34 Short Films Presenting Urgent Questions to the World and Themselves, Boldly Answered Through the Eyes of Youth, Premiered to Audiences
The 3rd Seongbuk Youth Invincible Film Festival, hosted and organized by Seongbuk-gu, Seoul (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) and the Seongbuk Cultural Foundation, and sponsored by the Korean Film Council, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Woori Bank, and MG Saemaeul Geumgo, concluded its 7-day grand journey on the 15th.
Among the 34 works that advanced to the final competition, after fierce competition, director Yeo Eun-ah's "The Place Where the Ghost Left" won the prestigious Grand Prize. "The Place Where the Ghost Left" was praised as a grateful work that provided a positive function in moments that people often do not want to face or even avoid while living in reality, earning the festival's highest award, the Grand Prize.
The Special Jury Prize was awarded to director Park So-hyun's "Lake." The film portrayed the anxious youth archetype, often stereotypically depicted in many films, without any particular setting or incident. It was highly praised by the jury as a work that honestly comes to life without exaggeration or self-pity.
The Excellence Awards went to director Han Ji-won’s "The Sea on the Day Magic Returns" and director Jung In-hyuk’s "My Heart Feels Like It’s Going to Burst!" Jo Ah-hyun, an artist who showcased outstanding VFX effects in the films, received the Technical Award, achieving a double crown. The Perspective Award, which sharply addressed social contexts, was given to director Jung Eun-wook’s "And Home," while the Vision Award, recognizing cinematic innovation and genre vision, was awarded to director Lee Se-hyung’s "Friends of the Substructure."
The Acting Award, which highlights new actors in Korean cinema, was given to actor Jang Ho-in for "Neck," and the Audience Award, decided by viewers’ votes during the festival, was awarded to director Ye Ran-hee’s "Miracle."
Final jury members actor Kim Si-eun, film critic Nam Da-eun, and director Park Seok-young expressed that through this festival, before evaluation, they joyfully immersed themselves in the fresh vitality each film emitted, and they deeply respected the courage of the films that condensed and unfolded the spark of will in their own unique expressions. Winners were awarded a total prize money of 16 million KRW, with the awards presented by the Mayor of Seongbuk-gu and actor Jeong Bo-seok, honorary director of the Dawon Cultural Welfare Foundation.
Supporting youth exhausted by COVID-19, the 3rd Seongbuk Youth Invincible Film Festival was held for seven days from November 9 at the Arirang Cine Center. It showcased the ‘Seongbuk Sequence Omnibus,’ produced with support from the Seongbuk Cultural Foundation’s Cultural City Creation Project - Hyperlink, and featured various programs such as the ‘Lee Yeon Actor Exhibition,’ ‘Short Film Production Support,’ and the ‘KAFA 40th Anniversary Special Exhibition,’ attracting the attention of over 1,600 viewers.
A representative of the Seongbuk Youth Invincible Film Festival stated that they will continue to do their best to discover and support the potential of bold creators and expressed gratitude to all the participants and audiences who passionately engaged from the short film preliminary competition to the closing ceremony.
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