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Poster for "The World Before" <Atnine Film>

Yoon Dan-bi's second feature "The World Before" has been invited to the New Directors section of the 74th San Sebastián International Film Festival. Distributor Atnine Film announced the invitation on July 31.

The San Sebastián International Film Festival will run from September 18 to 26 in San Sebastián (Donostia-San Sebastián), Spain, and is regarded as the most prestigious international film festival in the Spanish-speaking world. The New Directors section, to which "The World Before" has been invited, is an international competition open only to a director's first or second feature film, spotlighting filmmakers in the early stages of their careers.

Invited to New Directors Section, "The World Before" Tells the Story of a Seventeen-Year-Old on an Island

"The World Before" is set on an island with no land route to the mainland. Jin, seventeen, who lives there, crosses paths with Du-jae, who has come to the island for his grandmother's funeral. After meeting Du-jae, Jin finds an unfamiliar feeling awakening within her that she has never experienced before.

Actor Sim Su-bin plays Jin. Sim appeared in the 2025 film "En Route To" and the drama "Teach You a Lesson," among other works. Actor Kim Eo-jin, who has appeared in the drama "Fragile," among other works, plays Du-jae.

Explaining her directorial intent, Yoon Dan-bi described first love not as the moment love begins, but as the moment when one world closes and another opens. She said she hopes the film will lead audiences to recall the "first world" each of them has passed through.

A Second Connection with San Sebastián Since "Moving On"

This is not the first time Yoon Dan-bi has crossed paths with the San Sebastián International Film Festival. She first visited the festival in 2020, when her debut feature "Moving On" was invited to the Perlak section. With her second feature, she has now entered the festival's competition section.

Films by Korean directors have appeared in the New Directors section on several previous occasions, including Hong Sung-eun's "Aloners" and Jeong Ji-hye's "Jeong-sun." The San Sebastián International Film Festival has also previously featured works by directors Hong Sang-soo and Hirokazu Kore-eda.

"The World Before" has also been confirmed for the Platform section of the 51st Toronto International Film Festival, held the same month, where it will hold its world premiere before traveling to San Sebastián. Its domestic release in South Korea is scheduled for 2027. Attention is turning to how "The World Before" will be received as it moves through the two festivals in succession.

Sources

• Yonhap News, "Director Yoon Dan-bi's 'The World Before' Invited to San Sebastián Film Festival in Spain," 2026.07.31

• Seoul Shinmun, "Director Yoon Dan-bi's Film 'The World Before' Officially Invited to San Sebastián International Film Festival," 2026.07.31