EBS-Korea gearing up for documentary festival

Friday 12 Aug 2011
The prestigious EBS International Documentary Festival (EIDF) by EBS-Korea is set to kick off next week. It will feature 51 documentary films from 29 countries that will be screened on TV and in theatres in Seoul.

The 8th edition of EIDF, which runs from 19-25 August, is themed “Be the Voice”. EBS will broadcast the featured films for eight hours a day during the festival. The selected films will also be screened in several theatre venues in Seoul. EBS received over 660 film submissions from 83 countries.

The festival has two competitive sections this year. The Festival Choice section features 12 Korean and foreign films while Issues in Education is a new competitive section that has been created this year. It features six films that are balanced with educational values and suggestions for a better education.

The Grand Prix winners of each section will receive US$10,000 in prize money. Jury members for this year’s competition include Mark Lewis, Bill Nichols, Leonard Retel Helmrich, Zhang Xien Min, Morten Møller Warmedal and Fukiko Kisaichi.

Eight Korean documentaries will be featured for Korean Docs Panorama, the festival’s non-competitive section.

An international documentary conference is part of the EIDF, as are workshops, where aspiring filmmakers can learn about shooting, pitching, distributing as well as the making of a 3D non-fiction film. Mr Lewis and Mr Retel Helmrich of the jury panel will lead master classes on documentary production.

For details, browse the EIDF website.