18th Seoul International Short Film Festival Confirms 119 Finalists for Competition

The 18th Seoul International Short Film Festival has finalized the selection of 119 works that will advance to this year's main competition categories. In the open call held last July, a total of 3,004 works were submitted from 74 countries worldwide, and after preliminary screenings, works in various categories such as ultra-short, short, AI, and New Generation will take to the main stage.

Reflecting a video environment where short-form content has become commonplace, this year's festival focused on re-examining the aesthetics of ultra-short films. In particular, the newly established AI competition category is expected to serve as a testing ground to see what kind of cinematic results are produced when generative AI technology combines with a creator's imagination. At a time when the boundaries between technology and art are blurring, these changes attempted by the festival are evaluated as a meaningful endeavor to expand the scope of short films.

The finalists will meet the audience for six days from October 23 to 28. The festival organizers stated, “We plan to broadly illuminate the trends of contemporary short films through works that provide a complete cinematic experience within a short period of time.” During the screening period, in addition to the screening of competition works, programs for communication between directors and audiences as well as international exchange events are scheduled to take place.