HISTORY

Birth of Korea’s Only Competition Independent Film Festival

The Seoul Independent Film Festival is the only independent film festival with competition showcase in Korea. It wraps up the total independent films of the year. The entry is open to any film without distinction of themes, forms and length, and the festival awards best films. Succeeding to the tradition of Korean Youth Film Festival in 1975, the SIFF set about establishing the system of competition film festival since 1999 after having gone through Keumgwan Short Film Festival and Korean Independent Short Film Festival. The Association of Korean Independent Film & Video and the Korean Film Council have co-hosted this festival since 2001.

History of Seoul Independent Film Festival

Period	Title of Festival	Host	Features
1975-1988	Korean Youth Film Festival	Korean Film Corporation (former Korean Film Council) & Korean Broadcasting System (aka KBS)	– It was a one-day festival that held in a projection room of the Korean Film Corporation. – It was a kind of festival encouraging young filmmakers with the award ceremony instead of screening.
1989-1993	Keumgwansang Film Festival(Youth Section)	Korean Film Corporation	– This festival aimed for promoting culture, publicity film and film production by teenagers. It also had the intent of discovering excellent personnel. – This section was incorporated into Keumgwansang Film Festival and continued the tradition of Korean Youth Film Festival. – The festival preferred the films describing sound lifestyles of teenagers.
1994-1995	Keumgwan Short Film Festival	Korean Film Corporation	– This festival got independent from Keumgwansang Film Festival.
1996-1997	Keumgwan Youth Short Film Festival	Korean Film Corporation	– The festival increased the prize money from 10 million KRW to 20 million KRW.
1998	Korean Youth Short Film Festival	Korean Film Corporation	– The festival increased the prize money from 10 million KRW to 20 million KRW.
1999-2001	Korean Independent Short Film Festival	Korean Film Corporation	– The Korean Film Council was established. – The executive committee was formed so as to operate the film festival effectively along with the foundation of the Association of Korean Independent Film & Video. – The festival started the system of competition film festival. – The Association of Korean Independent Film & Video began to participate into co-hosting the festival in 2001. – For the entry, the age restriction for applicants was abolished.
2002-Present	Seoul Independent Film Festival	The Korean Film Council & the Association of Korean Independent Film & Video	– It strengthened the position of the Korean only competition independent film festival.

Slogan of Seoul Independent Film Festival

Every year, Seoul Independent Film Festival suggests a slogan encompassing the spirit of the time. The festival slogan contains the festival’s direction and ideal to pursue of the year.