Several film-related events to be held to commemorate the 61st anniversary of Korea-Mexico diplomatic relations

The Korean Film Council (KOFIC; Chairman Park Ki-yong) announced on September 13th that it will host events to showcase the diversity of Korean films in Mexico City and Monterrey, in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Center in Mexico City, as the two countries celebrate the 61st anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

South Korea has been named as the country guest of honor for the 19th Monterrey International Film Festival, which will take place from September 28th to October 4th in Monterrey, a city in northern Mexico. On this occasion, the festival will offer three sections devoted to Korean films and will bestow an accomplishment award on the most distinguished Korean female filmmaker, Yim Soonrye. Prior to this, a series of screenings and related events will be held in Mexico City to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA), which was founded by KOFIC.

Janeth Aguirre, the festival's newly appointed director, prepared a special section called "A Look at Contemporary Korean Female-directed Cinema" to honor prominent Korean women who have been breaking new ground in the Korean cinema industry. Directors such as Yoon Ga-eun, Yun Dan-bi, July Jung, Chang You-jeong, Han Ji-won, and Kim Se-in will have their films exhibited in this program. Yoon Ga-eun, July Jung, Chang You-jeong, Kim Se-in will be among the guests in attendance to talk about their film and participate in Q&A sessions.

Director Yim Soonrye 

A retrospective of Yim's works ("International Tribute - Yim Soonrye") will allow spectators to discover or revisit Waikiki Brothers, Forever the Moment, Rolling Home with a Bull, and South Bound, as well as her short Promenade in the Rain. Yim will receive the Cabrito de Plata, the festival's achievement award, during the opening ceremony, which will be followed by a showing of Little Forest.

Furthermore, the 19th Monterrey International Film Festival has chosen Shin Dong-min's feature film From You to compete in the International Feature Film Competition, Noh Gyeongmu's short film How to Get Your Man Pregnant (a graduate of KAFA's regular program) to compete in the International Short Film Competition, and Byun Sung-bin's Peafowl to screen in the non-competitive Galeria section (for world highlights). The Korean Short Film Showcase will also include KAFA short films, providing a look into modern Korean filmmaking across numerous programs.

Prior to the film festival, from September 21st to 28th, the National Cinematheque in Mexico City will host "Korean Film Week: KAFA 40th Anniversary" (“Semana de Cine Coreano: KAFA 40 años"). This event will showcase the works of filmmakers who graduated from KAFA, with a total of seven short films and seven feature films. Graduation projects by prominent directors such as Bong Joon-ho's Incoherence, E J-yong and Byun Daniel H.'s Homo Videocus, and Jang Joon-hwan's 2001 Imagine will be among the titles shown. Local viewers will also be able to see works by young KAFA directors that have been screened at major film events such as the Berlinale and San Sebastian, like Hong Sung-eun's Aloners and Kim Se-in's The Apartment with Two Women.

As part of the Korean Film Week, events to promote exchange between Korean and Mexican filmmakers, institutions, and schools are also scheduled. Conversations between Korean and Mexican female directors (on the 26th at 16:00 at the Cinematheque), Mexican film schools Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (CCC) and Escuela Nacional de Artes Cinematográficas (ENAC) are invited to screenings of The Apartment with Two Women and a networking event for Korean and Mexican film professionals are among the highlights. "These events, which will begin in Mexico City before moving to Mexico's third largest city, Monterrey, will demonstrate that Korean cinema has the potential to enter this untapped territory, Latin America," said Park Ki-yong, chairman of KOFIC. "It will be an opportunity to highlight multiple facets of Korean cinema that have received little attention on the international stage."