Revamped DMZ Docs highlights documentaries from around the world

The 15th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival (DMZ Docs) will feature 147 documentaries from 54 countries, with a completely revamped line of program sessions.

Organizers including the festival director Jang Hae-rang, center, pose for a photo during a press conference for the 15th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival at CGV Myeongdong Cine Library in Jung District, central Seoul, on Tuesday. [DMZ DOCS]

The 15th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival (DMZ Docs) will feature 147 documentaries from 54 countries, with a completely revamped line of program sessions.

This year’s DMZ Docs, held from Sept. 14 to 21 in various multiplexes in and around Goyang, Gyeonggi, has been given a makeover in terms of the program sessions featured in the festival, according to the organizers. The sessions have been improved and expanded upon from the previous Global Vision and DMZ Open Cinema sections and changed to the International Competition, Frontier Competition and Korean Competition sections, while the non-competition session includes Verite, Docufiction, Essay, Expanded and Special Exhibition sections.

“While revamping DMZ Docs, which has been around for 15 years, we focused on the festival staying true to its nature of being a festival dedicated to documentaries,” Jang Byung-won, the head of programming, said during a press conference for the festival held at CGV Myeongdong Cine Library in Jung District, central Seoul, on Tuesday. “The sessions have been reorganized so that each session highlights the different characteristics of the group of documentaries being introduced.”

Main poster for the 15th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival [DMZ DOCS]

DMZ Docs launched in 2009 as part of a joint collaboration between Gyeonggi, Paju City and the DMZ Docs festival council, and was joined by Goyang City in 2013. It is one of the largest documentary-focused film festivals in Korea, along with the EBS International Documentary Festival, which is held annually in August. DMZ Docs traditionally focuses on the themes of peace, communication and life, and aims to become Asia’s leading documentary festival.

Festival director Jang Hae-rang further outlined nine keywords or themes for this year’s DMZ Docs, such as memory, “beyond the line” and digital platform zone. Memory is the central function of documentaries, while the “beyond the line” concept aims to cross divides such as North and South, liberal and conservative, male and female and more to bring together a discourse. Digital platform zone refers to the new digital environments in which documentaries are being created.

The opening film of the 15th DMZ Docs is the Chilean documentary “The Eternal Memory,” about a journalist who recorded the fever of the Chilean democracy movement, following his journey with Alzheimer’s disease. “The Eternal Memory” won the Grand Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and has received praise from critics and viewers alike, according to the organizers of DMZ Docs.

“'The Eternal Memory’ weaves the situation of its protagonist, Augusto Gongora, a prominent journalist in Chile, together with the historical events of Chilean history to tell us about history, memory and democracy,” Jang Byung-won said. “Paulina Urrutia [Gongora’s wife] will be visiting the 15th DMZ Docs and meeting audiences at the opening ceremony, guest visit, and stage greeting throughout the film festival.”

Three special exhibitions will also be open to audiences at the 15th DMZ Docs: The Ukrainian Theme Exhibition, Lee Kang-hyun Exhibition and Newstapa Archiving Exhibition. The Ukrainian Theme Exhibition, titled “Unable to Settle or Leave: The Urgency of the War That Consistently Arrive,” hears the voice of documentarists who record the Ukrainian War from different places and locations. The Lee Kang-hyun Exhibition, dedicated to the late director Lee, showcases films from the director and messages from his peers and partners in different fields. The last special exhibition summarizes the history of the media outlet Newstapa and looks back on Korean journalism.

“Documentaries not only deliver facts, but there's a heart behind those who made them,” Jang Hae-rang said during the press conference Tuesday. “We hope that the 15th DMZ Docs will be a catalyst for viewers to reflect on our society through documentaries.”

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]