The 12th Seoul International Short Film Festival Opens

The 12th Seoul International Short Film Festival Opens Online for 6 Days from the 15th... Screening 511 Films Including Finalists and Community Participation Works from 2,700 Entries Across 78 Countries

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Chae Hyun-il) will hold the "12th Seoul International Short Short Film Festival with Yeongdeungpo-gu" (hereinafter referred to as the Short Short Film Festival) from September 15 to 20.

The Short Short Film Festival, held for the first time in Asia in Yeongdeungpo-gu, is now in its 12th year. By providing a platform for filmmakers from around the world to gather and exchange ideas, it showcases the strength of Yeongdeungpo as a city of visual culture and offers high-quality cultural content to residents, thereby expanding their opportunities to enjoy culture. It is one of Yeongdeungpo’s representative cultural events.

This year’s Short Short Film Festival is held under the slogan "Anyone can make a film, and anyone can enjoy films anytime, anywhere."

Judges include jury members from the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France and programmers from the Barcelona Metro Film Festival in Spain.

Famous domestic and international directors and actors will appear, presenting high-quality films ranging from 90-second ultra-short films to short films under 15 minutes.

This year, to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and ensure citizens’ safety, all events previously held offline, such as the opening and closing ceremonies, theater screenings, and audience talks, will be conducted online.

The opening ceremony (September 15 at 7 PM) and closing ceremony (September 20 at 7 PM), broadcast from Studio Tium, can be viewed on the Short Short Film Festival website.

With all theater screenings canceled, all films will also be presented online. Screenings will be released by day, and audiences can choose any time within 24 hours on the day their desired film is shown to watch it.

The opening films include the Short Short Film Festival supported works "Manhole Communication" and "The Best Poem," produced through the talent donation of actors Park Ho-san, Hwang Bo-ra, and Moon Yoo-gang; "Hometown," produced by Yeongdeungpo residents through the Yeongdeungpo Short Short Film Academy; "Sun," a fairy tale work from Clermont-Ferrand; and "Muslima," a Southeast Asia Focus invited work, representing the festival’s signature films.

In line with the theme "Made and Participated by Residents," 22 documentaries and feature films produced by residents as actors, staff, and directors with Yeongdeungpo as the backdrop, created through the annual Short Short Film Academy, will also be screened.

Through this, it is expected that deeper and more profound stories of residents living in the COVID-19 era will be encountered.

During the festival, a total of nine members, including a resident jury recruited by the district and the Yeongdeungpo Children’s Jury, will be active. They will watch the "Belgium Brussels Short Film Festival Special Exhibition" and the "Fairy Tales from Clermont-Ferrand" sessions and select outstanding works.

At the closing ceremony, 16 works will be selected and awarded across five categories, including outstanding works chosen through international and domestic competitions and the academy.

The opening and closing ceremonies of this festival can be viewed on the "Seoul International Short Short Film Festival" website and Naver TV, and all screenings are free on the festival’s online screening room on the website. Audience talk (GV) programs will be conducted online via the Zoom video conferencing system. Screening schedules and program details can be found on the Short Short Film Festival website.

For more information, contact the District Office’s Culture and Sports Division, the Seoul International Short Short Film Festival Secretariat, or visit the festival website.

Yeongdeungpo District Mayor Chae Hyun-il said, "This year’s Short Short Film Festival received the highest number of submissions ever from 78 countries, establishing itself as a global film festival that transcends borders and infectious disease barriers," and added, "We hope this online festival will be a global celebration that brings comfort and inspiration to everyone exhausted by COVID-19."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.