Youth Film Festival to Sizzle Seoul

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

The summer heat will go up a notch with youthful energy: the 10th Seoul International Youth Film Festival (SIYFF) opens today with 117 works from 35 countries through July 22.

"Your Friends" (2008) by Japanese filmmaker Ryuichi Hiroki opens the festival 7 p.m. tonight at Cinus-Dansungsa, one of the oldest theaters in Korea. The opening piece, which received awards at the 2008 Hong Kong International Film Festival among others, is a touching drama about a young woman who diligently volunteers at a local school despite her physical disability. While she speaks about the various hardships she faced, her story is one of hope. The audience can also meet and converse with the director after the screening at 2 p.m., Friday.

The top prizewinner of the Beautiful Eye of Youth section will close SIYFF on the 22nd. A total of 32 works ― chosen from over 400 submissions ― will compete for eight awards in this competition section.

SIYFF celebrates a decade of inspiring youths with special sections dedicated to teenagers, young children and family. There are also retrospectives on New Malaysian Cinema icon Yasmin Ahmad and classic Korean coming-of-age films like Kim Soo-yong's "Children in the Firing Range" (1967).

The highlight of the festival is its selection of beautiful and sometimes jarring and provocative coming-of-age movies such as "Alaska" (2000, Germany). The award-winning film traces the journey of ostracized children traveling down the road of confusion and budding sexuality.

Moviegoers can also tune into lively animations, such as "The Thread of Life" (2006) by Razam Hijazi in the Children of Heaven section. The Syrian film received acclaim in festivals in Cairo to London and Cleveland, and traces the story of a lonely young boy who discovers the magical powers of his grandmother's thread. Also worth catching are creative omnibus movies presented by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, "If You Were Me - Anima Vision 2" and "If You Were Me 4".

The weeklong event will be a true playground for young cineastes. SIYFF invites children from 12 different countries to take part in a film camp, which is the largest among international youth film festivals. They will have the chance to meet filmmakers, watch movies and engage in debates over various topics.

In addition to the screenings, festivalgoers can attend fun performances by the B-boys, Nanta, Latin dancers and magicians. Cinus-Dansungsa Theater is located near Jongno-3ga station on subway lines 3 and 5. For more information, visit Open the link (English and Korean).