N. Korean films to screen at JIFF

A South Korean film festival will screen three North Korean films as part of its event, including a 2002 movie about an ancient fight to protect Dokdo Islets from Japanese invaders.

The organizing committee of the Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) announced on Tuesday (April 12) that three North Korean films have been added to the Special Screening section. They are "The Blood Stained Route Map" (2002), "Welcome to Pyongyang Animal Park" (2001) and "Spirit of Korean Celadon" (2002).

"It is still rare and difficult to see North Korean films here", said Hwang Kyun-min, coordinator of the section. "And we think that the screening of `The Blood Stained Route Map' is timely since the issue of Dokdo is very controversial now".

"The Blood Stained Route Map", directed by Phyo Kwang, is about a family from the Goryeo period (918-1392), who fight together to protect the Dokdo islets against the invasion of Japan. The film will make its premiere in South Korea at the festival.

"Welcome to Pyongyang Animal Park" by Yoon Chan sheds light on the daily life of a North Korean family. The human drama, which was originally made as a two-episode television series, describes how main character Eun-a achieves her goals despite the interference of other family members.

Another of Phyo's film, "Spirit of Korean Celadon" (2002) tells the story of a craftsman devoted to making traditional ceramics. Set in the Goryeo Kingdom, the movie shows the beauty of the ancient Kingdom's celadon and the effort of a craftsman to enrich it.

This will be the second time a North Korean film has been screened at the festival, after the 2003's screening of "Souls Protest", a story about Koreans forced to work in Japan during the colonial period. Seven North Korean films were also shown at the Pusan International Film Festival in 2003.

In its sixth year, the festival will take place on April 28-May 6 in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. In addition to the North Korean films, the event will screen 176 feature, short and documentary films from 31 countries.

North Korean films have been made available in the South since the mid-90s. In 2000, the monster film "Bulgasari" became the first North Korean work to be given a general release here.