Documentaries to Dominate Women's Film Fest

The 7th Women's Film Festival runs at ArtReOn theater in Shinchon, Seoul from April 8 through 15. Some 90 movies from 27 countries, from South Africa to Greece, Turkey, and the Czech Republic, come together under the theme "See the World through Women's Eyes".

It is divided into seven categories including "New Currents", "Turkish Cinema Panorama", and a "Korean Cinema Retrospective". The annual festival has been so popular that it has been almost 90 percent sold out every year.

In line with the international trend, documentary films feature prominently this year. Among them are the 2005 Oscar-winning documentary "Born into Brothels", and "Searching for Debra Winger", which documents the real life of actresses behind their glamorous facade. The Turkish Cinema Panorama with its focus on women and Islam and a retrospective of the films of Czech New Wave pioneer Vera Chytilova are also attracting interest.

The Korean Cinema Retrospective will feature four films ? "It's Not Her Sin" and "Seong Chun-hyang" directed by Shin Sang-ok in 1959 and 1961, "My Mother" by Kim Kee-duk from 1966, and "An Actress's Confession" by Kim Soo-yong from 1967. Some 18 films from five nations will compete in an Asian Short Film and Video Competition, the only competition in the festival. The winner is given the Documentary Ockrang Award at the closing ceremony on April 15.

The Ockrang award is named after Kim Ock-rang of Dongsung Art Center who has devoted her life to the theater world.

For more information, call at (02)583-3120 or visit the website at Open the link