The 12th Jeju Film Festival opened Saturday on Korea’s southernmost island.

The annual film festival is being held through Saturday at Lotte Cinema Jeju in Jeju City. This year’s opening film was English director Ken Loach’s social drama “I, Daniel Blake,” which nabbed the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

An exhibition is highlighting Korean director Kim Jee-woon’s works, including “A Bittersweet Life,” Kim’s 2005 crime drama featuring actor Lee Byung-hun as a gangster who starts a violent feud by refusing to kill his boss’ cheating girlfriend.

A diverse array of Korean films are also being screened, including “Dear Grandma,” director Lee So-hyun’s 2015 documentary which traces her grandmother’s suicide attempt and won a prize at the 41st Seoul Independent Film Festival last year. 

There is also Chinese-Korean director Zhang Lu’s “A Quiet Dream,” the opening film at last month’s Busan International Film Festival, and “Architecture 101,” director Lee Yong-joo’s romance about two old university sweethearts, starring Uhm Tae-woong, Han Ga-in, Lee Je-hoon and Bae Suzy. Part of the film was shot on Jeju Island.

Another exhibition is showcasing works by the iconic Alfred Hitchcock, and director Kent Jones’ documentary “Hitchcock/Truffaut,” which features a conversation among acclaimed filmmakers Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Wes Anderson and others on Hitchcock’s legacy.

According to the festival’s Executive Director Kwon Beom, who is a lawyer, this year’s event seeks to “let people reflect on themselves, and look warmly toward humanity through films,” he told reporters Saturday at a cafe in Jeju City. “A movie can be like a legal case ... it can look through the essence of human beings and their struggles.”

Kwon has previously lectured on film and law at Jeju National University and also served on the board of Jeju Cineisland, an organization devoted to local film development.

The festival will screen a total of 24 films throughout its eight-day run.

The closing film, set to screen next Saturday, will be director Shin Dong-il’s independent film “Come Together,” which depicts the struggling family of a man in his 40s who loses his sense of smell; his wife, whose company is struggling; and their daughter who is waiting to enter college. The film has been lauded for capturing the raw realities of Korean society.

During the festival, Gary Mak, a director at Broadway Cinematheque Hong Kong and Korean director Kim Tae-yong -- whose film “Crossroads of Youth” opened last year’s festival -- will speak at a seminar and other events.

Inquiries and ticket reservations can be made at (064) 748-0503.

By Rumy Doo (doo@heraldcorp.com)