Busan International Kids and Youth Film Festival Entries Meet in Songpa

Songpa-gu and Busan International Children's and Youth Film Festival Sign MOU on December 10
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Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) signed a business agreement with the Busan International Kids and Youth Film Festival (BIKY) on the 10th and will showcase film festival entries in Songpa next January.

The Busan International Kids and Youth Film Festival (hereafter BIKY) is the largest film festival in Asia focusing on children and youth. This year, from July 10 for five days, 113 films from 34 countries were screened at venues including the Busan Cinema Center, attracting around 20,000 viewers.

This agreement was promoted to exchange various youth cultural contents and project ideas between the two organizations in response to the low birthrate era.

The signing ceremony was held at 2:30 p.m. on December 10 in the mayor’s office. Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, Lee Hyun-jung, Executive Director of BIKY, and Lee Sang-yong, Chief Programmer, attended.

Executive Director Lee Hyun-jung said, “This agreement between Songpa-gu, a city good for having and raising children, and BIKY, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year, carries two main meanings. It aims to expand the social value of children and youth through film to root cultural value domestically, and to connect Songpa-gu’s vision for parenting and care with BIKY’s goals to present a cultural and educational model for mutual growth.”

According to the agreement, the district will provide venues and convenience facilities for event operation and execution, as well as overall safety management. BIKY will be responsible for exchanging video content and information, and developing and implementing programs for children and youth.

As the first outcome, a screening of BIKY entries will be held in Songpa.

The district will hold the “Film Festival for Songpa Children and Youth” from January 4 to February 23, 2025, during the winter vacation period.

The screenings will include eight overseas feature films and three domestic short films, all outstanding works submitted to BIKY. They will be shown eight times each at the Songpa Geulmaru Library and the theater inside the Songpa Children’s Library. During the festival, the grand prize-winning film of the “2024 Songpa Youth Film Festival” will be screened, and audience interaction (GV) sessions with directors and actors will be arranged.

In particular, taking this agreement as an opportunity, the district will promote its core projects related to childbirth, childcare, and education under the brand “Kids-Friendly Songpa.”

As of 2023, Songpa-gu ranks first in Seoul for the number of births (3,114) and number of students (65,351). The city not only provides a high-quality child-rearing environment throughout the area but also has been implementing various projects in the 8th local government term to respond to the low birthrate era.

Representative projects include ▲strengthening the operation of public postpartum care centers ▲preparing for UNICEF Child-Friendly City re-certification ▲supporting native English classes in daycare centers and kindergartens ▲nation’s first school zone “dot-patterned anti-slip pavement,” and expanding intelligent CCTV in child protection zones.

Going forward, the district plans to actively promote Songpa’s competitiveness as a child-friendly environment by utilizing the “Kids-Friendly Songpa” brand for related projects and facilities.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, stated, “With this agreement, Songpa-gu will grow beyond being a city good for having and raising children to become a city where children and youth can live well with diverse culture, arts, and solid infrastructure.”