Moon Sung-keun, chairman of the 3rd PyeongChang International Peace Film Festival (PIPFF), and PIPFF Director Pang Eun-jin, PIPFF programmer Choi Eun-young speak on the festival on a live program of Gangwon Global Studio on May 20. (Photo: Gangwon Provincial Govt.)
The 3rd PyeongChang International Peace Film Festival (PIPFF) opened for a seven-day run on the Olympic Medal Plaza in PyeongChang, Gangwon-do, on June 17.
Gangwon-do Gov. Choi Moon-soon said, ¡°The PIPFF 2021 is to be hoped to maintain a festive mood through thorough disinfection and preventive measures against the pandemic.¡±
He made the remarks at a ceremony in which Shinhan Bank contributed money to provide patronage to the festival on May 25.
The third edition of PIPFF raised its curtain at 8 p.m. on June 17 with Moon Sung-keun, a prominent actor, concurrently chairman of the festival, and officials from the film industry and other walks of life in attendance.
Under the catchphrase ¡°Peace Again,¡± the 3rd PIPFF is taking place at Alpensia Resort and Hoenggye area in PyeongChang, featuring 97 films from 35 countries in 11 categories.
Park Sung-woong, who has made a splash in the drama and film sectors, emceed the opening ceremony.
Jung Jae-il, the musical director of the film Parasite, the first-ever foreign-language film to win best picture at the Academy Awards, and Park Sun-ah, gayageum performer, held their commemorative concerts.
The opening film "Adventures of a Mathematician," was screened at the opening ceremony.
The film was based on the memoir of the brilliant Polish-Jewish mathematician Stanislaw Ulam, who played a key role in developing the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II.
Korean and foreign films by gifted and young directors, chosen with strict screening in the official competition categories, Korean short film and international feature film segments, will be screened during the festival.
Spectators will be given the chance to see North Korean documentaries at PIPFF¡¯s signature category ¡°PyeongChang Cinema,¡± and films by directors from the province at the Cinematic Gangwon¡± category.
The festival was scaled back this year. Events took place outdoors in accordance with social-distancing measures against the COVID-19 pandemic. Foreign directors were not able to attend the festival due to the pandemic.
A Film Festival Dreaming of a New Hope
PIPFF launched in 2019 as a legacy event of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games to carry on the spirit of peace.
Featuring a wide range of films, exhibitions, and performances with the theme of peace, the festival has been received enthusiastically by audiences.
The 2020 festival was a success, even in the midst of the pandemic. Ensuring the safety of the visitors through effective quarantine management, PIPFF 2020 wished to bring back peace in everyday life.
PIPFF has prepared a delightful program this year again, along with careful quarantine measures to ensure ¡°safe contact.¡± The opening ceremony and major programs are at the Olympic Medal Plaza, open to both audiences and local residents.
Also, unique theaters and exhibition spaces have been created using cultural spaces in Hoenggye-ri, Daegwallyeong-myeon.
Envisioning a film festival that makes the best of the beautiful nature and unique characteristics of Pyeongchang, PIPFF 2021 also offers outdoor programs such as outdoor screenings at Jinbu Sports Park and Pyeongchang Rock Park as well as ¡°PIPFF Stage.¡±
Although international filmmakers could not travel to Pyeongchang due to the COVID pandemic, the messages of support and consolation from directors and actors around the world will be shared.
A festival for film lovers set in the beautiful Daegwallyeong, PIPFF 2021 will hopefully offer the visitors a time of peace and healing, bringing a ¡°new hope¡± to their lives.