The China office of the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) on Feb. 17 opened the KOFIC Korean Film Festival in Shanghai, China, the first event of its kind in the country in nine years. Shown is a picture taken at the photo exhibition "Korean Actors 200," which opened on the same day as the festival. 

By Yun Dahee

Photos = Korean Film Council 

The council's China office on Feb. 17 said it is hosting the KOFIC Korean Film Festival in Shanghai jointly with the Korean Cultural Center there for the purpose of raising bilateral exchange in film.

The opening film of this nine-day festival ending on Feb. 25 is "Hunt," with 14 other movies to be screened including "Broker," "The Book of Fish," "Escape from Mogadishu" and the two installments of "Along With the Gods." Beijing in April will hold the event with the same program. 

Along with the screenings, the photo exhibition "Korean Actors 200" to run through March 16 features the images of 200 leading Korean actors as snapped by photographers Kim Jung-man, who died last year, and Ahn Sung-jin. 

From August to September 2014, KOFIC held screenings of Korean films in Beijing and Shanghai. The COVID-19 pandemic further prevented the council from hosting festivals of Korean cinema. 

Marking the 30th anniversary of Korean-Chinese relations last year, KOFIC has planned and held film festivals in both countries. Last year, the four-day KOFIC Chinese Film Festival was opened in Seoul on Dec. 1. 
 

Jeong Min-young, director of KOFIC's China office, said, "We expect this KOFIC Korean Film Festival to arouse Chinese interest in Korean films."

This is an official promotional poster for the KOFIC Korean Film Festival scheduled from Feb. 17-25 in Shanghai, China.