Women's film festival to dissect negative portrayals of female characters, 'flicker' of humanity
The Seoul International Women’s Film Festival aims to draw attendees across generations to rediscover classics in in a modern context.
KIM JU-YEONKIMJU-YEONLIFESTYLE & ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER
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Hwang Hye-rim, second from left, director of the Seoul International Women's Film Festival, speaks at a press conference for this year's edition at the Mapo Central Library in Mapo District, western Seoul, on July 28.NEWS1
The Seoul International Women’s Film Festival (SIWFF) will invite best-selling fiction writers and center this year’s edition on themes including AI and women once labeled as villainesses, as organizers seek to make the festival more accessible and relatable to audiences across generations.
“One recent trend among younger audiences is the rediscovery of classic and arthouse films and the desire to reconsider them in a contemporary context," programmer Son Si-nae said at a press conference for the event at the Mapo Central Library on Tuesday.
She added that one of the SIWFF’s special programs this year, which examines women historically portrayed in a negative light — such as femmes fatales or “bad mothers” — and connects those portrayals with similar narrative trends in webtoons and web novels, “could resonate with a broader range of audiences.”
The annual festival has also invited two writers as special curators for its “RE Curation” section: Chung Bo-ra, author of the short story collection “Cursed Bunny” (2017), which was short-listed for the 2022 International Booker Prize, and Seong Hae-na, known for the novel “Honmono” (2025). The two will personally select films and meet with audiences through the section.
“I think more people are coming to film festivals not only to watch a film, but also for conversations that connect it naturally with literature, music and the broader cultural landscape," Son said. "That is why we are working to invite a wider range of guests, beyond our curators, to take part in our accompanying programs.”
The 28th edition of the SIWFF, running from Aug. 20 through Aug. 26, will for the second year in a row be held under the slogan "Reimagining F."
The "F" stands for multiple words that start with the letter: female, film, fellowship and festival. This year, it adds "flicker" to the list.
Festival director Hwang Hye-rim said the word represents "a sign of life in a technological age that seems to prize seamlessness and unwavering consistency.”
Actor Lee Yeon, right, alongside director Kim Mi-jo, speaks at a press conference for the 28th Seoul International Women's Film Festival at the Mapo Central Library in Mapo District, western Seoul, on July 28.NEWS1
The trailer for this year's festival, directed by Kim Mi-jo, shows prompts in the style typically given to generative AI chatbots being typed on a typewriter. It instructs actor Lee Yeon to adopt a blank expression. As the lights begin to flicker, the command is repeated while Lee struggles against it.
"I’m deeply interested in people who break through the systems [that constrain them]," said Kim, whose short film "Emma & Youisoo" (2022) previously competed at the SIWFF and who will make her commercial feature debut with “The Journey to Gyeongju” in August.
“The system itself may not be something we can change […] but through this character — who breaks through a barrier that once seemed impossible to overcome and then looks directly into the camera — I wanted to convey that sense of resilience and vitality.”
