The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), which is the largest documentary film festival in the world, will open its 27th festival on November 19th. Let’s take a look at the three Korean films that were invited this year.

 

In the Competition for Feature-Length Documentary, YI Seung-jun’s Wind on the Moon will screen. YI was born in 1971 and went to Seoul National University where he studied Asian History. Pursuing a keen interest in human rights and social issues, YI has made documentaries about people and how they communicate. With Children of God in 2008, YI won the NETPAC Award at the Jeonju International Film Festival, and soon followed with his 2012 film, Planet of Snail, with which he was able to make a name for himself while travelling around the world to numerous international film festivals. Similar to Planet of Snail, Wind on the Moon is about a girl who was born blind and deaf as seen through the perspective of her mother.
 
In the Paradocs section, experimental filmmaker KIM Kyung-man’s short Beep, which previously went to the DMZ Korean International Documentary Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival will be screened. In this work, KIM explores Korea’s institutionalized culture of fear and hatred towards North Koreans. With the use of propaganda footage and a soundtrack from the Ministry of Education and Culture, the amalgamation of mediums creates an interesting result. KIM often repurposes archival footage, newsreels and propaganda films and is considered a multi-media artist.

 

BAE Go-eun’s Betrayal I is part of the Paradocs: Amsterdam Art Weekend at IDFA, a line-up devoted to video art. BAE’s work is a personal take on the vulnerable and unstable position of women in contemporary society. She completed her bachelor and masters degrees at the Korean National University of Arts and pursued her residency in Amsterdam. She uses various art mediums to express herself, such as film, objects, performance and photography.

 

The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam will be running for 12 days, coming to a close on 30th of November.