Seoul Independent Film Festival begins its run

“Cinema With You” opened the 43rd edition of the Seoul Independent Film Festival (SIFF) Thursday evening at CGV in Apgujeong, southern Seoul. [SIFF]

The 43rd edition of the Seoul Independent Film Festival (SIFF) kicked off on Thursday evening at the CGV movie theater in Apgujeong, southern Seoul.

Hosted by actors Kwon Hae-hyo and Ryou Si-hyun, a 36-minute omnibus film, “Cinema With You,” with each story set in a cinema, from the directors Yoo Ji-young, Jeong Ga-young and Kim Tae-jin, opened the nine-day event.

SIFF will screen a total of 111 movies this year, including the 38 films competing for the grand prize. Twenty-six films will be shown under the New Choice category and 30 will be shown in the Special Invitation section.

Some of the films up for competition include the short film “You Are My Sunshine” by Hwang Bobyeolse and full-length movies “Counters” by Lee Il-ha and “After My Death” by Kim Ui-seok, which received the grand prize at the Busan International Film Festival in October.

The films will be screened in cinemas across Seoul, including the Apgujeong branch of CGV Arthouse, as well as Indiespace and Cinematheque Seoul Art Cinema in central Seoul.

Other than the screenings, there will be events like movie forums, where filmmakers and audiences will discuss the films being screened.

Director and film critic Jung Sung-il will discuss Chinese director Wang Bing’s documentary “Mrs. Fang,” which depicts the final days of a middle-aged lady suffering from Alzheimer’s, and Japanese filmmaker Yuya Ishii will talk about his film “The Tokyo Night Sky is Always the Densest Shade of Blue,” about the relationship of two social misfits.

Directors will also hold talks to share their experiences in indie film production and distribution. The head of The Association of Korean Independent Film & Video and a panel of indie film programmers will discuss the need for a new film policy following the previous administration’s so-called blacklist against liberal artists.

SIFF is hosted by Korean Film Council and The Association of Korean Independent Film & Video.

BY JIN MIN-JI [jin.minji@joongang.co.kr]