The King and the Clown

Jang-seng and Gong-gil, a pair of male street clowns and tightrope walkers in Korea’s Chosun Dynasty, find themselves arrested for acting out a play mocking the king and his concubine. Although set to be executed, they were given a chance to save themselves if they could manage to make the king laugh. Narrowly succeeding, Jang-seng and Gong-gil were made court performers, and they started performing acts depicting the corruption within the court. However, over their time in the palace, jealousy and anger rises among Jang-seng, the king’s concubine, and the court officials as the king falls for Gong-gil. Jang-seng begs Gong-gil to flee the palace together due to the king’s increasingly worsening mental state, but Gong-gil has differing opinions. This captivating tale showcases Jang-seng and Gong-gil navigating through the dark secrets within the political world, and rediscovering friendship against all odds while challenging the tyrannical king.

Meet Director Lee Joon-ik

Before the screening of The King and the Clown, the acclaimed Korean director Lee Joon-ik (The Book of Fish, The Throne and Radio Star) will share his filmmaking stories during a 30-minute talk.