The opening ceremony of the Korean Film Festival was held on Monday at a newly built cinema dedicated to Korean films at the Korean Cultural Center in Beijing, capital of China. Audience members take their seats to watch the opening ceremony followed by the opening film, “Hunt. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Beijing, April 26 (Korea Bizwire) —Against the backdrop of tensions between South Korea and China over President Yoon’s remarks regarding the Taiwan issue, a newly opened theater at the Korean Cultural Center in Beijing is dedicated to showcasing Korean cinema.
The KOFIC (Korean Film Council) Korean Film Festival held its inaugural ceremony on Monday at the 80-seat cinema, located in the basement of the Cultural Center in downtown Beijing.
With the absence of Korean films in Chinese cinemas in recent years, this non-profit cinema, which is operated by the Korean government, aims to provide Chinese moviegoers with a venue to satiate their craving for Korean films.
The Festival opened with “Hunt,” directed by Lee Jung-jae, and features a total of 15 Korean films including “Broker” by Hirokazu Kore-eda, “Walk Up” by Hong Sang-soo, “Round Up 2″ by Lee Sang-yong, and “Witch: Part 2″ by Park Hoon-jung, running until May 2nd.
During the opening ceremony of the event, Park Ki-yong, Chairman of the Korean Film Council, remarked that “Korea and China are closely linked by geography and intertwined culturally. It is our hope that this festival will serve as a hub for cinematic exchange between the two nations.”
A photo exhibition of 200 Korean actors photographed by Ahn Seong-jin and the late Kim Joong-man, who are regarded as masters of Korean photography, was held on Monday at the Korean Cultural Center in Beijing, capital of China. The photo exhibition was held in conjunction with the opening of the Korean Film Center. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Economic Attaché, Yoo Bok-geun, delivered a statement on behalf of Ambassador Chung Jae-ho, who expressed his concern that “the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted cultural and people-to-people exchanges between our nations, resulting in a decline in mutual understanding between the youth of Korea and China. We hope that this eight-day Korean Film Festival will deepen mutual understanding and bring our peoples closer together.”
Notably, the opening ceremony was attended by Chinese film industry figures, but no Chinese government officials were present, indicating the current chill between the two governments. Chairman of the China Film Association cut the ribbon on behalf of his Chinese counterpart, but there were no official statements of congratulations from the Chinese side.
“The Chinese film industry is also heavily influenced by political issues, so it’s unclear when Korean films will be able to be shown in China,” noted a member of the Chinese film import and export industry who attended the event.
While the screening of the 2020 film “Oh! My Gran” in mainland China last December marked the first Korean film shown in Chinese theaters in more than six years, there have been no offline screenings of Korean films in China since then. Director Hong Sang-soo’s 2018 film “Hotel by the River” became the first Korean film to be released on Chinese OTT (video streaming) platforms in six years last November, raising hopes of the lifting of the ban, but it has yet to happen.
Lina Jang (lina@koreabizwire.com)
