The status of women in Korea, a country still dominated by men in almost all sectors, has made some significant progress over the past years. Lee Hyae-kyoung believes that the Women's Film Festival in Seoul has played a part, and it will do so this year.
"From the very first festival in 1997, there was strong support from women, partly because women's studies was established in Korea in the 1980s and a group of people studied the subject. The festival, meanwhile, helped people approach the topic from a cultural perspective", Lee, director of WFFIS, said in an interview with The Korea Herald.
Although efforts to bring changes to the nation's prejudice-laden systems still remain important, Lee said the festival's novel approach of looking at cultural aspects has resulted in a more important development: the formation of a new women-oriented cultural community.
In the early days when women's studies and feminist movement were in their infancy in Korea, the advocates' endeavors were often deemed a sort of militant struggle for offering enlightenment for women. But movies handle the issue in terms of communication and understanding, a softer and yet more effective tool, Lee said.
"The women's issues in our everyday life still exist but we don't see them very well, but the film festival helps our members to see them and examine their own everyday life", Lee said.
As the understanding of others from objective perspectives is difficult, people should go out to the public forum and consider others' alternative angles, she said.
In Korea's largely male-oriented movie industry, WFFIS represents the very "alternative" angles from its establishment in April 1997, when some 20,000 viewers, mostly women in their 20s, embraced the new cultural space enthusiastically.
"It has become a truly community-oriented festival", Lee said. "The atmosphere at theaters is totally different especially when it comes to the scenes where audiences laugh, cry or boo. We have specific points to do such acts at theaters and the reactions are fairly strong", she said.
The festival is not limited to the function as a festive venue where female audiences openly share their emotions. Last year, for instance, the festival held an international forum on those engaged in the sex industry, which turned out to be a serious and intellectual event.
This year, the 8th WFFIS will be held at Artreon in Shinchon, western Seoul, from April 6-14, offering support for continued improvements in the status of women in the movies under the motto of "See the world through women's eyes".
Last year, the festival attracted some 34,000 people and screened 86 films from 26 countries, with an increasing number of male viewers.
The financial support from corporate sponsors has been a critical issue for the festival. It began to receive 300 million won from the Culture and Tourism Ministry and 150 million won from the Seoul City, and yet organizers are having difficulty each year in finding corporate sponsors.
Despite the challenges, Lee said she has many happier moments to remember as a chief organizer. Participants are dedicated to the events, forming a sense of solidarity and community.
This year, New Currents - the competitive section and the heart of the festival - will bring to Korea some of the best films made by female directors around the world, exploring such topics as feminism, gender and sexuality. The entry is yet to be finalized.
And there will be a special screening of African films, providing a chance to look at the far corner of the world where there are many serious women's issues.
Lee said the organizers are sticking to the narrow definition of women's movies, limiting it to those made by female directors. "We have a clear objective to help nurture more creative women filmmakers who have their own perspective. But in the future, there will be an open cinema featuring works by male directors interested in women's issues", Lee said.
"Very few women had a chance to examine their true identity due to the prejudiced social system, but women's movies have helped female audiences realize that other people are also having the same problems, and finally begin to talk with other members", Lee said.
By Yang Sung-jin
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