[Seoul District News] Seongdong-gu to Host the 7th Seoul Forest Healing Film Festival at Seoul Forest Family Yard from August 19-27 on Fridays and Saturdays After 3 Years... Gangseo-gu to Hold ‘Yangcheon-hyeon Scholars Dance to Music (Ak樂)’ from September to October... Jongno-gu’s Experts Become ‘Modern Electric Storytellers’ Sharing Historical Facts Around the Blue House & Operate Biweekly on Wednesdays from August 31 to November 9, with 25 Participants per Session, Free Admission... Dongdaemun-gu Creates Film-Themed Murals Around Dapsimni Filming Studio Intersection
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) will hold the ‘7th Seoul Forest Healing Film Festival’ at the outdoor stage of Seoul Forest, a natural space in the city center.
Due to COVID-19, the festival was not held in 2020 and 2021, so this year marks the return of the festival after three years with a rich lineup of films and performances. Since its first event in 2014, the Seoul Forest Healing Film Festival has established itself as a representative event of summer nights in Seongdong-gu and has been continuously loved by residents.
This year, the Seoul Forest Healing Film Festival will be held four times in total on Fridays and Saturdays from August 19 to 27, starting at 7:30 PM at the ‘Seoul Forest Outdoor Stage’.
The films, selected based on a prior survey focusing on popularity, fun, and emotional impact, include ‘The Boss Baby 2’ on the first day, August 19; ‘Trolls World Tour’ on August 20; ‘Little Forest’ on August 26; and ‘The Croods: A New Age’ on the final day, August 27.
Before the film screenings, various pre-performances such as music performances and magic shows will be held, along with face painting, magic balloon-making experience booths, and photo zones.
The 7th Seoul Forest Healing Film Festival is open to all residents, but attendees must bring their own mats.
Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “I hope people can heal their tired hearts from the recent COVID-19 spread and record-breaking heavy rains by enjoying diverse performances and films,” adding, “We will continue to strive to make Seongdong a cultural city full of sights and entertainment for residents.”
Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Kim Tae-woo) announced that it will promote the ‘2022 Hyanggyo and Seowon Cultural Festival Utilization Project’ at Yangcheon Hyanggyo.
Built in the 11th year of King Taejong of the Joseon Dynasty (1411), Yangcheon Hyanggyo is the only hyanggyo in Seoul, an educational institution where Confucian scholars performed ancestral rites and taught Confucianism to students to nurture local talents.
This project was prepared to utilize the hyanggyo and seowon, which were perceived as closed spaces, as cultural spaces full of people and stories, and as places to introduce traditional Korean culture to youth.
As part of this project, the district is recruiting elementary school students to participate in ‘Yangcheon-hyeon Confucian Students Dance to Music (樂),’ a comprehensive arts education program linking music, dance, and art.
‘Yangcheon-hyeon Confucian Students Dance to Music (樂)’ is themed on the local legend of Gangseo-gu, the ‘Tugumtan Story,’ and includes activities such as making paper masks of the legendary protagonists ‘Lee Jonyeon and Lee Eoknyeon’ and creating ‘Dajeongga’ with music and dance.
The program is divided into lower grades (1st to 3rd grade) and upper grades (4th to 6th grade). The lower grades sessions will be held on September 3, 4, and 17, and the upper grades on September 18, October 8, and 22.
The participation fee is 5,000 KRW, and applications can be made through the ‘Yangcheon Hyanggyo Internet Cafe - 2022 Program Guide.’
An official from the district said, “Yangcheon Hyanggyo, which advocates an open hyanggyo with residents, will become even closer to the local community through this program,” adding, “We will continue to develop Yangcheon Hyanggyo as a representative traditional cultural space of Gangseo-gu.”
Meanwhile, in November, a ‘Boat Sketching Contest with Geomjae Jeong Seon’ will be held, set against the Gangseo area depicted in Jeong Seon’s ‘Gyeonggyo Myeongseungcheop.’ For inquiries, contact the Gangseo-gu Office’s Culture and Sports Division or the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute.
The streets of Jongno, where centuries-old relics and alleys remain intact, are like fingerprints of history. In this place where past and present coexist, there was a storyteller who shared the stories engraved in each alley. This was the ‘Jeongisu (傳奇?)’, a street storyteller active in the late Joseon period who moved around the bustling downtown areas.
Jongno-gu (Mayor Jung Moon-heon) will operate the ‘2022 Jongno Storyteller Jeongisu’ program from August 31 to November 9.
Experts from various fields will act as modern-day Jeongisu, walking with participants through every corner of the district and sharing old stories embedded in each location.
This year, the program was planned in connection with nearby tourist courses following the opening of the Blue House. The combination of the area's historical and cultural resources and Jeongisu’s commentary is expected to enhance both enjoyment and educational value.
