An international Buddhist film festival to convey Buddhist values to the public on screen will be held in August.

On July 13, Every Good Day Foundation (Chair: Joo Yun-sik, the chair of the Jogye Order’s Lay Association) held a press conference at the Propagation Hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and announced plans for the OIBFF 2023 One World One Flower International Buddhist Film Festival, which will be held from August 17 to August 20.

Now in its third year, the OIBFF has reduced the number of films screened this year, unlike last year's festival, which featured a large number of films with a focus on diversity. Instead, the international film festival has carefully selected 60 films from 28 countries, the "masterpieces" embodying Buddhist values that are considered successful both in terms of popular reception and artistic achievement. OIBFF will be screening internationally acclaimed films such as Amira, which won the 2021 Venice Film Festival, and Inu-Oh, which was invited to the 2021 Busan International Film Festival, as well as Korean titles Peace by Chocolate and Milarepa to be premiered at the OIBFF 2023.

The opening ceremony will take place on August 17 at 5 pm in the main auditorium of Dongguk University with the showing of Dark Red Forest, directed by Jing Huaqing. The documentary, which follows a Tibetan nun who chooses the life of a monastic practitioner over secular comforts, has also been selected as the opening film at other festivals for its stunning visuals. In addition to the film, the opening ceremony will feature a reception and performances including contemporary dance and choral music. The closing ceremony will be held on August 20 at the Korea National Theater. The closing film will be The Dharma Son, which tells the story of Ven. Maga as he prepares for his final journey with his mother. Side events include a talk with Ven. Seongjin.

Special sessions will also be held. There will be an “OTT Showcase” featuring short films by up-and-coming filmmakers from the Department of Film Production at Dongguk University's Graduate School of Digital Image and Contents, while “World Cinema” will introduce feature films that incorporate Buddhist teachings and universal human values of peace, love, and meditation, and “Shorts Collection” will present 28 domestic and international short films that passed the second round of screening out of 1210 entries. The 2023 Youth Film Camp will also be held to showcase the creative talents of young people leading the Korean film industry.

"A lot of people have worked hard to organize the OIBFF, in its third year in 2023," said Mr. Joo Yun-sik, Chair of the Board of Directors, "And we hope that many people will come and have a great time."

Tickets for the OIBFF 2023 One World One Flower International Buddhist Film Festival will be available from August 7 via the festival website (http://www.oibff.com/).