ABU DHABI // A former Olympic bronze medallist, rival chefs and a painfully old farmer are among the characters to represent different facets of Korean culture at a film festival next week.
The free, three-day Korean Film Series will be held at Abu Dhabi Theatre starting on Saturday, marking 30 years of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and the UAE, and amid increasing economic and political ties between the two countries.
The event was organised by the Korean Embassy and the King Sejong Institute, which was founded at Zayed University in October. It is the first organisation in the country to teach Korean language and culture.
"Without having in-depth and comprehensive understanding of each other based on wide people-to-people contact, more cultural exchange and language exposure, our bilateral relations may not be sustainable and continuously expandable in the long run," said the South Korean ambassador, Kwon Tae-kyun.
The embassy plans to organise regular joint cultural projects and events with the institute and other educational and cultural institutions, and hopes to make the film festival an annual event.
"Films not only tell stories but also reveal at the same time the nature, social structure, economic and political situation, culture and lifestyles of a country and its people," Mr Kwon said.
The three movies were chosen based on their appeal to a wide audience, said Donald Glass, the executive producer for the film series. They will all have English subtitles.
"We are expecting an Emirati crowd, as well as expat culture vultures," he said.
The award-winning independent documentary, Old Partner, set the record last year for Korea's highest-grossing independent film. It tells the story of an elderly farmer and his wife living in the Korean countryside, and their relationship with their aging ox. Lifting King Kong is about a retired weightlifter and Olympic bronze medallist who leads an ill-equipped middle school team to their own victory, while the action film Le Grand Chef, based on a popular Manga series, depicts two cooks competing to become the next chief royal chef.
"We wanted something that would appeal to all audiences - nothing too racy or violent, as some Korean films tend to be," said Christopher Brown, the artistic director for the film series. "The best way to describe these films is that each is very charming."
A Korean chef will prepare food during the screening of Le Grand Chef on Sunday, while a pair of tickets for flights to Seoul will be given away each night.
The event is being held under the patronage of Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed, the Deputy Prime Minister, who donated the Abu Dhabi Theatre as a venue. The free tickets can be picked up at the door.
The King Sejong Institute, based at Zayed University's International College, has about 150 members. There are about 65 people enrolled in Korean-language classes between the Abu Dhabi and Dubai campuses.
The UAE is the second-largest supplier of oil to South Korea, and the two countries have recently built heavily on diplomatic relations.
Earlier this week the national airline, Etihad Airways, began a daily service to Seoul, a year after a South Korean-led consortium announced a US$20 billion (Dh73.46bn) contract to build nuclear power stations in Abu Dhabi.
"As the students become more educated about Korea, they are realising the economic incentives for learning about the culture and the language, which could be a road for them to get involved in many Korean companies here, including the nuclear power plant," Mr Glass said.
econroy@thenational.ae
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Profile
Company name: Jaib
Started: January 2018
Co-founders: Fouad Jeryes and Sinan Taifour
Based: Jordan
Sector: FinTech
Total transactions: over $800,000 since January, 2018
Investors in Jaib's mother company Alpha Apps: Aramex and 500 Startups
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
The rules on fostering in the UAE
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- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
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- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Everton 1 Stoke City 0
Everton (Rooney 45 1')
Man of the Match Phil Jagielka (Everton)
Tom Fletcher on 'soft power'
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Normal People
Sally Rooney, Faber & Faber
Match info
Manchester United 1 (Van de Beek 80') Crystal Palace 3 (Townsend 7', Zaha pen 74' & 85')
Man of the match Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
