Great news for French film fans in Korea: French Cinema Week 2021, organized by the French Embassy in Seoul and the association of Korean Buyers & Distributors of Foreign Films in Korea, kicked off Monday with screenings of 40 films.

The event, running through Sunday, is being held at 14 local theaters in five different cities, including Seoul, Incheon and Daejeon.

This year’s French Cinema Week is held under the theme of “Save Our Cinema.”

“We hope to support the Korean movie industry and also bring back Korean moviegoers to the theaters with French films screened during this French Cinema Week,” French Ambassador to Korea Philippe Lefort said in a statement.

The organizer said several French films that were released in the past few years as well as several Korean favorites, such as “Amelie” (2001) directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, will be presented.

The award-winning director Celine Sciamma’s “Petite Maman” that came out this year is one of the recently released films that will be screened during the week.

In ”Petite Maman,“ Nelly (Josephine Sanz) is taken to her mother’s childhood home after her grandmother dies. While her parents go about cleaning out the house, Nelly explores the surrounding woods where she meets a young girl, Marion (Gabrielle Sanz), who has the same name as her mother.

Emmanuel Mouret’s “Love Affair(s),” which was part of the 73rd Cannes Film Festival’s official selection, will also be screened.

Mouret’s film introduces Maxime (Niels Schneider), who dreams of becoming a novelist. He tells Daphne (Camelia Jordana), his cousin’s girlfriend, about his complicated love affair. After listening to Maxime’s story, Daphne shares her own secret love story.
 

Several guest appearances have also been arranged. Mouret will talk to audiences in Seoul via videoconference after the film’s screening on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

More details about French Cinema Week can be found on the French Cinema Week website.