The Jeongisu program starts on August 31 and will be held on September 14 and 28, October 12 and 26, and November 9 from 2 PM to 4 PM.
Over six sessions, the schedule is as follows: ▲ August 31 - History travel writer Park Kwang-il’s ‘Blue House Trail 1: Baeksasil, the Secret Forest’ ▲ September 14 - Science explorer Moon Kyung-soo’s ‘Blue House Trail 2: Baegak Seen Through an Explorer’s Eyes’ ▲ September 28 - Hanok consultant Jeon Sang-jin’s ‘Living in a Hanok Neighborhood Next to the Blue House’ ▲ October 12 - Director Oh Kyung-taek of the Capital Cultural Heritage Research Institute’s ‘Rediscovery of Unjongga, 2021 Metal Movable Type’ ▲ October 26 - Photographer Kim Dong-woo’s ‘Blue House Trail 3: Walking Samcheong-dong Road with a Photographer’ ▲ November 9 - Dr. Shin Hyo-seung of the Dongbu Archaeological Foundation’s ‘Blue House Trail 4: Gojong’s Gyeongbokgung, Geoncheonggung, and Gyeongmudae.’
Anyone interested can apply starting three weeks before the program date via the district office website. Each session accepts 25 participants on a first-come, first-served basis, and participation is free. For more details, contact the Jongno-gu Office Tourism Division.
Mayor Jung Moon-heon said, “Walking the Blue House Trail with experts will be a valuable time to gain knowledge,” adding, “We will focus on strengthening tourism programs that utilize Jongno’s rich historical and cultural resources.”
Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) has created a movie-themed street full of sights by exhibiting mural artworks and art pieces (Public Art Project - Reflect) around the Dapsimni Filming Studio intersection.
The retaining walls on both sides of the 260-meter-long Dapsimni Filming Studio Hill Road, where tile murals were previously installed, have been transformed into a space where visitors can enjoy famous lines and scenes from Korean film festival award-winning movies from the 1960s to the 2010s while walking up the hill.
On the retaining wall opposite Dongdaemun Sports Center, murals representing 12 selected works recommended by film industry experts from the 1960s to 2019, along with silhouettes of directors and actors symbolizing scenes and characters from those films, have been created.
The retaining wall opposite the Dapsimni Film Media Art Center is filled with a design shaped like film fragments representing 79 movies filmed at the Dapsimni Film Studio from the 1960s. Through the rainbow-colored film fragments depicting the joys and sorrows in the films, viewers can remember the directors and actors of that era and glimpse the historical significance of the filming studio.
Notably, the mural project was reconstructed using phosphorescent paint so that the movie street can be enjoyed at night without light pollution, and it is significant in that it features films from the 1960s when the Dapsimni Film Studio was actively operating.
The area around the bus stop has also been newly transformed. A 1960s movie theater and ticket booth have been recreated, turning the filming studio, which remains only as a place name, into a space where various movie-themed works can be shared. Additionally, the district’s former mascot ‘Kkumdong-i’ is used to enhance promotional effects, attracting attention.
Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, “While carrying out this sculpture and mural project, we faced many difficulties obtaining copyright and portrait rights for over 210 films, but I am pleased that a movie street with the unique sentiment of Dapsimni has been created,” adding, “I hope the Dapsimni Movie Street will be loved as a place of empathy, communication, and exchange that conveys the charm of Korean cinema.”
Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) has been holding a special media art exhibition titled ‘March 2022,’ themed on women’s rights, at the Seongbuk Arts Creation Center (23 Seongbuk-ro, Seongbuk-gu) since August 16.
The exhibition features seven artists: Kim Chang-kyum, Kwak In-sang, Kim Seung-woo, Kim Jin-woo, Lee Sang-soo, Seo Ji-hyun, and Choi Jong-woon. Visitors can experience various media artworks including augmented reality, media installations, video, kinetic art, and sound art.
‘March’ began in 2019 with the theme of women’s rights. This year, 2022, it presents three thematic works related to women’s rights through media art, which has gained popularity as a mass medium. The themes include women as victims of Japanese military sexual slavery during the Japanese colonial period, modern women’s rights sacrificed by war and media, and women transformed from victims into agents of the women’s rights movement.
An exhibition official stated, “Like the comfort women grandmothers who speak out as activists for the improvement of women’s rights worldwide, we select the title ‘March’ every year to represent moving forward from the past and continuing toward a changed future.”
‘March 2022’ is hosted by Seongbuk-gu and the Seongbuk Cultural Foundation, supported by the Seoul Gender Equality Fund, and runs until August 30. Admission is free. For more details about the exhibition, contact the Seongbuk Arts Creation Center.
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