Whose Homeland 25-26 | K-Family Affairs (2023) Screening + Intro

Date: Sun 11 Jan 2026 15:00 - 16:40

Venue: BLOC cinema, Arts One Building, Queen Mary University, 1 Westfield Way, London E1 4PD

Filming her civil servant father and activist mother who met during the pro-democracy movement in 1980s South Korea, director Nam Arum traces their political awakenings as well as her own across national protests and living room debates alike. 

Born on the very day that trials of South Korea’s former military regime began, with presidential elections falling every five years on her birthday, Nam’s life has been closely interwoven with the nation’s political history. The 2014 Sewol ferry disaster marks a rupture: as familial and national narratives begin to unravel, she confronts the question of how to situate herself within—and against—the histories she has inherited.

Winner of the Jury Award at the Taiwan International Documentary Festival, Nam’s feature debut is a playful yet critical reflection on the entanglements of family and nation, where the Korean title “Patriot Girl” speaks less to fervent jingoism than to a collective responsibility that we have to each other and to future generations.

Co-presented with Jiambbong, with introduction given by Emily Jisoo Bowles.

Arum Nam is a documentary director based in Seoul, South Korea. Currently pursuing a master's degree in documentary at the Korea National University of Arts. She directed a short documentary called Pink Femi, which tells the story of a feminist mother, and co-directed Teleporting with Japanese directors during the pandemic. K-Family Affairs is her first feature documentary.

Jjambbong is a pop-up community cinema dedicated to showcasing all kinds of Asian cinema. Jjambbong is a Korean-Chinese seafood soup, as well as a slang term in Korean for a mix of everything, which is reflective of our hybrid programming. Through discussion, food, and fansubbing, we hope to open up a space for inter-diaspora solidarity and critical cinephilia. Follow Jjambbong at @jjambbongfilm​

Emily Jisoo Bowles is a British-Korean film critic and a programmer at Queer East Festival. They are interested in alternative forms of film exhibition and how cinema can be used as a tool for political change.

The event is part of Whose Homeland 25-26 presented by Sine Screen, a film season that explores migration, displacement and marginalised lives in East & Southeast Asia and the diaspora. The programme will be running until March 2026, with the support of the BFI, awarding National Lottery funding. Find Out More.

Sine Screen is a London-based screening collective dedicated to showcasing independent cinema and moving-image works from across East and Southeast Asia. It aims to create space for critical dialogue around dominant representations of ESEA cultures and histories through diverse programming.

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