An annual Arab film festival will be held simultaneously in Seoul and Busan later this week, providing a rare chance for a South Korean audience to better understand the Arab world, a co-organizer said Wednesday. 

The 5th Arab Film Festival will feature 15 films from 10 Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Iraq, Egypt and Palestine, the Busan Cinema Center here said.

The event, which runs from May 26-June 1 at Arthouse MOMO in Seoul and the BCC in Busan, consists of three sections: "Arabian Wave," which introduces new Arabian films; "Arab Film Master," which focuses on the master filmmakers of the Arab world; and "Focus 2016," this year's special section.

Taghrid Abouelhassan of Egypt, the producer of the opening film "Nawara," on behalf of Hala Khalil, its director, and Algerian director Merzak Allouache will attend the master program. Allouache is the director of "The Repentant" (2012), which was screened in the Directors' Fortnight in Cannes Film Festival and "The Rooftops" (2013), which was chosen to be part of the official selection of the Venice International Film Festival.

In particular, "Focus 2016" is an open talk to shed light on the lives of contemporary Arab women who pursue freedom and their dreams, the organizer said.

The opening film, "Nawara," shows a housemaid named Nawara, whose wish is simply to live a life with a minimal level of safety and peace in society.

Among other films, the documentary "Speed Sisters," directed by Amber Fares of Palestine, shows the first five-member all-woman race car driving team in the Middle East. The women speed their way into the heart of the male-dominated Palestinian street car racing scene across the West Bank.

Tunisian director Leyla Bouzid's "As I Open My Eyes" also takes a look into the life of the 18-year-old Farah who sings in a political rock band, disappointing her parents who want her to become a doctor. (Yonhap)