KoBiz - Korean Film Biz Zone

DATABASE
Festival/Market

Festival/Market

DATABASE

Urban Sociology Film Festival


Official Website
Dates
Category	Competitive & Non-Competitive
E-mail

The Urban Film Festival, celebrating its 26th edition this year, is a cultural festival that showcases various perspectives on the city through audiovisual content.

The history of the Urban Film Festival began in 1998. Since its inaugural steps in 1998, the festival has expanded its reach through screenings in public institutions, universities, and local commercial areas, including Seoul City Hall, Seoul City University, Lotte Cinema, among others.

Co-hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul City University, this distinctive film festival involves direct participation of university students in the planning and operational stages.

Featuring films that capture the innovative perspectives of young people towards the city, the festival aims to go beyond simple cultural enjoyment and create a platform for cultural production by the participants. It also includes film education programs such as "Director from Today."

City

Seoul

Program

Opening Film

Competition

Competition - Director from Today

Screenings of selected works from the program "Director from Today", which is a program aimed at nurturing rookie young directors. It targets individuals in their 20s who have a keen interest and passion for film production but may be inexperienced in the field. As aspiring young directors, the program supports them in capturing diverse thoughts and feelings about the 'city,' including its interior, identity, image, composition, and experiences, through their unique perspectives, and brings these ideas to life through film.

Out-of-Competition

Showcase selection subdivided into fiction films, documentaries and animation programs.

Collaborative Special Screening

Awards

- Seoul City Mayor’s Award (Grand Prize)

- Seoul City University President’s Award (Best Film): one award for a documentary and one for a fiction

- Seoul City University Urban Science Dean’s Award (Second Best Film): one award for a documentary and one for a fiction

- Dongdaemun District Mayor’s Award (Excellence Award)