North Korea has relaunched its international film festival for the first time since pausing it during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Pyongyang International Film Festival runs 22-27 October and this year is the 18th edition.

A small number of foreign films will be shown, from countries like Indonesia, Russia, Greece, and Mexico, among others.

The judging jury is headed by Russian director and producer Sergey Tyutin, and also includes Austrian film maker Brigitte Weich, who shot two documentaries about North Korea's women's football team.

The event does not have the red-carpet glitz and stars that normally attract attention at film festivals elsewhere.

North Korean authorities are very careful about which films from abroad are allowed to be shown and normally, there is strict control on what foreign movies locals can watch.

But though this year's film festival does not have an extensive foreign play list, interest is expected to be high.

Back in 2004, when British football hit "Bend It Like Beckham" was shown, people packed the cinema, even sitting on the stairs in between the rows of seats.

The festival's main venue this year is a big cinema on Yanggakdo island in the Taedong River which runs through the centre of the capital, Pyongyang.

Other cinemas around the city are also expected to show films.

The last film festival took place in 2019.

North Korea shut its borders against COVID in January 2020, and has been slow to return to interaction with the outside world, which was already limited.

Before COVID, the event was usually held once every two years.