A showing of Our Nation: A Korean Punk Rock Community (2002) and the follow-up film Us and Them: Korean Indie Rock in a K-pop World (2015), with a question and answer session with UCLA Professor Timothy Tangherlini, who directed both films with Stephen Epstein.

Our Nation: A Korean Punk Rock Community (2002)

The rise of a new youth subculture in the Republic of Korea is an outgrowth of dramatic changes occurring there in the 1990’s. The country elected its first civilian president, it experienced new prosperity, and became increasingly exposed to Western influences. Young Koreans became exposed to the internet and a steady stream of new musical influences. Our Nation is a stunning portrayal of how Korean youth are using punk rock to find their voices in a rapidly changing culture.

Us and Them: Korean Indie Rock in a K-pop World (2015)

In a time when K-Pop dominates the airwaves, Korean Indie musicians are making music that breaks out of this corporate mold. Bands like Crying Nut and the Geeks are re-imagining the boundaries of punk rock, while bands like …Whatever that Means and The RockTigers are putting their own Korean inflections on forms as diverse as garage and psychobilly. This documentary takes you on a trip to the Hongdae neighborhood of Seoul and some of the underground clubs that challenge K-Pop hegemony. It also follows several of the bands as they embark on US tours.  

This screening is sponsored by the Departments of Music and East Asian Studies at UC Davis.