Another Type of Travel: To Cinema Locations

Watching Movies on a Dime

By David J. Richter

Not sure what to do this summer? Why not watch a movie or two? And on top of that, why not go somewhere other than the CGV down the street for a change?

The movie theater landscape here in Korea is dominated by CGV, Megabox, and Lotte Cinema branches. The same is true for Gwangju, for the most part. While there is nothing wrong with any of these theaters – I often go to watch movies there too – they do come with a few drawbacks. The biggest is probably the pricing. Watching a movie nowadays costs roundabout 15,000 won per person, which frankly is quite a lot of money. Smaller theaters (often in the countryside) offer the same movies for a fraction of the price. Granted, the selection might be a bit more limited, but the price for the movie and concessions, as well as the smaller and more comfortable atmosphere, make up for that and then some.

Also, these giants often air the most anticipated and popular international (mostly American and Japanese) and Korean productions, but oftentimes, they do not offer screenings for smaller or independent movies or lesser-known foreign films. To watch such movies, one has to look elsewhere. Independent movie theaters often offer that alternative, but where to find such theaters? If you have not finalized your summer plans just yet, why not go to one of the non-franchise theaters here in Gwangju, or take a day trip to one of the theaters within a bus ride’s distance?

Gwangju Theater

Right here, within Gwangju, is a very unique and special movie theater. Gwangju Theater (광주극장) is located on Chungjang Street in the downtown area and has been there for almost a century at this point. The theater opened in 1935, and when going there, you can notice that left and right (in a good way). The theater is a single-screen theater, but surrounding that on each floor, they showcase relics from the theater’s long history, so going there a bit earlier is recommended. The auditorium is two-storied, with the balcony usually being where guests will be seated for regular showings and the main seating area being used for larger events. The theater’s size also comes with a few caveats. As cooling or heating it is not easy, in winters it can get a bit chilly and in summer it tends to get rather hot. The selection of movies usually available at Gwangju Theater is mostly made up of independent movies as well as some older productions. The theater also hosts various events year round.

Gwangju Independent Film Theater

Right next door to the Asia Culture Center (ACC), and also not far from Gwangju Theater, is the Gwangju Independent Film Theater (광주독립영화관). Unlike Gwangju Theater, however, this theater is not nearly as old. The auditorium is also a lot smaller and well acclimated year round. Here too, screenings are primarily independent and smaller productions, but one thing to keep in mind is that the Gwangju Independent Film Theater shows mostly Korean movies, often without subtitles.

Damyang Dambit Cinema

If you are up for a trip outside of Gwangju, even though admittedly not far, you could head to Damyang. While it is best known for its bamboo forest and the various bamboo-themed foods and drinks, and while it is a great place to go just to walk and enjoy a bit more greenery than Gwangju can offer, Damyang also has a smaller movie theater right next to the bus terminal: Damyang Dambit Cinema (담양 담빛시네마). This movie theater, unlike the two mentioned above, does not specialize in independent films but rather just serves the Damyang market with the currently most popular movies. With the price being as cheap as it is and not having to sit in a ginormous, empty theater, its small and cozy auditorium is most desirable. If you own a bike, then I would also like to recommend biking the trip to Damyang, it is a really pretty and peaceful ride. 

Hwasun Cinema

Just like Damyang Dambit Cinema, Hwasun Cinema (화순시네마) is a small local theater not too far from Gwangju, and just like Damyang Dambit Cinema, Hwasun Cinema is managed through OLC (Our Local Cinema), hence the same website and pricing. This also means that Hwasun Cinema also screens blockbusters over independent films at a fraction of the price of the big chains. However, when it comes to Hwasun, I would not recommend going there by bike. It is a pretty nice ride up until the bike path ends and one needs to push their bike through a tunnel without a pedestrian walkway. Just take the bus and enjoy Hwasun and a movie.

NH Cinema

While Damyang feels quite “countrysidey” and Hwasun feels a lot more suburban, Namwon feels a lot more like a small town (probably since it is much further from any major city). This movie theater is more of an oddity, at least to me. The theater is run by NH, which is obviously a company just as big as any of the ones running the three big movie chains mentioned above, but this is the only place I have seen NH operate a movie theater. Overall, NH Cinema (NH 시네마) looks and feels much like a cross between a small cinema like in Damyang or Hwasun and a CGV/Megabox/Lotte. Here too, the movies showing are current popular movies. Namwon also has another small theater that shows independent films, but I have yet to go there.

Goheung Small Movie Theater

Goheung is a small town on the southwestern coast of the peninsula, directly west of Yeosu. While the town itself is really close to the ocean, it does not actually connect to the sea. Goheung, from the time I went there, is a very quiet town without much of a tourist population, which is a good thing if you ask me. Goheung does have a museum for space travel, but as I did not go there, I can not really comment on it. Goheung Small Movie Theater (고흥작은영화관영화관) falls into the group of small-town theaters that screen blockbuster movies in smaller halls. This theater, however, is located a tiny bit out of town, which makes for a nice walk through town and a bit beyond.

Indie Plus Pohang

A bit further from Gwangju then any of the other theaters, and also in a bigger and more popular city, Indie Plus Pohang (인디플러스 포항) is also the cheapest by quite a bit. By nature of being located in a semi-large city, this also means that instead of being the one and only theater in the area, this theater is another special-interest cinema, showing mainly independent, smaller, and foreign films. It is located not too far from the center of the city and about a 30-minute walk from the beachfront. Also, this theater has a single large auditorium, not unlike Gwangju Theater, but while Gwangju Theater has that vintage feel, for lack of a better term, the Indie Plus Pohang feels more like a large audimax lecture hall found at universities.

Of course, there are many other small-town cinemas and independent movie theaters all across Jeollanam-do and Korea, all of which surely have their own charm and something slightly different to offer. While I have already bookmarked a ton of them, I have not made it to them yet. Here I have included all the theaters that I have been to, and of course, I have genuinely enjoyed them all. I do hope that this article might lead to someone giving any of these theaters a shot and that the movie of choice will also deliver.