ANNOUNCING…

The “Seoul Whistler Film Festival”…!

(Alternative Article Title:  “We Got Wind of a New Festival Which Will Soon Be Blowing into Seoul”)

I have a few exciting pieces of news to share with you, regarding this new film festival starting this year in Korea.

For more than a decade, I’ve been fascinated with both the quantity and quality of film festivals which exist, or have existed in South Korea.  In fact, I even recall downloading and of course reading the “Korean Cinema Today” iPad version of the KoBiz magazine over a decade ago… I remember it detailing all the main festivals (if not all the known ones?) and it was a beautiful accompaniment to their website and bulletins.… and the app & those lists of festivals alone would seduce me.

That said, although I’ve frequented the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) many times, the Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) a couple of times (most recently in April – not least to witness the 6 films screening there about the SEWOL ferry tragedy), attended the Busan International Short Film Festival (BISFF), and let’s not forget the Aporia Village International Film Festival & the Jochiwon Film Festival in 2022 – these latter two were due to my own film, “Reparation” featuring here – but I’ve still only really touched the surface as far as film festivals in Korea go.

Plus… I’ve still yet to attend DMZ Docs, the Seoul Eco Film Festival and the Seoul International Women’s Film Festival (all ones from which I’ve met people involved with, exchanged words &/or business cards and perhaps more importantly been interested on the subject matters each one focuses on) and sure, there are many more – sometimes I’ve even been in Korea at the time a certain festival was happening but circumstances or bad organisation on my part meant that I failed to attend.

Did I say “bad organisation”?  Yep… That can be me, sometimes, often or when it comes to certain aspects of being organised!

But really, it’s more the words ‘ GOOD organisation ‘ that I want to focus on and use in the case of this article.

You see, this newly formed festival comes from people with GOOD hearts and with that is GOOD “organisation”.

In fact, the word organisation comes into play again too – well, it’s essentially another non-profit festival and one which I happen to know that those ‘organisers have dealt’ with reputational film festivals or events in the past.

Even its name shows us that it leans towards perhaps more ethical, social issues… and … films.  I happen to know that the “Whistler” in Seoul Whistler Film Festival comes from the phrase ‘whistle blower’, so that in itself could give you a hint of what movies may be invited to screen at this festival.

 

Perhaps this is as good a time as any to mention what this festival’s chairperson, Yoon Jungmo / 윤정모 says about this new venture:

“The SWFF is full of rich programs that filmmakers and audiences can enjoy as a festival itself.

Members of the organizing committee, full of experience in film production, will properly show what a film festival is in Seoul’s Hongdae, which is ahead of the Korean trend as a cultural powerhouse.”

OR

"SWFF는 영화 만드는 사람들과 관객이 축제 그 자체로 
즐길 수 있는 풍성한 프로그램으로 가득합니다.
오랜 영화제작에 대한 경험으로 가득한 조직위원회 위원들은 
문화강국 대한민국 트렌드에 앞서나가는 홍대에서 
영화제가 무엇인지 제대로 보여줄 것입니다"

 

Even without all that, I could base my knowledge on recent meetings (in Jeonju and more specifically at the aforementioned JIFF / Jeonju International Film Festival) with the person also partly responsible for the SWFF.

Yes… Amongst the films I had intended to witness at JIFF were 6 films concerning the Sewol Ferry tragedy.  I can say that I managed to attend all of these, and more.  One of the individuals involved with at least one of these films is a certain Ms Solji Yoon.

Myself and Solji had known of one another before that Jeonju International Film Festival and also stayed in touch well after it had ended.

That is why I’m even aware of this brilliant new festival in Seoul.  The fact that this new SWFF promises to combine social issues with films made in Korea – and probably from elsewhere in the world – only reaffirms my initial thoughts and it therefore promises to be exactly the kind of event I’d fully support.

AND… Being a supporter of this new festival is what I’m literally doing, by being INVOLVED with this festival… Not least as a jury member.

So… What is this Seoul Whistler Film Festival?

Well, it’s a festival which runs essentially for 3 days, from the 25th to the 27th October and the following is taken directly from the organisers and indeed their website (which is going to be steadily updated as the months go on, leading up to the festival):

Seoul Whistler Film Festival

A film festival that introduces stories that we want to share socially
and personally with the world.

사회적으로 그리고 개인적으로 세상에 꼭 알리고 싶은 이야기를 소개하는 영화제

http://www.swff.kr

 

Seoul Whistler Film Festival proudly accepts entries on FilmFreeway, the world’s #1 way to enter film festivals and creative contests.