Gyeonggi Province to Open DMZ International Documentary Film Festival at Imjingak in Paju on September 11

17th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival to Be Held from September 11 to 17
143 Documentaries from 50 Countries Including Opening Film "Everyone Opposing Putin"

The 17th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival (Chairman Kim Dongyeon, Executive Director Jang Haerang) will open on September 11 at the Imjingak Pyeonghwanuri Grand Theater in Paju and run for seven days until September 17.

Opening Film (Everyone Opposing Putin). Provided by Gyeonggi Province

This year's slogan, "A Day We Want to Live," reflects the festival's aim to explore the value of a better life by reflecting on humanity and society through documentaries.

The opening ceremony will be hosted by actor Kim Jungki and announcer Lim Hyunjoo, with a celebratory performance by the indie band Danpyunsun and the Sailors. The opening film is "Everyone Opposing Putin," which portrays the courage of teachers in Russia who oppose the war.

The 17th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival will begin with the opening ceremony on September 11 and will screen films at Megabox Kintex in Goyang and CGV Paju Yadang in Paju. This year, the festival is the largest ever in Korea, featuring a retrospective of Frederick Wiseman's complete works, which will tour nationwide cinematheques and art theaters until July next year, as well as 143 new documentaries from Korea and abroad (88 feature-length and 55 short films) from 50 countries.

The film screening program includes: ▲ Competition sections such as International Competition, Frontier, and Korean Competition ▲ Non-competition sections such as Verite, Docufiction, Essay, and Expanded ▲ Newly introduced programs this year, including Critics' Choice and Special Screenings.

The special screenings feature the "Frederick Wiseman Complete Works Touring Retrospective," which will present 20 out of 45 of the American documentary master's films, and "Humans, AI, Their Films and Their Future," which showcases works created using or in collaboration with artificial intelligence (AI), a topic that has recently become a hot issue across various fields. The Frederick Wiseman retrospective will continue at cinematheques and art theaters nationwide until July next year after the festival concludes.

The non-theatrical screening program, now in its third year, is themed "Faces of Nature" and will present nine films in exhibition format at the Aegibong Peace Ecological Park Exhibition Hall in Gimpo (September 5 to October 12) and at Saedeul, the Art Creation Space in Goyang (September 12 to 17).

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

"DocuConcert," where audiences can enjoy both documentary screenings and live performances, will be held at the Sky Garden on the 10th floor of Hyundai Department Store Kintex Branch (September 12 to 14) and at the Singing Fountain in Ilsan Lake Park (September 13 to 14). DocuConcert is a free event open to everyone.

On docuVoDA, the documentary-specialized OTT (online video service) operated by the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival, the short film collection "Short is Beautiful" will be featured, along with "This is Not Virtual," a selection of notable short documentaries from the emerging machinima (a method of creating videos using game engines or virtual worlds instead of traditional filming) genre.

DMZ Docs Industry, the industry program dedicated to discovering, supporting, and nurturing outstanding documentary projects from Korea and Asia, will be held from September 12 to 16. The program has been completely revamped as a practical production support project for creators, covering everything from planning and development to post-production support. A total of 42 projects, with a combined support fund of 420 million won, will participate in production support and pitch sessions.

For the convenience of audience members attending the opening ceremony, the 17th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival will operate a circular shuttle bus from GTX-A Unjeong Jungang Station to the Imjingak Pyeonghwanuri Grand Theater starting at 3 p.m. on the day of the opening ceremony.