Filipino Kpop lovers are having an early Christmas as the Korean Film Festival in the Philippines kicked off in September. Selected Korean movies are showing for free in cinemas across the Philippines.

Other activities such as the Kpop dance contests are held within the week of the film showing to compliment the hallyu event. (Hallyu, or Korean wave, "refers to the phenomenon of Korean entertainment and popular culture rolling over the world with pop music, TV dramas, and movies," according to Korea.net).

Among the films featured in the event is the award-winning "The Thieves." Released in 2012, the movie stars veteran actors Lee Jung-je and Kim Yoon-seok, together with "My Love From The Stars" couple Kim Soo-hyun and Jun Ji-hyun. Since "My Love From The Stars," a TV series, was top-rated in the Philippines, the audience was wild during the movie. The viewers were screaming in unison during the romantic scenes.

Other films listed were the critically acclaimed "Miss Granny," the war film "The Front Line," the detective story "Cold Eyes," the romantic comedy "Marriage Blues" and the dramatic "Duresori: The Voice Of The East."

The well-chosen films showcased the very rich Korean culture, the dramatic Korean past and the interesting modern Korea. Koreans are very determined people with boundless creativity and passion. Their history is full of heartwarming and wisdom-filled stories.

The film festival opened in Davao City on Sept. 17 at SM Lanang. The films were shown until Sept. 20. Iloilo City celebrated the festival on Sept. 24-27 at SM City Iloilo. Cebu City will follow on Oct. 1-4 at SM Cebu. Finally, the capital city Manila will have the films shown from Oct. 8-11.

Apart from the film showing, other activities such as the Kpop Dance Contest, is making the festival week more exciting.

In Iloilo City, student groups covered the songs of Big Bang, Apink, and other hot Kpop groups.

The event was a project of the Korean Cultural Center.