The 38th-annual Hawaii International Film Festival kicked off Wednesday with an opening reception at the Halekulani hotel and a Thursday screening of the opening-night film, “Shadow.”

The Korean cinema section is as strong as in previous years, with veteran actress, and now director, Moon So-ri attending for her latest film, “The Running Actress,” which screens on Nov. 17 and 18. She will participate at a question-and-­answer session after the Nov. 17 screening.

Korean-American musician Bobby Choy aka Big Phony will also be in town for the festival for his directorial debut, “Fiction & Other Realities.” He will attend the Nov. 16 screening.

The top Korean film picks for HIFF this year are “Last Child,” “The Running Actress,” “The Witch: Part 1” and “Fengshui,” says Anna Page, director of programming for HIFF.

For more information, please visit hiff.org.

THIS WEEK’S SYNOPSES

“Ms. Ma, Nemesis”
Episodes 17-18
6:45 p.m. today

Ms. Ma realizes that those involved in the murder case are all lying. She works with Eun Ji to find more evidence. Tae Gyu finds a fault in the case record and goes to see Jang Cheol Min.

Episodes 19-20
7:45 p.m. today

Ye Ji warns Jung Hee to avoid the scene and later comes forward to reveal her true self. Ms. Ma and Eun Ji run into Mal Goo in front of J2 Studio. They hear a woman scream and rush ­inside.

“Where Stars Land”
Episodes 13-14
7:45 p.m. Monday

Yeo Reum ends up spending the night at Soo Yeon’s place. Rumors spread among the airport employees about Soo Yeon and Yeo Reum’s relationship. Eun Seob is furious after hearing another rumor, saying he is attracted to Yeo Reum.

Episodes 15-16
7:45 p.m. Tuesday

Soo Yeon and Yeo Reum’s relationship deepens. Eun Seob accompanies Yeo Reum during their morning shift and introduces himself to Soo Yeon. In Woo can’t seem to shake the feeling of being bothered by Soo Yeon’s every movement. Their already-damaged relationship gets worse.

“Heart Surgeons”
Episodes 17-18
7:45 p.m. Wednesday

“A less than hopeful surgery, but one that must get done.” Seok Han and Tae Soo do their best for their patients, in their own ways. Both are faced with surgeries that may put their own positions at risk. Soo Yeon asks Tae Soo to come back to Taesan. Tae Soo agonizes over whether to move on, after he receives video footage of Seok Han.

Episodes 19-20
7:45 p.m. Thursday

“Surgeries are for doctors who are competent, so if you aren’t, don’t even dream about it — at least for heart surgeries.” Tae Soo comes back to Taesan with an ulterior motive. He takes over the surgeries from Seok Han. Soo Yeon and Tae Soo engage in highly risky surgeries.

“Marriage Contract”
Episode 1
7:45 p.m. Friday

A couple, who come from two very different backgrounds, find comfort and genuine love. A fated meeting happens in front of Ji-hoon’s restaurant, when he comes within inches of hitting Eun-sung. Eun-sung and Hye-soo are taken to the hospital unconscious. Ji-hoon accuses Hye-soo of fraud. Hye-soo is hunted down by loan sharks and gets ready to move again.

Episode 2
7:45 p.m. Saturday

Hye-soo is dumbfounded by her MRI results. Ji-hoon makes a proposition that disregards her pride, as ridiculous at it may sound to her. But given her new situation, she might have to take him up on it.

Jeff Chung is general manager of KBFD TV, which televises Korean dramas with English subtitles. Reach him at 521-8066 or jeffchung@kbfd.com.