Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
PyeongChang Int'l Peace Film Festival going ahead in June despite coronavirus
From left, film festival chairman Moon Sung-keun, director Pang Eun-jin and programmers Choi Eun-young and Kim Hyung-seok pose for a photo during a press conference for the second PyeongChang International Peace Film Festival held in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of PIPFF
By Kwak Yeon-soo
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Despite concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, PyeongChang International Peace Film Festival (PIPFF) said the festival will be held in June as scheduled.
During an online press conference streamed Tuesday on Naver's V Live channel, organizers unveiled the detailed schedule of the upcoming event, whose second edition is set to run June 18 to 23.
“The festival will be going ahead as planned, adhering to strict public health guidelines,” said Moon Sung-keun, a prominent actor who was appointed festival chairman. “Unfortunately, foreign filmmakers won't be able to attend the event due to non-essential travel restrictions.”
Under the slogan “Peace Again,” the PIPFF will be held at Alpensia Resort and Hoenggye area in PyeongChang, featuring 97 films from 35 countries.
A total of eight films nominated in the international feature competition category will be screened at the event.
The lineup of award finalists includes “A Distance Place” by Park Kun-young from Korea, “Dust and Ashes” by Park Hee-won from Korea, “Identifying Features” by Fernanda Valadez from Mexico, “Nafi's Father” by Mamadou Dia from Senegal, “Negative Numbers” by Uta Beria from Georgia, “Tony Driver” by Ascanio Petrini from Italy, “Way Back Home” by Park Sun-joo from Korea and “Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness” by Massoud Bakhshi from Iran. The award comes with 20 million won ($16,300) in prize money. The eight films were chosen from 254 submissions.
“All submissions reveal political and social absurdities from the perspective of underprivileged people including sexual minorities, immigrants and women, which are taking place all across the world,” said Choi Eun-young, programmer of PIPFF.
Earlier in April, PIPFF announced 18 nominations in the Korean Short Competition, which has a prize of 10 million won. A total of 538 entries were received in the category.
PIPFF's signature category “Pyongyang Cinema” will give a rare view of North Korean documentaries and animated features. The “Cinematic Gangwon” category is aimed at reflecting the enhanced cinematic capacity of Gangwon area. Apart from screening amateur films produced with funding from the Media Center and Gangwon Film Commission, “Cinematic Gangwon” will host meet-and-greet sessions to connect filmmakers and facilitate exchanges of ideas and opinions.
“PIPFF will continue its funding and support programs for filmmakers because we have the responsibility to discover and support promising filmmakers,” said Pang Eun-jin, the festival director.
The organizing committee of the PIPFF announced that most of the event will be held outdoors instead of in multiplexes due to virus concerns.
The festival was launched in August 2019 in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, which has become a symbol of peace since the 2018 Winter Olympics.
The opening film will be “Adventures of a Mathematician,” based on the memoirs of the brilliant Polish-Jewish mathematician Stanislaw Ulam, who played a key role in developing the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II.
The opening concert will be helmed by “Parasite” music director Jung Jae-il.