The 43rd SIFF kicked off with an opening ceremony at CGV Apgujeong on November 30th and is now underway with screenings and forums. Actor KWON Hae-hyo and broadcaster RYOO Si-hyun, who have emceed the ceremony for 14 years, again served as hosts for the event. LEE Sang-Deok, whose film Write or Dance was screened at SIFF last year, directed the opening video clip that will be shown before each film at this year’s festival. Under the slogan ‘MADE IN NOW’, this year’s SIFF opened with the world premiere of TO The Theater. Directed by YOO Ji-young, JEONG Ga-young and KIM Tae-jin, the omnibus film is comprised of a collection of short films featuring story lines related to theaters.

The 43rd edition of the Seoul Independent Film Festival (SIFF), one of the most renowned events for independent films in Korea, released the jury list for this year’s festival. The jury for the Competition category consists of directors BYUN Young-joo, LEE Hyuk-sang, JUNG Byung-gil, cinematographer LEE Sun-young and film critic YOU Woon-sung. Director BYUN Young-joo broke new grounds for Korean feminist cinema and her mystery thriller Helpless (2012) starring KIM Min-hee was a box office and critical success. Director LEE Hyuk-sang received the Best Documentary Award for Miracle on Jongno Street (2011) at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) and was recognized with an award for his second feature The Remnants (2016) at the Seoul International Film Festival (SeNef). This year, director JUNG Byung-gil was praised for action thriller The Villainess while cinematographer LEE Sun-young is actively working for both independent and commercial films, such as Jesus Hospital (2012) and Casa Amor; Exclusive for Ladies (2015). Former Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) programmer and film critic YOU Woon-sung is currently co-publisher of quarterly cinema magazine Okulo.

For the New Choice category, three directors judge entries. All have close ties with SIFF. Director KANG Jin-a has shown fabulous short films at SIFF. Her feature debut Dear Dolphin (2013) won the Movie Collage Award at the 14th JIFF. Director LEE Kwang-kuk picked up the Best Picture Award for his second feature A Matter of Interpretation (2015) at the 40th SIFF. At this fest, he unveils upcoming romance drama A Tiger in Winter. Director LEE So-hyun received the Audience Award for DEAR GRANDMA (2016), her feature documentary about life and death, at the 41st SIFF. This year, the 43rd edition of SIFF runs until December 8th.