Save the Children’s 12th Children’s Rights Film Festival goes outdoors for first time, builds on 370,000-viewer success

What texture does the world have when seen through children’s eyes, in places beyond adults’ view? Save the Children, an international nongovernmental organization focused on children’s rights, is using film to raise serious questions for society.

12th edition takes nature as its stage: significance of first outdoor festival

The 12th Children’s Rights Film Festival will open with a major ceremony on the 31st at Ichon Hangang Park in Seoul’s Yongsan district. Ticket sales began on the 6th for the festival, which is being held under the slogan “Seeing the World Through a Child’s Eyes.” For the first time, organizers have confirmed that the festival will take place outdoors rather than in a theater. The move reflects a desire to spread the value of children’s rights more widely in the openness of nature.

The most anticipated event is the premiere of “Class 3-6 Graduation Video_V14,” a new film completed through a collaboration between Save the Children and director Yoon Dan-bi. The film delicately portrays the intimate growing pains experienced by Sophia, a 16-year-old child from a migrant background who makes a graduation video for her friends, as well as the hidden stories of her family and friends.

Empathy beyond the screen: a range of interactive programs

In addition to the main feature, the event will showcase short films and animations by emerging directors selected through a highly competitive contest. Broadcaster Park Kyung-lim, who has served as a Save the Children ambassador for many years and used her platform to promote positive social change, will host the opening ceremony.

The festival’s immersive programs before and after the screenings are also worth noting. The “Draw 100 Scars” exhibition visualizes the wounds left by thoughtless remarks from adults, while the “Migrant Background Story Wall” offers an immersive look at the lives of children from migrant backgrounds. Both are expected to leave a lasting impression on visitors. Other activities, including a photo booth designed to break down barriers between generations, message-card and pin-badge making, and caricature drawing, will add to the festival atmosphere.

The emotion of the in-person event will continue throughout November through an “online film festival” and community screenings, breaking through the limits of time and space. Launched in 2015 to build social support for ending corporal punishment of children, the festival has established itself as South Korea’s leading children’s rights cultural event, drawing a cumulative audience of 370,000 through last year.