Independent Film Fest Celebrates 10th Year

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter

A festival of independent films kicks off tonight in Seoul, celebrating its 10th anniversary with a special event looking back at the various films screened during its existence.

Started in 1996, Indieforum, a non-competitive festival for independent filmmakers and film fans, has tried to stay true to the spirit of independent cinema and show a spectrum of alternative films.

Taking place over 10 days through June 6 at the Seoul Art Cinema in Chongno, downtown Seoul, the event will show a total of 29 new domestic works and a selection of 20 films screened at the festival in previous years.

Retrospectives will be held for directors Jonas Mekas and Shiho Kano, while an installation exhibition by Shiho will be held at Gallery 175, located in the Korean National University of the Arts in Socho-dong, southern Seoul from today through June 12.

The opening film is "This Is Not a Documentary (Igotun Taqumentariga Anida)" by Park Hong-ryol and Hwang Da-eun, which tries to find an answer to the question of what documentary films should be. Closing the festival will be director Kim Kye-jung's "Haesung Project", about a director who wants to be an actor, and Yoon Sung-ho's "Nothing's Going to Stop Us Now (Irotkenun Kesokhalsu Obsoyo)", which talks about love and art.

Selected works from the previous events include "Picnic (Sopung)" in 1999, one of the festival's early films by Song Il-gon, director of last year's horror film "Spider Forest (Komisup)", and "Good Romance" in 2003 by Lee Song-hee.

Tickets are 5,000 won. English subtitles are provided for some films. Seoul Art Cinema is located in the former Hollywood theater near from Chonggak Station on subway line 1. For more information, call (02) 337-2274 or Open the link (Korean only).