These are ten feature films you shouldn’t miss from the Seoul International Women’s Film Festival which is taking place from August 21 – 27, 2025 in Seoul, South Korea.

Horoomon by Lee Ilha – Japan, South Korea | 2025 – 99 minutes

Horoomon: the Japanese word for grilled offal, derived from “something to be thrown away.” There were people who picked up discarded animal intestines and ate them—Koreans who moved to Japan during the Japanese colonial era. The Japanese looked down on them for grilling and eating offal, but today, it has become a beloved dish for all. For Zainichi Koreans who have lived in Japan, horomon carries the sorrows and history of their lives. (SIWFF 2025)

Trailer:

Kintsugi by Lim Jisoo – South Korea | 2025 – 72 minutes

In 2019, “I” and my friends responded to a sexual assault by a professor at Korea National University of Arts, but the #MeToo movement left us with nothing but scars. I, along with my friends, confront a time we’d rather forget and begin a foolish attempt to glue a broken bowl. (SIWFF 2025)

Trailer:

Manok by Lee Yujin – South Korea | 2025 – 108 minutes

Manok, a middle-aged lesbian bar owner, returns to her hometown in South Korea and runs against her ex-husband for village chief, trading rainbow lights for rural politics. (SIWFF 2025)

Trailer:

Maru by Ogigami Naoko – Japan | 2024 – 118 minutes | Korean Premiere

Sawada graduated from an art university but cannot rely on it to make a living and is working as an assistant to a famous contemporary artist. He lost his independent will and became accustomed to simply doing what he was told. One day, Sawada had an accident on the way to work and lost his job because of an arm injury. When he returned to the room, there was an ant on the floor. After drawing a circle as if guided by an ant, Sawada’s daily life begins to be eroded by the circle. (SIWFF 2025)

Trailer:

Queer as Punk by Chen Yihwen – Malaysia, Indonesia | 2024 – 88 minutes | Korean Premiere

LGBT punk band “Shh…Diam!” boldly defies its name – Malay for “shut up!” – by shouting their truth to the world. The film captures candid conversations among band members Faris, Yon and Yoyo as they grow like a family amid Malaysia’s political denial of queer rights. Amidst the challenges of “pink migration,” collective care and camaraderie become essential lifelines. Yet the band perseveres, using their music and gigs to vent, flirt and share laughs. With their bold sound and infectious energy, “Shh…Diam!” will have you singing along in no time! (SIWFF 2025)

Rainy Blue by Yanagi Asuna – Japan | 2025 – 108 minutes | International Premiere

Aoi is a 17-year-old girl unsure of her future, but proud to be the junior of legendary actor Ryu Chishu, who graduated from her school a century ago. As the only member of the struggling film club facing closure before her graduation, she finds a mysterious old script in the clubroom one summer afternoon. The discovery sparks her imagination—who wrote it? Meanwhile, she must navigate a strained relationship with her father, who is also her homeroom teacher, and deal with a group of eccentric classmates. (SIWFF 2025)

Trailer:

Save by Bang Miri – South Korea | 2025 – 113 minutes

One day, just before I was about to leave the orphanage, my lifesaver came to me, claiming to be terminally ill. She demanded my entire fortune—$4000 in settlement support—in exchange for my life. “Are you really my lifesaver, or are you a fraud?” (SIWFF 2025)

Trailer:

Sua’s Home by Yun Simkyoung – South Korea | 2025 – 108 minutes

15-year-old Young-sun, abandoned by her adoptive parents and with nowhere else to go, temporarily stays at the home of Sua, her tennis training partner. Desperate to remain there, she tries hard to become part of the family—but Sua and her family find her presence burdensome. (SIWFF 2025)

Trailer:

The Final Semester by Lee Ran-hee – South Korea | 2024 – 105 minutes

The first steps of a nineteen-year-old towards an uncertain future and a job, but with a little hope. Nineteen-year-old Chang-woo, a field intern at a small company, spends his last semester at an unfamiliar factory instead of school. Despite his supervisor’s cold assessment, he feels the joy of work, the camaraderie, and the excitement and anxiety of social life. But an unexpected farewell with a co-worker leaves him feeling chaotic… (SIWFF 2025)

Trailer:

The Sharp Edge of Peace by Roya Sadat – United States, Afghanistan | 2024 – 60 minutes | Korean Premiere

The film is a feature-length documentary that follows the only women on the Afghan government negotiating team as they work toward peace and broker a shared political structure with the Taliban. After decades of conflict, the population may accept peace at any cost, but women refuse any deal that sacrifices their hard-won equality. In this complex situation with many stakeholders, the only way to achieve peace is with everyone at the table. (SIWFF 2025)

Trailer:

For more information, please visit: https://www.siwff.or.kr/eng/