By Jung Joo-ri
Video = FFCP Communication's official YouTube channel

The 17th Korean Film Festival in Paris will run from Oct. 25 through Nov. 1.

This year's event will screen a combined 68 films -- 26 long and 42 short -- at Publicis Cinemas on the Champs-Elysees, the famed avenue in the French capital.

The opening film is "Life is Beautiful" by director Choi Kook-hee with actors Ryu Seung-ryong and Yum Jung-ah. The closing film is "Heaven: To the Land of Happiness" starring Choi Min-sik and Park Hae-il.

The festival's organizing committee said all seats for the opening (100) and closing (100) ceremonies were sold out on Oct. 18, the day online ticket sales began. Tickets for the remaining 200 seats will be sold on-site.

Highlights of the festival include "Emergency Declaration" by director Han Jae-rim, which was also invited to last year's festival; "Hunt" in the directorial debut of actor Lee Jung-jae; "Alienoid" by director Choi Dong-hoon and "Confession" directed by Yoon Jong-seok. Starring So Ji-sub, "Confession" is slated for release in Korea on Oct. 26.

The festival also features a program of old movies under the theme of female filmmakers including "The Widow," Korea's first movie directed by a woman, Park Nam-ok, and "A Woman Judge" by director Hong Eun-won. Another highlight is the documentary "Keeping the Vision Alive: Women in Korean Filmmaking" by director Yim Soon-rye, whose work explores the history and meaning of female filmmakers in Korea.

Six directors -- Choi Kook-hee, Im Sang-soo, Lee Il-ha, Jeong Seong-jun, Kim Jung-eun and Jung Won-hee -- will take part in a "meet the director" program, which had been suspended for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

David Tredler, the festival's chief programmer, told Yonhap News of Korea in an interview that given Korea's heightened status, introduction of a variety of Korean films including popular, classic and short works as well as auteur productions is more important than ever.

More information on the festival is available in its official website: http://www.ffcp-cinema.com (French only).

This is the official poster for the 17th Korean Film Festival in Paris. (Festiva's official website)