Women`s Film Festival to screen 102 movies

The 12th Women`s Film Festival in Seoul will kick off its eight-day run on April 8 at Artreon Theater in Sinchon, Seoul, featuring 102 movies from 27 countries under the theme of "See the World through Women`s Eyes."

"This year, the festival`s focus is friendship and welcome, both of which are meant to encourage women to embrace the world as well as others with self-confidence," said Lee Hyae-kyoung, festival director of WFFIS, at a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday.

The festival opener is a German-French joint project "The Day Will Come." Directed by Susanne Schneider, the film explores the clashes between politics and maternity in a striking and thought-provoking style.

The film festival specializes in women`s perspectives and related issues, cementing its position in recent years as a key venue where not only local female filmmakers but also Asian counterparts get together to share their thoughts about their status in and outside of silver screens.

The New Currents section - the highlight of the festival - will feature 26 notable women-oriented movies, one of which is "Vision" by Margarethe von Trotta, a world-renowned female director. Equally famous Claire Denis`s "White Material" is also included in the eclectic lineup that ranges from comedy to thriller.



The newly introduced Asian Spectrum section will screen nine representative Indonesian films. The films featured in this special section demonstrate two trends: the balanced growth of art-house and commercial films and the heightened role of female filmmakers.

Another new section is "Plemics," a program designed to help cinema-goers understand key women-related issues through movies. The first topic is "Maternity in Question," in response to the fast-changing definition of maternity across the world, including Korea where the low birthrate and the role of mothers attract keen public attention. Five films provide different perspectives on the issue: "Blessed" by Ana Kokkinos from Australia; "A Blind River" by Ahn Sun-kyong from Korea; "Google Baby" by Zippi Brand Frank from Israel; "Later We Care" by Claire Pijman and Piet Oomes from the Netherlands; and "The Unloved" by Samantha Morton from Britain.

The film festival, which will run through April 15, is basically non-competitive, but has one competition section. In the Asian Short Film competition section, 19 applicants are competing for the award. Foreign contenders in the section are "December 25" by Noa Erenberg from Israel; "Diploma" by Yaelle Kayam from Israel; "Turn Around" by Prathana Mohan from India; and "Taana Baana" by Priyanka Chhabra from India.

WFFIS, which has carved out a niche in the increasingly crowded film festival market in Korea, is attempting to extend its reach by launching the Network of Asian Women`s Film Festivals, linking four regional festivals in Korea, Taiwan, Tokyo and India.

The ticket price for opening, closing and nightly movies is set at 12,000 won while other films are available at 5,000 won. For further information and ticket reservations, visit www.wffis.or.kr

(insight@heraldm.com

By Yang Sung-jin