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Home Ground (15*) + Screentalk

Queer East Festival

Still from Home Ground

This documentary follows one of the proprietors of LesBos, the first openly lesbian bar in South Korea, whose witty commentary prompts a broader reflection on Seoul’s lesbian history and culture.

In the mid-1990s, the first openly lesbian bar in South Korea, LesBos, opened its doors in Sinchon, Seoul. This documentary follows one of the bar’s proprietors, Myong-woo, whose witty commentary prompts a broader reflection on Seoul’s lesbian scene, and the evolution of the city’s queer spaces over the past five decades.

In her feature debut, Kwon Aram documents generational change as she makes connections between past and present: from the 1976 police raid on Chanel, a women-only café that existed in Myeong-dong in the 1970s, to the more recent threat posed by Covid-19 to community solidarity. This is a film about a shared sense of belonging, and shared environments of kinship. Offering a rare insight into Seoul's often-hidden lesbian history, Home Ground reveals the vibrancy and endurance of South Korea’s queer culture. 

South Korea 2022 dir Kwon Aram 78 min

This screening will be followed by a ScreenTalk hosted by Melanie Iredale, Director of Reclaim The Frame, and joined by the director Kwon Aram (joining online).

This is screening as part of Queer East Festival.

Cinema 3