These are our ten recommended short films from the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival, which will take place from September 26 until October 2, 2024 in Paju and Goyang, South Korea.

A Move by Elahe Esmaili – UK, Iran | 2024 – 27 minutes | Korean Premiere

Elahe returns to her hometown in Mashhad, Iran, to help her parents move to a new place after 40 years. Influenced by the Woman-Life-Freedom movement, she’s also hoping for a bigger move beyond just a new apartment. (DMZDocs 2024)

Trailer:

Bitter Cells by Park Huiju – South Korea, UK | 2023 – 17 minutes | World Premiere

Huiju learned of her biopsy test results, but lied to her mum about them. Feeling guilty about the lie, she embarks on her journey to find cancer patients who have the same diagnosis as hers and learns about their experiences. (DMZDocs 2024)

Trailer:

Break no.1 & Break no.2  by Lei Lei – China | 2024 – 18 minutes | Korean Premiere

Photographs, snowy mountains, videotapes.
Two stories of love and death.
Episode 1: The Lost Photographs.
Episode 2: The unfound movie videotapes. (DMZDocs 2024)

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Driving Day by Kim Rosa – South Korea | 2024 – 29 minutes | World Premiere

Rosa’s father, a paraplegic with remarkable dexterity, found few avenues to express his talents. For him, driving wasn’t simply a skill—it was a profound act of love and sacrifice for his family. Their world is shattered when he receives a terminal diagnosis. As Rosa watches her father’s health decline, she’s tormented by a recurring, suffocating dream. In these vivid moments, a heart-wrenching question arises: will she ever have the chance to drive alongside with her father again? (DMZDocs 2024)

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Glass Wall by Park Juhwan – South Korea | 2024 – 31 minutes | World Premiere

“Hee mang(‘hope’)-ville,”, a village visible yet hidden, was formed when evacuees and victims of the Korean War were resettled after the country’s liberation. Over time, due to the proliferation of brothels, it became colloquially known as “Hee mae(‘sell’)-ville”(prostitution area). Despite this transformation and stigma, long-term residents continue to call this place home, their lives intertwined with a community that outsiders recognize only as a red-light district. (DMZDocs 2024)

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Side by side by Kim Seolhae, Jeong Jongmin – South Korea | 2024 – 40 minutes | World Premiere

Okinawa, home to over 70% of the U.S. military presence in Japan, has recently experienced rapid military fortification under the so-called Nansei Shift (Southwest Shift). Although these bases are designated for Japan’s Self-Defense Forces rather than the U.S. military, they pose an equal threat to the islanders, instilling fear of war and contributing to the destruction of their communities and way of life. In Okinawa, where parallels can be drawn to the THAAD system in Soseong-ri, South Korea, and the naval base in Gangjeong, Jeju Island, I met with individuals who are courageously speaking out against the prospect of war. (DMZDocs 2024)

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Somethings Last Forever by Suh Hyerim – South Korea, Australia | 2024 – 30 minutes | World Premiere

I once operated a small gallery in Euljiro, but it fell victim to redevelopment plans. Now, the space exists in a limbo—neither demolished nor developed, a ghostly reminder of what once was. My friend’s graduation artwork still resides there, though I’ve lacked the courage to face it. Unexpectedly, I receive a letter from Hana Hoogedeure, an online friend I’ve never met in person. This correspondence becomes the catalyst for action. Camera in hand, I set out to visit the gallery, intent on explaining the situation to Hana. As I approach, the reality of the building’s precarious state becomes clear—it’s on the verge of collapse. A race against time begins. Can I rescue the paintings and navigate this crisis before it’s too late? (DMZDocs 2024)

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String Pieces by Vatae Kimlee – South Korea | 2024 – 28 minutes | World Premiere

Kyeong, a young woman in her mid-20s, navigates the familiar streets of Dong-gu, Incheon. Her days are punctuated by simple pleasures: coffee, cigarettes, and chocolate. As she settles onto a well-worn bench, the gray walls of her surroundings seem to whisper stories of her grandparents. (DMZDocs 2024)

Trailer:

Summer Drive by Kim Hyoyeon – South Korea | 2023 – 15 minutes | World Premiere

“It was summer, indeed.” This fifteen-minute film, a visual symphony set against the backdrop of a rapidly warming Arctic, documents a century of temperature rise in Longyearbyen, the world’s northernmost permanent settlement. As the camera captures scenes of life in this already transformed landscape, the temperature on screen steadily climbs, a silent but ominous counterpoint to the human activity unfolding. When a car halts at a dead-end road, the temperature reaches “11.6℃” – a seemingly innocuous number that belies a history of human exploitation and environmental degradation. (DMZDocs 2024)

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When God Swallows Candy by Lee Kangsun – South Korea | 2024 – 14 minutes | World Premiere

Determining which memories are real and capturing something with a camera share a commonality: what lies outside the frame is forgotten. The moment a photographer chooses to capture something, everything else is excluded and pushed out of the frame. In 2024, I weave together a story that reaches beyond the image squares of my childhood and beyond my father’s moldy film. This journey raises essential questions: What do we choose to remember, and what remains? (DMZDocs 2024)

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More information: https://dmzdocs.com/eng/