Korean films gaining appeal in TZ
What you need to know:
- Last year also saw the films being screened in early May to accommodate celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of Korea-Tanzania diplomatic relations, instead of October or November as has been tradition since 2013.
Dar es Salaam. The annual Korean Film festival marked its 6th anniversary in Tanzania with the screening of movies in Dar es Salaam and Arusha in the last two weeks. Like 2017, this year’s festival - which was held at Dar Free Market mall’s Century Cinemax in Dar es Salaam and AIM Mall’s Regalz Cinema in Arusha - broke with tradition by being held between late May and early June due to scheduling challenges. Last year also saw the films being screened in early May to accommodate celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of Korea-Tanzania diplomatic relations, instead of October or November as has been tradition since 2013.
This year, the Korean embassy organized three films: the Suspect (action), the King of Jokgu (a Korean style soccer) (comic) and Hope (drama).
“We tried to introduce a variety of films so that Tanzanians could taste different aspects of Korean culture and society,” said Ms Jiin An, the First Secretary and deputy chief of Mission at the Republic of Korea embassy in Tanzania.
Korean culture including drama, films, music, food, and beauty products are increasingly gaining popularity in Tanzania. Korean dramas such as Jumong, Jewel in the Palace, The Wind of the Palace, and City Hunter – among others - have enjoyed great success among Tanzanians.
“These events are organized by our embassy with the hope that many Tanzanians experience the diversity of Korean culture; so that we can feel closer and understand each other better,” the First Secretary explained.
In the period between 2013 and 2014, Korea joined the Asian Film Festival, where member countries included Indonesia, China, Oman, Pakistan and Palestine. However, from 2015, the country started to organise its own film festival
