The Winners of the 20th GwangHwaMun International Short Film Festival Revealed
The 20th GwangHwaMun International Short Film Festival (GISFF) announced the three winners in the international competition section.
The festival, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, has changed the screening method to online and increased award prizes to actively foster short films and focus on creators. It was conducted through MovieBloc, a global independent film platform from entry to screening.
The three winning films selected in the international competition section of the 20th GISFF are ‘Sierra’(2022) directed by Sander JOON, a gold prize; ‘Warsha’(2021) directed by Dania BDEIR, a silver prize; and ‘To Each Your Sarah’(2019) directed by KIM Deokgeun a bronze prize.
The judges for the final were Gerwin TAMSMA (film programmer), KIM Doyoung (director), Pierce CONRAN (journalist), SOHN Sehoon (producer), and Teresa KWONG (producer). Regarding the judging criteria, the jury said, “The potential of the director’s next work can show us was considered important. All three selected films raise expectations for the next work.”
▲Photo = ‘Sierra’, a gold prize
Sierra directed by Sander JOON and ranked as a golden prize, is an animation about a boy who became a tire on his own to win a car race and his father’s surreal car racing. It was praised as “a short animated film that draws deep sympathy with a unique style and a story that reminds people of their childhood and father,” and received overwhelming recommendations from the judges.
▲Photo = ‘Warsha’, a silver prize
Warsha directed by Dania BDEIR and ranked as a silver prize, tells the story of a crane driver Mohammad who works in Beirut, volunteers to drive one of the most dangerous cranes in Lebanon and then returns to his true passion and freedom at last. It was praised as having “outstanding cinematic style and originality” and was unanimously selected by five judges.
▲Photo = ‘To Each Your Sarah’, a bronze prize
To Each Your Sarah directed by KIM Deokgeun and ranked as a bronze prize, tells the story of a woman who returns to her hometown using the pseudonym Sarah, as facing divorce due to her husband’s affair. It was received as “the most outstanding film among Korean shorts that have advanced to the final”.
“It was an interesting experience to work as the jury of the 20th GwangHwaMun International Short Film Festival, an online film festival from a new perspective.” The jury said.
“We are looking forward to the future of the festival in which its full support for the film directors will develop,” they added.
For the three winning films in the international competition section, a gold prize of $30,000, a silver prize of $20,000, and a bronze prize of $10,000 will be awarded respectively. Also, the award-winning directors will be granted $20,000 each as the production support fund for their next film, to discover and nurture short films as the purpose of the festival.
The 20th GwangHwaMun International Short Film Festival was opened to audiences around the world through MovieBloc from 2022 May 24 to June 30. A total of 434 films from 62 countries were screened in the preliminary round, and 41 films from 16 countries were selected for the final. During the festival period, about 85,000 people visited the 20th GISFF, confirming the passionate interest of global audiences for short films.
All the submissions including three award-winning films can be viewed on MovieBloc even after the festival is over. The 21st GwangHwaMun International Short Film Festival is scheduled to be held in the second half of this year.
https://www.moviebloc.com/gisff/award