Festival delivers documentaries to living rooms in Korea

What makes the festival special is you never have to worry about sharing your armrest with a stranger.

The 8th EBS International Documentary Festival opens today with 51 films from 29 countries. The program includes, clockwise from top left, "The Green Wave", "Last Train Home" and "Boy Cheerleaders". Provided by the festival

We live in a world where fiction often trumps fact, especially in the world of film. But for film fans who believe facts are stronger than fiction, it's documentaries that delight.

This month, the 8th EBS International Documentary Festival will provide a feast of 51 documentaries from 29 countries. What makes the festival special is that you don't have to leave home to attend or worry about sharing your armrest with a stranger. During the seven-day festival period, EBS, or Educational Broadcasting System, broadcasts eight hours of documentary film per day. In addition, some of the films on the festival schedule will be screened at three theaters in Seoul.

New this year is Issues in Education, a competitive section for documentaries on education.

"Through the new section, we are trying to create a stronger link between our identity as an educational broadcasting station and documentary film", said Seo Jang-won, an EBS official. Among the six films in this section, two focus on the growing pains that young children go through.

Directed by Latvian Roberts Rubin, "How Are You Doing, Rudolf Ming?" tells the story of Rudolf Ming, a troubled 12-year-old who finds acceptance in his community through his hand-drawn films that he creates and voices himself. This is the opening film for this year's festival. In "Boy Cheerleaders", nine boys who are bullied by their classmates learn the courage and discipline they need to face their fears through competition. But this is no ordinary match - it's a cheerleading contest that is sure to test their resolve and change their lives.

The EIDF's signature section, Festival Choice, offers 12 films on a range of topics. Combining fact and fiction, "The Green Wave" tells the story of Iran's Green Movement against the country's widely criticized 2009 election and how it affects ordinary Iranians. "Invisible Strings - The Talented Pusker Sisters" focuses on the rivalry between two Hungarian violinists who also happen to be sisters.

Another contender in the Festival Choice section is the British documentary "Guilty Pleasures". The film tracks five fans of Harlequin romance novels in Japan, England, India and the United States and shows how their lives are affected by the books.

The only Korean entry in this section is "Bittersweet Joke", which deals with the single parent issue in Korea. When her six-year-old son wants to go on a trip with his parents, his mom is forced to tell him that his dad is leaving to marry another woman.

The Korean Docs Panorama section features a collection of Korean documentaries from the past two years. The program includes "Miracle on Jongno Street", a story about four gay Seoulites, "No Name Stars", about the hidden heroes of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement in 1980, and "The True-taste Show", the most talked-about documentary in the first half of the year. The film digs deep to expose the dirty deals behind how famous restaurants are created in Korea. These three documentaries will only be screened in the theaters.

A section not to be missed this year is a retrospective on British documentary legend Richard Leacock (1921-2011). Leacock was a pioneer of direct cinema and cinema verite, both of which use handheld camera work and pose questions about society. The highlight of the program is "A Happy Mother's Day", considered Leacock's most successful work. In 1963 in Aberdeen, South Dakota, Mary Ann and Andrew Fischer gave birth to the first quintuplets in the United States. The couple wanted to avoid the media attention and raise their children in peace, but politicians wanted to capitalize on the birth to promote the city.

The World Showcase section offers five films showcasing the latest trends in documentary filmmaking. The program features Australian 3-D environmental documentary "Cane Toads: The Conquest", directed by Mark Lewis, who is also the head judge for this year's EIDF. Through his film, he sheds light on monster-like cane toads that are capable of killing alligators. "Last Train Home", directed by Canada-based Chinese director Lixin Fan, shows the dark side of industrialization in China through the story of a husband and wife who leave their daughter in their hometown for 16 years in order to make a living elsewhere. They reunite only once a year on Lunar New Year's Day after a grueling train trip.

Rounding out the festival is the Music Doc section, which includes four films on various music genres, including "Sounds Under the Sun". The film follows directors Jane Michener and Summer Love as they travel around the world to meet famous contemporary classical music composers in order to understand where they gain the inspiration for their music.

*The 8th EBS International Documentary Festival opens today and runs through Aug. 25. Most films will be aired by EBS, but films will also be screened at three venues including the EBS Space in Dogok-dong, southern Seoul; the Konkuk University branch of Lotte Cinema in Jayang-dong, eastern Seoul; and Arthouse Momo in Daehyun-dong, central Seoul. Tickets to films that are screened at the EBS Space are free but tickets to films at Lotte Cinema and Art House Momo are 3,000 won ($2.70) per film. For more, visit www.eidf.org.

By Sung So-young