These are fifteen short 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.

A Story About Xiaoxian by Gesang Meiduo – Japan, China | 2025 – 21 minutes | World Premiere

Xiaoxian’s father is a policeman, and she herself is stuck in the monotonous confines of her cramped room. Until one day when, while reviewing her father’s case file, she stumbles upon a diary that unveils the life of another Tibetan girl, Yicuo Ma. The present, the past, the diary, and imagination intertwine and ferment. As Xiaoxian sets out to uncover the truth, she finds that reality is even more absurd—yet Yicuo Ma’s sincere and unpretentious spirit remains with Xiaoxian forever. (SIWFF 2025)

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Abort Mission by Jung Sujin – South Korea | 2025 – 23 minutes | World Premiere

Hyo-jin becomes pregnant later in life, but her daughter, In-ok, struggles to accept her choice. While Hyo-jin wishes to keep the baby, In-ok cannot understand her, and tension builds between them. Eventually, however, In-ok comes to recognize her mother’s true feelings and chooses to support her. (SIWFF 2025)

Anamnesis by Shin Seoyeon – South Korea | 2024 – 13 minutes

A year after Ruri’s death, unaware of the truth, Mirae still resents Haru, who was with Ruri when she died. On Ruri’s anniversary, Mirae visits their old hideout—a place full of memories—and unexpectedly meets Haru. There, she learns Ruri had gone to Itaewon to buy costume materials to surprise her. Through this encounter, Mirae and Haru begin to understand each other’s pain and start to heal together. (SIWFF 2025)

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COMMUNITY by Jin HyeonJeong, Park YouJin – South Korea | 2025 – 37 minutes

Yujeong and Hyeri run a community together. When Hyeri decides to move to Seoul, Yujeong begins to question whether she should continue running it. As their time together comes to an end, they reflect on how it all began and how it has come to an end. (SIWFF 2025)

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if tomorrow never comes by Julianne Reyes – Philippines | 2024 – 23 minutes | International Premiere

40 years after getting married to a white man, Angie gets deported. The only person she could run to is Badine, the ex-girlfriend she left behind. Badine hires her in her small eatery and helps her to hide her deportation from her family. However, as they start reconnecting and revisiting their romance, a street widening project catering to cars going into a newly built mall threatens to destroy the houses in their neighborhood, including theirs. (SIWFF 2025)

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In the Same Breath by Natcha Sanpawichu – Thailand | 2024 – 24 minutes | International Premiere

The annual Dharma camp at an all-girls school has the students placing red balloons under their shirts to simulate teenage pregnancy. However, the ethereal atmosphere of the girls shifts when Jay, the lecturer’s son, arrives and puts Fleur’s prohibited secret on edge to unveil. (SIWFF 2025)

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Instruments of a Beating Heart by Ema Ryan Yamazaki – Japan | 2024 – 24 minutes | Korean Premiere

First graders in a Tokyo public elementary school face a final semester challenge: performing “Ode to Joy” at the ceremony for new first graders. Ayame, who struggles to keep up, is determined to play the big drum. We follow her through auditions filled with setbacks and victories. To prepare, she must quickly learn to handle pressure and responsibility. The film explores how the Japanese educational system balances self-sacrifice and personal growth while preparing the next generation to join society. (SIWFF 2025)

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(M)OTHER by Tsai Chi-min – Taiwan | 2024 – 28 minutes | International Premiere

Today is A-Wei’s last day, but it’s her first day with Ching. (SIWFF 2025)

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My Lifelong Wish Is Just Peanuts! by Kim Yebon – South Korea | 2025 – 16 minutes | World Premiere

Jeongyeon and Ji-eun, longtime friends, face the subtle oppression women experience within the small world of their school and struggle with uncertain futures. Should we just endure it all? When will we find the answers to life? Though we’re a bit loud and clumsy, we come to learn that it’s okay to be that way. (SIWFF 2025)

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MY! by Lim Junhee – South Korea | 2025 – 16 minutes | World Premiere

With the school volleyball tournament approaching, the team is one player short. For Do-eun, who dreams of entering a sports university, this is a crucial opportunity. She persuades Chaerin, a former player who quit due to injury, to join. But Chaerin focuses only on her own plays and soon clashes with Do-eun, dampening team spirit. When Do-eun injures her ankle, Chaerin, who was once obsessed with winning, is moved by the passion of the clumsy but determined team and slowly begins to open her heart. (SIWFF 2025)

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Same Star Above Us by Liu Ke – USA | 2024 – 19 minutes | Asian Premiere

The storyline revolves around Wendy, an immigrant woman who runs away from home to make up for her wasted youth. She is torn between her internal attachment to her daughter and the desire to pursue a fulfilling life. Along the way, she crosses paths with a young female escort. These two women, who are like two sides of the same coin, develop a mother-daughter relationship as they encourage each other to continue their journeys. (SIWFF 2025)

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Spring, Me, and the Two of Us by Kim Keumbi – South Korea | 2024 – 9 minutes | World Premiere

Min-hee, Da-hye, and Ye-ji, who were once classmates, are placed in different classes as they advance to the next grade. As their common interests gradually change, Min-hee begins to feel increasingly isolated. During a school trip to an unfamiliar place, she painfully realizes how distant she has become from the others. However, new friends start to show interest in Min-hee and approach her, naturally shifting the atmosphere. Like the color green, Min-hee’s future feels fresh and full of hope. (SIWFF 2025)

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The Other Daughter by Fala Pratika – Indonesia | 2024 – 25 minutes | International Premiere

A young woman attempts to reconcile with her mother after a lifetime of emotional distance. Growing up feeling unwanted and unloved, the filmmaker has long held resentment toward her mother—until a letter reveals the buried pain of her grandmother’s life and sparks a deeper search into the history of generational silence. (SIWFF 2025)

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This Home is Ours by Shayma’ Awawdeh – Palestine | 2024 – 22 minutes | World Premiere

The camera explores the attempt to create a film with Aisha, a Palestinian girl who uses a camera to document her daily life in Hebron, a city divided by apartheid where various forms of daily oppression persist. Aisha captures powerful and personal footage depicting her and her family’s resilience under the siege they endure within the city, carrying it with her wherever she goes around the world. (SIWFF 2025)

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WAShhh by Mickey Lai – Malaysia, Ireland | 2024 – 24 minutes | Korean Premiere

One late night at a camp in Malaysia, a group of female trainees on duty are urgently summoned. One of the trainees, who is supposedly possessed by a ghost, accuses the others of breaking the rules by leaving “dirty things” in the toilet. The instructor sternly orders them to clean it up by midnight. The girls, who follow different faiths, share the same living space, and their strained harmony is on the verge of collapse as the boundaries of mutual respect begin to blur. (SIWFF 2025)

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