Tuition + Intro 18

This screening will feature an introduction from Kate Taylor-Jones, Professor of East Asian Studies at the University of Sheffield and co-curator of the BFI’s Early Korean Cinema season.

Long thought lost, this beautifully restored treasure of Korean cinema was made during the late Japanese colonial period. Released in 1940, Tuition depicts the lives of ordinary people facing hardship during difficult economic times.

Inspired by a true story, the film follows young Yeong-dal (Chang-jo Jeong) who lives alone with his grandmother, as his parents have left to find work and make money for their family. Struggling to make ends meet, he sets off on a long journey to his aunt’s house in a distant village in the hope that she can lend him money for his school fees – for the school where he and his fellow pupils are taught lessons in Japanese, despite speaking nothing but Korean at home.

Only recently rediscovered and restored via the Korean Film Archives’ The Past Unearthed Project, Tuition is both an indispensable resource in the history of Korean cinema and also, more simply, the profoundly heartwarming tale of an earnest little boy winning through despite almost insurmountable odds.

Part of the film season ‘Early Korean Cinema: Lost Films from the Japanese Colonial Period’, in association with the Korean Cultural Centre UK and Korean Film Archive, with thanks to the Independent Cinema Office.

NB: This film has not been given an official age rating/certificate by the BBFC. However thanks to an agreement with Sheffield City Council we are able to screen the film with an 18 certificate. Therefore please note that no one under the age of 18 can attend this screening - however the age rating provided is not necessarily representative of the content or themes found within the film.