'Hwaseong Village Film Festival' Opens September 5 at Closed Seoshin Elementary School Jebu Branch Campus
Hwaseong Special City (Mayor Jung Myung-geun) announced that the ‘3rd Hwaseong Village Film Festival’ will be held September 5-6 at the athletic field of Seoshin Elementary School’s Jebu Branch Campus on Jebu Island, where the living spaces of citizens in a city of one million become a cinema and ordinary people become the protagonists.
The Hwaseong Village Film Festival began in 2024 to reflect on the values of people, relationships, and community that are easily forgotten as cities grow, through the medium of film.
This year's festival transforms the athletic field of Seoshin Elementary School’s Jebu Branch Campus, which closed due to declining student enrollment, into a village cinema where islanders and tourists can enjoy films together under the stars. Under the theme ‘Island-Seeing Village Cinema,’ the festival aims to view the familiar Jebu Island anew through the lens of film and fill previously empty spaces with people and stories.
A total of 10 films will be screened, including citizen-produced films made directly by Hwaseong youth, teenagers, and activists, as well as invited external works selected by citizen programmers. Along with film screenings, experiential booths for citizen participation will be operated, and a dialogue session (G.V.) between directors and audiences will be held.
In preparation for the festival since March, Hwaseong City, the Gyeonggi Province Content Agency, the Hwaseong-Osan Office of Education, the Hwaseong Sustainable Development Council, the Seoshin-myeon Residents Autonomy Association, and the Jebu-ri Village Association have collaborated with Glocal Content Exchange, a citizen group.
The festival is open for free participation by any citizen. This year, the festival is also linked with Hwaseong City’s city tour ethical travel one-day course (sunset and one-day course), allowing visitors to enjoy both the festival and regional tourism together. On September 5, visitors can tour the Songsan Grape Festival during the day and watch films on Jebu Island in the evening.