Anchor: The 2014 Daegu International Musical Festival or DIMF will kick off its 17 day run on Saturday with an opening ceremony and two official opening musicals. This year rather than bringing in famous musicals from countries like the U.S. or the U.K., the festival will introduce visitors to quality productions packed full of creativity from less familiar countries.
Our Kim Soyon tells us more. 
 
Report: Some of the best productions from countries emerging in the musical scene are coming to South Korea.
 
The 8th Daegu International Musical Festival or DIMF will run for 17 days starting with an opening ceremony and two official opening shows on Saturday. Seventeen musicals will be shown at various sites across the southeastern city of Daegu.
 
This year, the lineup is much more diverse as non-mainstream countries in the world of musicals, such as Russia and Slovakia, are taking part in the festival.
 
The two openers are "Mata Hari" from Slovakia and the Chinese musical “Mama, Love me Once Again!”
 
The Slovakian musical follows the dramatic life of an exotic dancer and courtesan, while the Chinese production has been widely successful and has been performed over 80 times in nearly 30 Chinese cities.
 
The official invitational piece "Cadences" is a musical performance brimming with unique French imagination and is expected to cross language barriers and touch the audience.
 
A DIMF official says the festival chose not to invite the famous musicals from the U.S. or the U.K. as they have already won commercial success and instead wanted to introduce viewers to experimental and creative, quality pieces from less familiar countries.
 
Four original Korean musicals will also premiere during this year's DIMF, including “Wedding Shoes,” a musical about Korean women forced into sex slavery by Japanese soldiers during World War II. 
Kim Soyon, KBS World Radio News.