Lunches 2009
Lunches (2009), a 10-minute experimental short by director Jeon Kyu-ri, captures a provocative performance piece staged at Seoul's Dongduk Girls' High School.
Director: Jeon Kyu-ri
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Lunches (2009) about?
Lunches documents a live performance artist's unauthorized intervention in a private high school cafeteria. During a nine-minute sit-in at lunch, Jeon Kyu-ri disrupted routine and provoked administrative response, leading to demands for her to surrender footage and sign restrictive pledges. The film becomes a study of institutional control and creative resistance in everyday spaces.
Who directed Lunches?
Lunches was directed by Jeon Kyu-ri, a Korean performance artist and filmmaker known for her politically charged interventions that blur the line between art and activism.
Who stars in Lunches?
The film primarily features Jeon Kyu-ri herself, as the sole performer in the documented intervention.
Is Lunches (2009) worth watching?
Though brief and unrated, Lunches offers a provocative glimpse into performance art as civil disobedience. Its raw immediacy and thematic depth make it compelling for fans of experimental film and socially engaged art. It's less a traditional narrative and more a visual provocation—ideal for viewers seeking unconventional cinema.
How long is Lunches?
The runtime is 10 minutes.
About Lunches (2009) — The short film that turned a school lunchroom into a stage for rebellion
Lunches (2009), a 10-minute experimental short by director Jeon Kyu-ri, captures a provocative performance piece staged at Seoul's Dongduk Girls' High School. The film documents Jeon's intervention into a real-life school environment, where she challenged institutional norms by occupying cafeteria tables during lunch. What began as a nine-minute act of defiance escalated into bureaucratic pressure—requiring her to surrender video footage, hand over ID, and sign a pledge against online distribution, all under the guise of protecting privacy.
The project explores themes of institutional control, generational friction, and the friction between art and authority. With minimal dialogue and a stark, observational lens, the film transforms everyday school canteens into stages for silent dissent. Its raw, unfiltered approach lingers on the tension between personal expression and systemic resistance. Lunches (2009) is a quietly radical snapshot of how even the most mundane spaces become battlegrounds for power.