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🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

South Korea's Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival Returns, Championing New Talent

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • The Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival, a key platform for emerging directors in South Korea, has returned after a hiatus.
  • The festival, which previously launched notable directors like Bong Joon-ho, is now co-organized by Cine21 after Amorepacific withdrew financial support.
  • This year, 44 films were selected from 1,667 submissions across five competitive sections, with 18 world premieres highlighting the festival's growing international standing.

The Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival, South Korea's premier genre-focused short film event and a crucial launchpad for directors like Bong Joon-ho, Na Hong-jin, and Yeon Sang-ho, has officially reopened. The festival commenced its six-day run on June 18th at CGV I'Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

After facing financial difficulties and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to its discontinuation after its 20th edition in 2021, the festival has been revived. This comeback was spearheaded by a group of alumni directors, including Jang Jae-hyun and Uhm Tae-hwa, with Cine21 stepping in as the new organizer, following Amorepacific's withdrawal of financial sponsorship.

The festival continues its tradition of fostering new talent, with a highly competitive selection process. This year, 44 films were chosen from a record 1,667 submissions. The inclusion of 18 world premieres underscores the festival's rapidly re-established significance just two years after its revival.

The selected films compete across five distinct sections: "Please Give Me a Cat" (social commentary), "Jealousy is My Strength" (melodrama/romance), "Bad Guy" (comedy), "The Ghost" (horror/fantasy), and "No Mercy for the Rude" (action/thriller). Each section will award a best film, with an overall grand prize recognizing the festival's top work. Notably, the jury, comprising esteemed directors and industry professionals, is known for its stringent evaluation, with grand prizes not being awarded in many past years.

This year's jury includes prominent filmmakers such as Kim Do-young, Kim Hyung-ju, Oh Seung-wook, Lee Ok-seop, Lee Byeong-heon, Namkoong Sun, Hwang Dong-hyuk, Hong Ui-jeong, Kim Byung-woo, and Park Noori. Actors Jung Hae-in, Choi Soo-young, Jo Jung-suk, Shim Eun-kyung, and Lee Min-ho are serving as honorary judges. The festival also features special programs, including creator talks with emerging directors and a panel discussion on the future of the Korean film industry, involving key figures from production companies and streaming platforms.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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