Explore avant-garde media fest

By Ines Min

Summer blockbusters may be pulling in the big bucks with plenty of action and 3D scenes, but for those looking to broaden their horizons, challenge their philosophies and experiment with a new, creative world, the Seoul International New Media Festival (NEMAF) is just the thing.

The 10th edition of NEMAF returns to introduce a batch of indie, avant-garde and boundary-pushing artistic videos, Thursday, with a lineup of work that is sure to satiate the appetites of those looking for something more exhilarating than "Shrek 4".

In its first official year as an international event, NEMAF has managed to bring in a range of media visionaries from 20 countries, featuring 200 artists overall during the festival that runs from Thursday through Aug. 14. Organized by the alternative media theater i-Gong, NEMAF screenings and exhibitions will take place in the Hongdae neighborhood at independent cinemas and cafes.

A variety of intriguing works will be shown, from the observational documentaries of New York artist Jem Cohen ("Long for the City", starring Patti Smith, will open the festivities) to emerging Korean youths and even legends such as Paik Nam June. The lengths of the pieces vary anywhere from two minutes to more than hour-long features.

This year includes 10 special programs to commemorate the decade anniversary of the festival. "Project 10ve" is the foremost segment, comprised of 10 one-minute films made by selected Korean artists who have previously participated in the festival. Included in the line-up are Yangachi _ also currently up for the 2010 Hermes Foundation Missulsang _ Ryu Bi-ho, Kim Sung-ho and Lee Jung-su.

Film themes range from the sexually outrageous ("Balkan Erotic Epic" features a recording of a group of nude men copulating with the ground) to the troubles of young teens ("Just Friends?" confronts homosexual taboos within modern Korean society). While "Windy City" chronicles a reggae band's performance by the Namhan River, You Zie-sook's sped-up, daily documentation of her countenance _ and it's changes _ over 10 years shows a startling image of time.

Retrospectives will pay tribute to legendary experimental filmmakers Ken Jacobs and Lyn Sachs. Celebrated Jacobs, who directed "Tom, Tom, The Piper's Son", will present his work "Return to the Scene of the Crime", as well as a selection of short stories including "Hot Dogs at the Met" and "His Favorite Wife Improved".

The section for Sachs will screen 10 short films and videos, including "XY Chromosome" and "Tornado", a cine-poem shot the day after Sept. 11, 2001, that follows Sachs through an endless windfall of burnt paper and scraps from the World Trade Center.

A look into the history of alternative media emphasizes the importance of having not only local movements, but global pushes for the experimental genre. Creative duo Dan Boord and Luis Valdovino use their travelogues to explore cultural standards and historical perspectives from Europe to the American West, and Che One-joon's "Texas Project" looks into a northern Seoul's red-light district over three years.

For those feeling a bit creative themselves, an open workshop will provide festival-goers with an opportunity to demolish that line between artist and audience, and participants will be encouraged to make their own artwork with everyday equipment that is becoming ever-prevalent in the art world _ i.e. their cell phones and digital cameras.

Tickets and day passes for the festival are available at Open the link or call (02) 337-2870. For more information, visit Open the link