52nd Seoul Independent Film Festival Unveils Submission Schedule for Short and Feature Films, Kicking Off a Season of Independent Cinema

The Seoul Independent Film Festival has released its film submission schedule and begun preparations for the event.

Seoul Independent Film Festival 2026, the largest independent film recap festival in South Korea, announced its submission schedule on June 22. For shorts, submissions run from Monday, July 13, 2026, through Monday, August 3, 2026, until 6 p.m. For features, submissions run from Monday, July 13, 2026, through Monday, August 24, 2026, until 6 p.m. Films that pass preliminary screening will be screened in the main competition section of Seoul Independent Film Festival 2026, which opens on November 26.

A major competitive independent film festival held every year at year-end, Seoul Independent Film Festival has established itself as a film event that discovers countless independent films and filmmakers and marks the close of the year. For the 51st edition, held in 2025, a total of 1,805 films were submitted. Building on the record-setting 51st Seoul Independent Film Festival—its highest-ever number of entries and screenings, along with the most viewers—it appears the 52nd Seoul Independent Film Festival, scheduled to be held this year, will draw strong interest as a venue for gauging the present and future of independent film.

Running for nine days from Thursday, November 26, through Friday, December 4, the 52nd Seoul Independent Film Festival is open only to works completed after August 2025. Without limits by theme or genre, submissions are accepted for all formats, including feature films, documentaries, animation, and experimental films.