Seoul International Women’s Film Festival Receives Record 394 Submissions for Feature Competition Section

Announcement of Eight Finalists for the Main Competition

8 Finalists of the 27th Seoul International Women’s Film Festival. Seoul International Women’s Film Festival

The 27th Seoul International Women’s Film Festival (Executive Director: Hwang Hyerim) has announced the eight finalists in the international feature film competition section, “Discovery.” The festival will be held from August 21 to 27 at Megabox Sinchon.

The “Discovery” section is the festival’s main competition, showcasing the first or second feature films by female directors from Korea and abroad, and highlighting works with cinematic excellence and a feminist perspective. This year, a significant number of finalists are directors from regions less familiar to Korean audiences, such as Slovenia, Lithuania, and Chile.

This year’s festival received a total of 4,129 submissions from 131 countries across both competition and non-competition sections. Of these, 2,208 films were submitted to the competition sections, and the “Discovery” section alone received 394 submissions from 86 countries, marking an increase of about 23% compared to the previous year. This is the highest number ever recorded.

The preliminary jury commented that “many of the finalists directly confront the realities faced by women against the backdrop of post-globalization and a new Cold War era,” and noted that “the films reveal complex perspectives on discrimination and solidarity, ranging from survival narratives in non-urban spaces and explorations of youth identity to formal experimentation.”

The eight finalists will be screened during the festival and will compete for the Grand Prize (12 million won) and the Excellence Award (6 million won). The winners will be announced at the closing ceremony on August 27.

Since its inception in 1997, the Seoul International Women’s Film Festival has contributed to expanding diversity in the Korean film industry by discovering and supporting women filmmakers and showcasing films centered on women’s narratives. This year’s festival aims to present new trends in women’s cinema through a diverse range of genres, including documentaries, fiction, and experimental films.