The organizers of the Pyeongchang International Film Festival announced the films that will compete at the International Feature Competition. The festival will take place from June 18th until 23rd in PyeongChang, Korea.

This year the competition will feature 8 films, 5 International and 3 Korean. Many of the topics shown in these movies deal with political and social absurdities from the perspective of underprivileged people.

Films:

Dust and Ashes by Park Hee-kwon – Korea | 2019 – 78 minutes

Hae-su (An So-yo), a frail young girl who works at a factory, is always covered in dust. There seems to be a problem at home, and she seems to be taking care of it in a mysterious way. Her mother has died and the girl runs around anxiously in order to hold the funeral in secrecy. She is clearly in distress and strings of clues are given in time, just enough to keep the audience curious. But what is the truth behind Hae-su’s suspicious behavior? (POFF)

Trailer:

Identifying Features by Fernanda Valadez – Mexico, Spain | 2019 – 97 minutes

A mother travels across Mexico in search for her son who authorities say died while trying to cross the boarder into the United States. (IMDb)

Trailer:

Nafi’s Father by Mamadou Dia – Senegal | 2019 – 107 minutes

A fight between an Imam and his powerful brother over their childrens’ marriage. At stake: how a small community slowly drifts towards extremism. (IMDb)

Trailer:

Negative Numbers by Uta Beria – Georgia | 2019 – 83 minutes

Two ex-professional rugby players took up the challenge to help young imprisoned offenders by bringing rugby into their juvenile detention center. They met many young inmates and wrote down their stories whilst training the boys. The film recounts these stories. (IMDb)

Trailer:

Tony Driver by Ascanio Petrini – Italy, Mexico | 2019 – 73 minutes

One day, Pasquale decides to change his name and to be called Tony. Because despite being born in Bari in the mid 60s, he crosses the ocean with his family at 9 years of age and grows up as a real American. He becomes a taxi driver in Yuma, but he is arrested due to his “side job”: carrying illegal immigrants to the US through the Mexican border. He is therefore forced to choose: jail in Arizona or deportation to Italy. Once back in the region of Puglia, he finds himself living alone in a cave in Polignano a Mare, looking at Italy as a small, stuck country, with no opportunities and without dreams. But Tony is not willing to surrender… (IMDb)

Trailer:

Way Back Home by Park Sunjoo – Korea | 2019 – 114 minutes

One day, Jeongwon receives a call from the police. They say the man who raped her 10 years ago has been arrested. However, Jeongwon can’t tell her husband Sang-woo about the incident. As Jeongwon’s past is revealed little by little, their married life quickly loses balance. (Mubi)

Trailer:

Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness by Massoud Bakhshi – Iran | 2019 – 89 minutes

In Iran today: Maryam (22) accidentally kills her husband Nasser (65) and is sentenced to death. The only person who can save her is Mona (37), Nasser’s daughter. All Mona has to do is appear on a popular live TV show and forgive Maryam. This TV show does exist in Iran, it has inspired this fiction. (Pyramide Films)

Trailer:

A Distance Place by Park Kunyoung – Korea – 119 minutes

About the festival:
The PyeongChang International Peace Film Festival (PIPFF) creates a space of peace for people all over the world. It has launched its first edition on August 2019 in PyeongChang which has become a symbol of peace since 2018 Winter Olympic Games. And we will move forward with the vision of peace in this lovely province with beautiful landscape and pleasant environment.