"Why the Film Festival Must Be Held Amidst South-North Relations Stalemate"

Pyeongchang International Peace Film Festival Opens... Director Moon Seong-geun "We Must Work Together in a Positive Direction"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have escalated due to North Korea's aggressive stance toward the South. Despite the ongoing spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), film screenings continue.

On the evening of the 18th, the Pyeongchang International Peace Film Festival opened at the Olympic Medal Plaza in Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon Province. This film festival, held in Pyeongchang?a city established as a place of peace and harmony through hosting the Winter Olympics?reflects on cultural values and the true meaning of peace. Although some screenings and invitations to overseas filmmakers were canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the festival was held as planned with strict quarantine measures. Five films portraying contemporary North Korea are also being screened.

Moon Sung-geun, chairman of the Pyeongchang International Peace Film Festival, said at a press conference held at the Pyeongchang Alpensia Theater, "Inter-Korean relations have become strained, making peace more urgent and desperate," adding, "That is why the film festival must proceed." He stated, "The Pyeongchang International Peace Film Festival was organized to find ways to contribute to inter-Korean relations through culture and the arts," and "If we continue to pursue peace and hold the festival, it will open the door to film exchanges between the North and South."

Regarding recent inter-Korean relations, he said, "Among the various crises so far, this one carries strong symbolic meaning. I hope it becomes an opportunity to resolve conflicts and find a turning point." He added, "It is regrettable that North Korea has gone too far, but now we must both strive in a positive direction to prevent wounds from deepening."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The festival, which runs until the 23rd, carries the slogan "Again, Peace." It plans to be a festival that hopes for peace while reflecting on the realistic task of overcoming division. At the opening ceremony, Chairman Moon referred to North Korea's demolition of the Kaesong Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office on the 16th, saying, "Seeing inter-Korean relations come to a halt again just the other day, peace has never been more desperately needed."

The films, centered on the theme of peace, include ninety-six works from thirty-four countries. The opening film was "The Adventures of a Mathematician," a drama based on the memoirs of Stanisław Ulam, a Polish mathematician who participated in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II. It simultaneously portrays the life of a war victim who lost his family and the life of a perpetrator who created inhumane weapons.

This year’s festival has reduced the scale of invitations compared to last year due to the spread of COVID-19. All events are held outdoors, including locations such as Hoenggye-ri in Daegwallyeong-myeon, Alpensia, Yongpyong Resort, and Woljeongsa Temple area in Pyeongchang-gun. Officials pledged, "We will set up screening venues while maintaining social distancing as much as possible and implement thorough daily quarantine measures."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.