Wide spectrum of Korean films invited to Vancouver

The 23rd edition of the Vancouver International Film Festival in Canada will feature a wide selection of Korean films in their "Dragons & Tigers: The Cinemas of East Asia" program, including two features in competition.

The two films that will compete for the Dragons & Tigers Award are Fade Into You by independent filmmaker Chegy and OH Myung-hoon's Sund@y Seoul, which was recently screened at the Locarno International Film Festival. A total number of nine features by first- and second-time directors from Asia make up the competition section.

The festival will also host a special "Tribute to LEE Sung-gang", the independent animator responsible for the award-winning feature My Beautiful Girl, Mari (2002). In addition to this film, the tribute will include various shorts by the director (including his most recent film Onuri, based on a Jeju Island creation myth) as well as music videos and his animated sequence for JANG Sung-woo's Timeless, Bottomless, Bad Movie.

Other features chosen for the festival by programmer Tony RAYNS include Digital Short Films by Three Filmmakers (commissioned by the Jeonju International Film Festival, and including a short film by BONG Joon-ho); RYOO Seung-wan's Arahan; KIM Dong-won's acclaimed documentary Repatriation; WHANG Cheol-mean's Spying Cam; HONG Sang-soo's Woman is the Future of Man; and ten shorts from the Twentidentity collection of digital shorts by graduates of the KOFIC-run Korean Academy of Film Arts.

Apart from presenting his latest film, director HONG Sang-soo will also serve on the Dragons & Tigers jury.

The Vancouver festival will run this year from September 23 to October 8. More information can be found on the festival's website at Open the link.