A Letter from Kyoto


A Letter from Kyoto is a 2022 South Korean family drama film written and directed by Kim Min-ju, and starring Han Sun-hwa, Cha Mi-kyung, Han Chae-ah, and Song Ji-jyun. The film is a project from the 15th Korean Academy of Film Arts Feature Film Production Research Program, which was the first to be selected for the Busan Film Commission's newly established, 2021 Made in Busan feature film production support program. The film had its world premiere at the 27th Busan International Film Festival on October 6, 2022. It had its theatrical release on December 6, 2023.

Plot

Hwa-ja has been raising her three daughters alone in Busan after her husband passed away. One day, the middle daughter Hye-young comes back to Busan after having continuous setbacks in Seoul. While spending time with her mom, she accidentally sees a letter written in Japanese, which triggers her curiosity. She starts to ask Hwa-ja about her past life and gets to know new stories of her mother that she had never heard of. Meanwhile, something inside Hwa-ja’s heart where has been buried for decades also opens up.

Cast

  • Han Sun-hwa as Hye-young, the middle daughter
  • Cha Mi-kyung as Hwa-ja, the widowed mother
  • Han Chae-ah as Hye-jin, the eldest daughter
  • Song Ji-hyun as Hye-ju, the youngest daughter

    Release

Film Festivals

On October 6, 2022, the film had its world premiere at the 27th Busan International Film Festival: BIFF in the Korean Panorama section.
The film had its screening at various film festivals such as, Seoul [Independent Film Festival]: SIFF - Festival Choice, Independent Film Festival Busan, London Korean Film Festival - Korea Season, Frankfurt Korean Film Festival, and also won two awards at the Vesoul [International Film Festival of Asian Cinema] - Feature Film Competition in France and the Best Screenplay Award at the Imagine India International Film Festival: IIIFF - WOMEN'S VOICES in Spain.

Theatrical release

It was released theatrically on December 6, 2023 in South Korea.

Home media

The film was made available for streaming on IPTV, Home Choice, U+ Mobile tv, Skylife, Wavve, Naver Series On, Google Play, Watcha theaters, and Coupang Play from December 28, 2023.

Reception

Box Office

The film was released on 66 screens on December 6, 2023.
According to the Korean Box Office Information System, as of July 30, 2025, the film's total gross is $45,068 and 7,423 admissions in the Korean Specialty Film category.

Accolades