DMZ International Documentary Film Festival Opens at Pyeonghwanuri in Paju on September 11

The 17th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival will open on September 11 at the Imjingak Pyeonghwanuri Grand Theater in Paju and run for seven days until September 17. This year's event will begin with the opening ceremony, followed by screenings at Megabox Kintex in Goyang and CGV Paju Yadang in Paju.

This year, the festival will present the largest-ever domestic retrospective of Frederick Wiseman's complete works, which will be held at cinematheques and art theaters nationwide until July next year. In total, 143 new documentaries (88 feature-length and 55 short films) from 50 countries will be showcased.

The film screening program is divided into the following categories: Competition (International Competition, Frontier, Korean Competition), Non-Competition (Verite, Docufiction, Essay, Expanded), Critics' Choice, and Special Programs.

A scene from the opening film 'All the People Opposing Putin'

The special programs include the "Frederick Wiseman Complete Works Touring Retrospective," which will screen 20 of the American documentary master's 45 films, and "Humans, AI, Their Films, and Their Future," featuring works created with or about artificial intelligence, a topic that has recently become a major issue across all fields. The Frederick Wiseman retrospective will continue at cinematheques and art theaters nationwide until July next year after the festival concludes.

Now in its third year, the non-theatrical screening program will present nine films under the theme "Faces of Nature," exhibited at the Gimpo Aegibong Peace Ecological Park Exhibition Hall (September 5-October 12) and Saedeul Art Creation Space in Goyang (September 12-17).

To expand opportunities for citizen participation and cultural enjoyment, DMZ Docs Plus+ will be held this year at Gyeonggi Indie Cinema, Seongnam Media Center, Pocheon Media Center, and Hwaseong Small Cinema.

The "Docu-Concert," which combines documentary screenings with live performances, will take place at the Sky Garden on the 10th floor of Hyundai Department Store Kintex Branch (September 12-14) and at the Singing Fountain in Ilsan Lake Park (September 13-14). The documentary concert is a free event open to everyone.

Meanwhile, to facilitate audience attendance at the opening ceremony, the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival will operate a circular shuttle bus from GTX-A Unjeong Jungang Station to the Imjingak Pyeonghwanuri Grand Theater from 3 p.m. on the day of the opening ceremony.

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