아시아 유일 음악영화제…제천국제음악영화제 8일 개막
Every year, the city of Jecheon, about two hours from Seoul, hosts a film festival where all the movies are in some way related to music.
And this year's edition is the biggest yet.
Our Won Jung-hwan has the details.
The Jecheon International Music and Film Festival has been held every year since 2005 in the city of Jecheon, Chungcheongbuk-do Province,… screening outstanding music-based films from dramas and documentaries to animations and experimental films.
This year's festival runs from Thursday until August 13th, with Jecheon's beautiful Cheongpungho Lake as a fitting backdrop.
And one of the committee members says,... this time, visitors will be able to get closer to the festival than ever before.
"This year marks the festival's 15th anniversary,... and under the slogan of 'Into the Citizens', we've prepared some programs to be held in downtown to get even closer to the visitors."
This year's festival is expected to be the largest in the festival's history, with more than 120 films from nearly 40 countries including Japan being screened.
In fact, as the boycott of Japanese goods and content gains momentum in Korea,… a couple of days ago, Jecheon city council demanded that Japanese titles be removed from this year's lineup. But the organizers of the festival confirmed on Thursday that there is no change from the original schedule and that they will not boycott Japanese films.
And besides the screening of the films,… the JIMFF plans to celebrate Korea's warm midsummer days and nights with a packed program.
Visitors can enjoy musical performances on an outdoor stage with some music concerts from renowned performers such as Heize and Wheesung.
And besides the dazzling 'One Summer Night' music events for the fans,… visitors can have a chance to connect with artists at the 'JIMFF Live Music Talk' where artists and guests will tell stories and explain the reasons behind their work.
The global music and film festival,... which is the only one of its kind in Asia, will provide visitors with more than just films, as it has done for the past 15 years.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News.
