The ninth annual Swedish Film Festival will take place starting Thursday in five major cities in South Korea, offering Koreans a glimpse into Swedish culture and society through 10 films, the Embassy of Sweden in Seoul said.

Organized by the embassy in collaboration with the Swedish Institute and Swedish Film Institute, the festival will kick off Thursday in Seoul and Busan for a seven-day run. The films will screen Nov. 11-15 in Daegu, Nov. 12-16 in Gwangju and Nov. 13-15 in Incheon.

Opening with “King of Atlantis,” a comedic drama about a young man struggling to take care of his mentally ill father while pursuing his own happiness, 10 Swedish films across genres from documentary to science fiction will be screened. They include “Lucky One,” “Aniara,” “Britt-Marie Was Here” and “Loving Couples.”

The common theme for the films selected for the festival is gender equality and diversity, the embassy explained. Of the 10 films, seven were directed by female filmmakers and four feature women as the lead characters.

The annual film festival has served as a major platform for Koreans to access Swedish films and learn about various aspects of the Nordic country that is much envied here for its robust social welfare system, higher levels of gender equality and work-life balance.

The schedule and venues for the films in each city are available at: www.swedishfilmfestival.com. Tickets are free at the cinemas in Gwangju and Incheon, and cost 1,000 won in Seoul, Busan and Daegu. They can be booked online and offline. 

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)