Inaugural New York Korean Independent Film Festival Opens Today, Screening 15 Films Free Through October 25
New York — The inaugural New York Korean Independent Film Festival (NYKIFF) opened on October 15 at the theater of the Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY), 122 East 32nd Street in Manhattan, according to the organizer's announcement issued on October 14. The festival runs through October 25 and screens 15 films — 10 features and 5 shorts — with admission free to the public by advance registration through the center's website.
The festival opens with Stars and Sand, directed by Kam Jeongwon, which won the Grand Prize at the 51st Seoul Independent Film Festival. Kam and cinematographer Choi Chang Hwan are scheduled to attend the opening screening and take part in a post-screening Q&A, followed by a networking reception. The closing film is The World of Love by Yoon Ga-eun, who received the Best Director award in the film category at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards for the work. Other features include The Glimmering by Lee Weonyoung, a Grand Prize winner at the Muju Film Festival, and Karma, an award-winning selection from the Jeonju International Film Festival, with the program spanning fiction, documentary, thriller and action titles.
The lineup was developed with five Korean festivals: the Seoul Independent Film Festival, the Jeonju International Film Festival, the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, the Muju Film Festival and the Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival. The shorts section, co-presented with the Korea Creative Content Agency's New York office and Netflix Korea, shows five award-winning films from the Mise-en-scène festival's 22nd edition. The organizer said 12 directors and other film professionals will travel to New York for audience Q&As, joined by Jang Young-yeop, CEO of the Korean film magazine Cine21, for the shorts program.
The Korean Cultural Center New York, a branch of the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism established in December 1979, said the new festival is intended to expand international screening opportunities for Korean independent films and to foster exchange with New York's film community. Program details and registration are available at koreanculture.org.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：首届纽约韩国独立电影节官方主视觉海报，海报所载日期（10月15至25日）与地址（东32街122号）与主办方公告一致。图片来源：纽约韩国文化院官方发布（经PR Newswire分发） / Photo: Official NYKIFF main poster, released by the Korean Cultural Center New York via PR Newswire
