A poster for the inaugural Museum CineFest, which kicks off on Jan. 10 / Courtesy of Gyeonggi Province Museum

Korea's first museum-hosted film festival is slated to debut this month at the Gyeonggi Province Museum in Yongin, creating a tangible bridge between historical Korean movies and the institution's artifact collection.

The inaugural Museum CineFest, starting on Jan. 10, will transform the entire building into a cinematic hub, with screenings and talks lighting up the auditorium, exhibition halls and outdoor yard every weekend through Jan. 26.

The event seeks to bring together relics featured as props or subjects in films and actual museum-displayed artifacts under one roof, complemented by talks with curators, directors, actors and historians, according to the organizer.

The festival's opening movie is the historical drama "The Face Reader" (2013), starring Song Kang-ho as a Joseon-era (1392-1910) physiognomist who becomes ensnared in a power struggle between the young King Danjong and Grand Prince Suyang, later crowned King Sejo.

Accompanying this historical thriller is the 19th-century "Portrait of Song Siyeol" from the Gyeonggi Province Museum's collection. The featured talk delves into the intersection of Joseon-era physiognomy and portraiture.

In traditional Korean art, portraiture was more than a lifelike record of the sitter's physical appearance; it was a medium to capture the inner spiritual essence of the subject. The "Portrait of Song Siyeol" exemplifies this tradition, with a composition that accentuates his scholarly identity while reflecting the Neo-Confucian ideals of the time.

Another notable pairing is between "The Fatal Encounter" (2014) a period action flick dramatizing a real-life assassination attempt on King Jeongjo, played by Hyun Bin, and a late 18th-century "Chaekgado" folding screen by court artist Jang Han-jong. "Chaekgado" or "chaekgeori" refers to still-life paintings of books, antiques and stationery, which flourished during King Jeongjo's reign. Jang's stately rendition is one of the oldest surviving examples of this genre, offering a glimpse into the era's unique intellectual pursuits.

Other films in the program include "The King and the Clown" (2005), "Assassination" (2015), "The Book of Fish" (2021), "Mal-Mo-E: The Secret Mission" (2019), "Hwang Jin Yi" (2007) and "Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet" (2016).

The screenings are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis. The detailed programming and schedules of Museum CineFest are available on the museum's official website and its social media channels.