Pyongyang: North Korea has kicked off an international film festival in Pyongyang for the first time in six years, state media reported Thursday. The 18th Pyongyang International Film Festival held its opening ceremony at the Pyongyang International Cinema House in the capital city the previous day, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the ceremony was followed by the screening of an art film jointly produced between Russia and China, titled "Red Silk." The head of North Korea's national cinema agency stated during the ceremony that the event aims to deepen friendship among progressive countries and filmmakers across the world.
Founded in 1987 as the only international film festival in the reclusive country, the festival had been held every two to three years before it switched to an annual event in 2018. Following the 2019 edition, it had been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
North Korea has been making efforts to revitalize its tourism industry by resuming international events this year that were halted during the pandemic. In April, the North hosted the Pyongyang International Marathon for the first time in six years and opened a large-scale beach resort in the eastern coastal region of Kalma for foreign tourists in July.