A first ever film festival of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will be held in Myanmar's biggest city of Yangon next week to mark the association 's 40th anniversary, the local Voice new journal reported Sunday.

 

Except Brunei, Laos and Cambodia, all other member countries are to take part in the regional film festival to be held at the Tamada Cinema from Dec. 6 to 9, according to the report.

 

Films titled "Mystery of Snow" (Myanmar), "The Tin Mine" ( Thailand), "Cinta" (Malaysia), " "Magnifico" (the Philippines), "I not tupid" (Singapore), "Denias" (Indonesia) and "The Story of Pao " (Vietnam) will be screened during the four-day festival

 

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

 

Meawnhile, a five-day Second South Korean film festival has been taking place at the same cinema here from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4, in which four Korean films -- "Taegukgi (War Action)", "Welcome to Donfmakgol (Comedy/War Drama)", "The Host (Drama)" and "The Way Home (Drama)" are on the screen.

 

Earlier in June this year, a European film festival in Yangon to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the EU, also brought in films produced from Italy, England, Germany and France.

 

Myanmar has been providing opportunities for domestic audiences to get more access to foreign movies from different continents by sponsoring more and more foreign film festivals in Myanmar in recent years. Such film festivals already introduced included those representing three east Asian nations -- China, Japan and South Korea under respective cultural exchange programs with these countries.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 2, 2007)