By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
One of the world's largest and most influential film events for women, the 10th International Women's Film's Festival in Seoul (IWFFIS), came to a close Friday. The festival may have ended, but nine-days of enabling people to ``see the world through women's eyes'' left a lasting impression.
The festival celebrated its big birthday with a big party, showing 140 films from 30 countries. It attracted over 50 thousand people, including over 40 female cineastes and scholars from 14 countries. Screenings recorded an average capacity of 86 percent, with numerous sell-outs.
Special guests included esteemed directors such as Peng Xiaolian, the first Chinese filmmaker; Helena Trestikova, recipient of the 2007 Best Czech Documentary Film Award; and Barbara Hammer, who presented an intriguing documentary on women divers native to Jeju Island.
The IWFFIS, being a playground for artistic and intellectual discussion, held two seminars at Ewha Womans University. World-renowned professors Teresa de Lauretis, Meaghan Morris and others discussed the meaning of women's films and ``cine-feminism.'' The film section ``Female Bodies: Biopolitics and Body Politics'' was the perfect compliment to the seminar ``Women's Bodies in the Age of Bio-tech,'' drawing many more discussants and audiences to debate topics ranging from reproduction to plastic surgery.
This year's edition also marked several firsts. IWFFIS presented its first own production, ``Ten Ten,'' as the opening film. Another first was the new section called Open Cinema, which invited movies by male directors ― a bold move at a women's film festival. Films such as ``The Edge of Heaven,'' the latest work by acclaimed director Fatih Akin, attracted a considerable number of middle-aged men.