Cinecube Art Film Premiere Festival to screen cinema from around the world

An art film festival returns to Cinecube in Jongno, central Seoul, offering a chance to watch a selection of acclaimed international art films that have attracted attention globally.

A total of 11 art films will be premiered at the 2022 Cinecube Art Film Premiere Festival, starting Thursday.

Cinecube, which opened in 2000, has been hosting the event annually since 2009.

This year’s festival comprises three sections: Cannes’ Choice, Faces of Relationship and Life by Art, Art by Life.

“Memoria” (Cinecube)

In the Cannes’ Choice section, the lineup features two award-winning films and two films from the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival.

Persian crime thriller “Holy Spider,” directed by Ali Abbasi, is based on a true crime story of a serial killer in Iran. A fictional female journalist investigates the case. Zar Amir Ebrahimi won the award for best actress with the film at this year’s Cannes.

Fantasy drama “Memoria,” from Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul and starring Tilda Swinton, revolves around a woman who is awakened one night by a loud thump. She repeatedly hears the noise and tries to find ways to get rid of it. The film won the Jury Prize at the 74th Cannes Film Festival, held in 2021.

French drama film “More Than Ever,” directed by Emily Atef and starring Vicky Krieps and Gaspard Ullie, premiered at this year’s Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section. The film tells the story of a woman who struggles with a rare lung disease. She comes across a Norwegian blogger who is also seriously ill and sets off to meet him.

Having also premiered in the section is “Return to Seoul,” directed by Davy Chou. It depicts a 25-year-old French adoptee embarking on a journey to Korea to find her biological family.

The lineups for Faces of Relationship and Life by Art, Art by Life present four and three films, respectively.

The selection for Faces of Relationship includes the coming-of-age drama “Close,” directed by Lukas Dhont; Ursula Meier’s mother-daughter drama “The Line”; Russian-Belarusian war drama “Persian Lessons,” directed by Vadim Perelman; and American period drama “Call Jane” starring Elizabeth Banks.

In the Life by Art, Art by Life section, three films deal with a subtle but beautiful interaction between life and art. Bruno Chiche’s “Maestro” follows the relationship between a father and son who are both conductors. Delphine Lehericey’s comedy “Last Dance” depicts a 75-year-old retiree who joins a modern dance troupe. And Danielle Arbid’s “Simple Passion” is a film adaptation of the book of the same title by 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature winner Annie Ernaux.

The festival runs through Dec. 11. A detailed screening schedule is available at Cinecube’s official website.