Short film festival kicks off in Seoul

SEOUL, June 24 (Yonhap) -- The Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival (MSFF), which
has played a large role in discovering emerging South Korean auteurs and actors
over the past seven years, was to kick off Wednesday featuring 120 films under
the title "Beyond the Barrier of Genres."

The annual fete, which celebrates its eight birthday this year, will run through
June 30 at the CGV Yongsan Theater, central Seoul.
Considered one of the most prestigious short film festivals in Korea, the MSFF
(www.msff.or.kr) has award-winning directors including Park Chan-wook, Kim
Ji-woon, Huh Jin-ho and Ryu Seung-wan as its committee members. Recent festival
alumni include Na Hong-jin of "The Chaser," Yang Ik-joon of "Breathless" and Lee
Kyoung-mi of "Crush and Blush."
This year's festival will screen 57 films in five genres in the official
competition section with Bong Joon-ho, the creator of "The Host" and
Cannes-invited "Mother," acting as the committee chair.
The event will open with two films: "Moving Self Portrait," featuring
autobiographical snapshots of participating directors and "Full Employment," a
documentary about the ongoing economic downturn.
Films up for this year's competition include "The Horn," a story about a North
Korean refugee who goes missing, "Hours," featuring a friendship between a
hostess and a taxi driver, and "Empty Lies," about a mistakenly delivered letter.

The MSFF is one of the eight film fests held in Seoul this year, along with the
Seoul International Youth Film Festival opening in July and the Seoul Independent
Film Festival in December.
hayney@yna.co.kr
(END)