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| K-pop group EXO's Suho, center, has been tapped as honorary ambassador of the '7th Animal Film Festival in Suncheonman.' Suncheon city Mayor Heo Seok, left, Festival Director Park Jeong-suk, right, pose for a photo with Suho during a press conference. Yonhap |
By Anna J. Park
This year's "Animal Film Festival in Suncheonman" will kick off its five day program on August 22 and showcase 71 films from 21 countries under the slogan of "Happy Animals." Since its beginning back in 2013, this year marks the 7th installment of the annual festival.
During a press conference held in central Seoul Wednesday morning, Festival Director Park Jeon-suk said the annual animal festival has expanded its spectrum this year, to further embrace the theme of peaceful coexistence of human kind and nature.
"This year's program focuses on endangered animals through the 'Close Up' section of the festival. We will also plan to run various lectures and seminars on those environmental issues. These programs show our efforts to suggest viewers the larger theme of coexistence of human kind, nature, and the earth," Festival Director Park said, during the press conference.
The annual film festival's programmer, Park Hye-mi, who has been with the festival since last year, stressed that this year marks the first time that the animal film festival has introduced a competitive short-film selection section in its program. Ten of the 75 short films submitted for selection will be showcased during the festival.
"So far, the film festival has been run as a non-competitive event. Yet we have introduced the competitive section for the first time this year, hoping to provide opportunities to promote more active investment and production of films about animals. Altogether, 75 short films from around the world have been submitted to the competition this year. We will award three of them," she said.
The opening film of the festival is American director Britton Caillouette's "Blue Heart," an environmental documentary film on local activists in Albania, Bosnia and Croatia in their fight to protect their rivers, as the film represents the annual festival's expanded focus on ecology and the environment.
Meanwhile, Suho from K-pop group EXO, was selected as the honorary ambassador of the film festival this year. He also joined Wednesday's press conference to promote the festival.
"I am happy and delighted to be an honorary ambassador of this film festival that aims to find happiness with animals. As I have been living with my dog for a long time, I am interested in the welfare of animals, and felt the need to consider the importance of nature and animals. I hope many people get to think about the preciousness of nature and animals through this event," Suho said.
