'18th Seoul International Senior Film Festival' Opens on the 27th, Screening Cannes Top Prize Winner 'First Summer' and Honoring the Late Lee Soon-jae

Film brings generations together

The 18th Seoul International Senior Film Festival, which shines a light on the lives and diverse stories of older adults, will open in grand style at the Seoul Film Center for four days, from the 27th through the 30th. The festival will draw attention with a screening of First Summer, winner of the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as a tribute to the late Lee Soon-jae, a towering figure in Korean cinema. “This year’s festival will explore the possibilities of empathy and connection across generations, guided by its central theme, ‘Connection’,” organizers said.

Director Heo Ga-young’s short film First Summer has been selected as the opening film and will kick off the opening ceremony on the 27th. It tells the poignant story of Young-soon (Heo Jin), an older woman who wants to attend the 49th-day memorial service for Hak-su (Jung In-ki), a younger lover she met while dancing at a dance hall, rather than her granddaughter’s wedding. First Summer has drawn acclaim around the world, becoming the first Korean film to win first prize in La Cinef (formerly Cinéfondation), the student film section of the Cannes Film Festival, and expectations are especially high for this screening.

The classic film showcase, presented in collaboration with the Korean Film Archive, will feature a special program highlighting the career of the legendary Korean actor, the late Lee Soon-jae. Titled Lee Soon-jae Tribute, the program honors his achievements. Three landmark films in Korean cinema will return to the screen: Guests Who Arrived on the Last Train (1967), which sharply portrays the anxiety and alienation of city dwellers in the 1960s; 분례기 (1971), about the tragic life of a woman caught in poverty and convention; and 집념 (1976), which earned him the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actor in Film.

The short-film competition, following a rigorous preliminary round, will screen 25 of the 530 submitted films that advanced to the main competition—17 Korean shorts and eight international shorts—offering a glimpse into the distinctive perspectives of emerging directors from Korea and abroad. The festival will also feature Hall of Fame: Barrier-Free, a section showcasing barrier-free versions of six previous award-winning films so that people with visual and hearing impairments can enjoy them without barriers, further advancing the festival’s commitment to inclusion.

Other programs welcoming audiences include the Memory Archiving Project: Life Exchange, which records older adults’ precious memories through the cameras of young directors, and Docent’s Choice: Homecoming Day, featuring films selected by professional docents. Actor Lee Kwang-ki, known for his standout performances in historical dramas including Taejo Wang Geon, Rustic Period and Jeong Do-jeon, has been appointed this year’s festival ambassador and will help promote its significance.