SIEFF to feature director Hirokazu Kore-eda

Director Hirokazu Kore-eda [TAMOTSU FUJII]

Three documentaries by director Hirokazu Kore-eda will be shown in Korea for the first time at the 20th Seoul International Eco Film Festival (SIEFF) in June.

SIEFF, planned to be held at MegaBox Seongsu in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul from June 1 to June 7, will feature 2,833 films from 126 countries across the world and 80 movies themed around the environment.

The documentaries at the festival by director Kore-eda will be “However...” (1991), shedding light on Minamata Disease, “Lessons from a Calf” (1991) and “Where has All the Pollution Gone?” (1992), exploring asthma cases near a steel factory.

Kore-eda is known for his works “Like Father, Like Son” (2013), which received the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013, “Shoplifters” (2018), which received the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2018 and most recently, “Broker” (2022), the director’s first Korean film featuring Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, Bae Doo-na and IU.

SIEFF first began in 2004 and is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. It is backed by the Ministry of Environment and Seoul Metropolitan Government.

The full list of films to be featured at the film festival will be released on Thursday. This year SIEFF will also be screened online.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]