51st Seoul Independent Film Festival Opening... A Record 167 Films Screened

The 51st Seoul Independent Film Festival (SIFF2025), which wraps up a year of independent films, held its opening ceremony on November 27 at CGV Apgujeong and embarked on a nine-day journey. This year's festival, led by Executive Chair Mo Eun-young, emphasizes the essence of film that is completed through encounters with the audience under the slogan 'For Films to Come, We Need You.'

This year's festival screens a record number of 167 films and has allocated a total prize of 127 million won to broaden support for creators. A total of 1,805 films (215 feature films and 1,590 short films) were submitted, proving the fervor for independent filmmaking even under difficult circumstances.

Notably, this year saw the introduction of the short film production support program 'SIFF × Byun Woo-seok: Shorts on 2025.' A total of 483 entries were submitted for the competition themed 'Love,' and the works 〈She Always〉 by director Park Jeong-bin, 〈Nowhere〉 by director Lee Joo-yong, and 〈Didi Imbaal〉 by director Heo Ji-yoon were selected as the first supported projects. Executive Chair Mo Eun-young expressed gratitude at the opening ceremony, stating, "Director Ryu Seung-wan supported us through 'External Strength and Internal Resilience,' and actor Byun Woo-seok contributed his strength through sponsorship."

The opening film 〈To Those Unrelated〉 is a project that reinterprets the 'lost final scene' of the only work 〈The Widow〉 by Korea's first female director Park Nam-ok, through the cinematic imaginations of four emerging directors (Kim Tae-yang, Son Gu-yong, Lee Mi-rang, and Lee Jong-soo). The project's planner, critic Moon Joo-hwa, stated at the opening ceremony, "I created this with the phrase left by Director Park Nam-ok, 'Film is the result of collaboration and unity' in my heart."

The 51st Seoul Independent Film Festival will be held until December 5 at CGV Apgujeong and CGV Cheongdam Cinecity, meeting audiences through various programs such as cine talks and master classes.