Seoul senior film festival runs Oct 27-30 with Lee Soon-jae tribute

The 18th Seoul International Senior Film Festival runs from Oct 27 to 30 at Seoul Film Center.

It focuses on films about older people and life, with this year’s theme of connection across generations.

The festival opens with director Heo Ga-young’s short film “First Summer”, about an older woman who wants to attend the 49th-day memorial for a younger man she met while dancing.

The film won first prize in the student film section at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

The short-film competition features 25 works selected from 530 entries, including 17 Korean films and eight international films.

A classic-film programme will honor late actor Lee Soon-jae with screenings of three of his films.

The festival also includes accessible versions of six past award-winning films, with subtitles and audio description, and projects exploring older people’s lives and memories.