Seoul Independent Film Festival Celebrates 40 Years

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Seoul Independent Film Festival Celebrates 40 Years

Nov 17, 2014

Writer by Pierce Conran
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Will Highlight ‘True Color of Independence’

Korea’s oldest supporter of independent cinema turns 40 at the end of the month with a celebration of Korean and global indie cinema in Apgujeong, Seoul. Kicking off on Thursday, November 27th, the Seoul Independent Film Festival (SIFF) will strive to fulfil its slogan as it shows the ‘True Color of Independence.’ 34 features, including a ten-strong lineup of classic American indies, and 55 shorts will screen throughout the event.

SIFF’s competition section, which is reserved for local films, has invited five works that screened at the Busan International Film Festival last month (LEE Kwang-kuk’s A Matter of Interpretation, BAEK Jae-ho’s We Will Be OK, JANG Kun-jae’s A Midsummer’s Fantasia, HONG Seok-jae’s Socialphobia, IM Heung-soon’s Factory Complex), as well as LEE kyung-sub’s Miss the Train from the Jeonju International Film Festival. The remaining competition slots will be filled by four new documentaries (SEO dong-il’s The Disobeying Teacher, KIM Kyung-man’s People Passing By, PARK Bae-il’s Miryang Arirang - Legend of Miryang 2, KIM Jeong-keun’s The Island of Shadows) and the animation Taule by LEE Eun-young.

Beginning life as the Korean Youth Film Festival in 1975, SIFF has evolved along with an industry that has seen drastic changes in the interceding decades. Along its journey it became the Golden Crown Short Film Festival and the Korean Independent Short Film Festival before settling on its current incarnation as SIFF.

Reflecting on the struggles on independent filmmakers over the years, particularly in the fight from freedom of speech against censorship, SIFF hopes that in its 40th edition the “essence that independent films face the world with could be a hope and thrill for the future instead of memories of past.”

Opening the festival will be the omnibus Now Playing, directed by YOON Seong-ho, KANG Kyung-tae, KOO Kyo-hwan and YI Ok-seop. SIFF will run until Friday, December 5th.

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