We’re thrilled to share the first part of our list of feature films you shouldn’t miss at the Seoul Independent Film Festival, running from November 28 to December 6, 2024, in Seoul, South Korea.

1980 Sabuk by PARK Bongnam – South Korea | 2024 – 124 minutes

In April 1980, a massive “disturbance” erupted in Sabuk, a town in Jeongseon County, Gangwon Province. Over 3,000 miners, pushed to the brink by relentless surveillance and exploitation, seized control of the area and clashed with authorities. A last-minute deal was struck, narrowly averting the deployment of martial law forces and a potential bloodbath. Nevertheless, the conflict resulted in numerous casualties. Even now, more than four decades later, the scars of this event remain deeply etched in the community’s collective memory. (SIFF 2024)

404 Still Remain by UHM Ha-neul – South Korea | 2024 – 103 minutes

In 2001, Gyeonghwan (male, 17), a high school freshman, transferred from Yeongcheon to Suseong District in Daegu, known for its educational enthusiasm. Gyeonghwan is an otaku obsessed with Japanese culture and soon discovers that Jaemin (male, 17), the class president who sits next to him, is also a fan of Japanese music and culture. As the two gradually grow closer, Jaemin quietly helps Gyeonghwan adjust to his new environment, and in return, Jaemin begins to open up to him. (SIFF 2024)

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A Ray of Sunlight by MOON Sookhee – South Korea | 2024 – 114 minutes | World Premiere

Okhee is a lower-class diver in the city. One day, Eunyoung, the daughter of her late husband, comes to visit. What’s more, Kyeongsik, Okhee’s son, who is being chased by creditors, leaves his young son Junseo with them and disappears. Eunyoung wasn’t planning to stay long but misses the chance to leave due to Okhee’s accident and the appearance of her step-nephew, Junseo. Eunyoung starts to live together with Okhee, but everything feels uncomfortable. (SIFF 2024)

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All that saves us by NAM Tae-je,MUN Jeong-hyun,KIM Jin-yeul – South Korea | 2024 – 94 minutes

Eunbin, facing charges for protesting at the headquarters of a coal power plant exporter, transforms her legal battle into a powerful platform to expose the urgency of the climate crisis. Her courtroom testimony weaves in the firsthand accounts of climate disaster survivors, compelling the jury to confront the human cost of inaction.

The narrative journeys through a flophouse village and rural areas devastated by environmental catastrophes, showcasing resilient communities united in their fight for survival. These stories of care and solidarity in the face of climate chaos paint a vivid picture of grassroots resistance. (SIFF 2024)

All We Imagine as Light by Payal KAPADIA – India, France, Germany, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Switzerland, USA, Belgium | 2024 – 168 minutes

In Mumbai, Nurse Prabha’s routine is troubled when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. Her younger roommate, Anu, tries in vain to find a spot in the city to be intimate with her boyfriend. (SIFF 2024)

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At the park by SOHN Koo-yong – South Korea | 2024 – 86 minutes

Around two o’clock in the afternoon at the park, a woman is reading a book on a bench. Meanwhile, a bird flies on a tree, the clouds cover the sun, a cat grooms itself, the waterwheel spins, pigeons rest on the pavement, a man loiters in the corner of the lawn, a butterfly flutters from flower to flower, the fountain gushes, carps swim in the pond, and ants go about their business. (SIFF 2024)

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base station by PARK Syeyoung,YEON Yeji – South Korea | 2024 – 66 minutes

To escape electromagnetic pollutions, a brother and sister live in hiding inside a forbidden forest. One night, they are confronted by an unidentified source of light. (SIFF 2024)

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Don’t Cry Butterfly by DUONG Dieu Linh – Vietnam, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia | 2024 – 98 minutes

Tam, a hardworking employee at a wedding venue, discovers her husband’s infidelity through a live TV broadcast. Instead of confronting him, she seeks to win back his love with the help of a powerful shaman. Tam’s daughter, Ha, disapproves of her mother’s way of handling her father’s affair but has stopped trying to reason with her. She just dreams of fleeing home for a brighter future abroad with her boyfriend. Meanwhile, a mysterious being called the House Spirit starts to lurk beneath their cracked leaky ceiling, visible only to the two of them. (SIFF 2024)

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Every Single Dot by LEE So-jeong – South Korea | 2024 – 83 minutes

One day, ‘they’ sent ‘me’ a film. They asked me to develop the images they had taken during their long journey. However, there was nothing captured in the images. Was it my mistake? Or theirs? As I continued to develop the images they sent, ‘I’ began to discover noises that had previously gone unnoticed. (SIFF 2024)

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Go Snails by KO Eun-ki – South Korea | 2024 – 123 minutes | World Premiere

Wheelchair basketball is often associated with disability sports. However, wheelchair basketball is a sport for both people with and without disabilities. Inspired by the dedication to wheelchair basketball of national team coach Lee Won-woo, known as the ‘fox of the court’ in the 1990s, and his protégé, coach Han Sa-hyun, this human-action sports story follows a middle-aged basketball star past his prime, an arrogant basketball genius, and men with rounded steel legs due to accidents. Together, they unite through wheelchair basketball to pursue their dreams. (SIFF 2024)

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Happyend by SORA Neo – Japan, USA | 2024 – 113 minutes

In a near-future Tokyo, where the threats of catastrophic earthquakes pervade daily life, two mischievous best friends are about to graduate high school. One night, they pull a serious prank on the Principal, which leads to a surveillance system being installed throughout the school. Caught between the oppressive security measures and a darkening national political situation, the two respond in contrasting ways, leading them to confront differences they had not faced before. (SIFF 2024)

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Humming by LEE Seung-jae – South Korea | 2024 – 102 minutes

Sunghyun, who must move out of his recording studio due to area redevelopment, receives a sound designing job offer from a director he worked with a year ago. The film’s lead actress, Mijeong, has long since passed away, and an unknown actress, Minyoung, has been cast as her voice replacement. On the day of the ADR recording, the director doesn’t show up, leaving Sunghyun and Minyoung on their own. (SIFF 2024)

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For more information, please visit: https://siff.kr/en/siff/