korean cinema.
◆KOREAN FILM COUNCIL (KOFIC)
The Korean Film Council (KOFIC), a public institution under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is dedicated to enhancing the quality and global competitiveness of Korean cinema. By supporting creative production and fostering a sustainable industry ecosystem, KOFIC strives to lead the global market and inspire audiences worldwide.