A Movie Screening at a Closed School Branch: Hwaseong Village Film Festival Concludes Its Third Edition

Hwaseong Special City (Mayor Jung Myung-geun) announced that the "3rd Hwaseong Village Film Festival," where everyday spaces become a cinema and citizens become the protagonists, was held from the 5th to the 6th at Seoshin Elementary School Jebu Branch Campus on Jebu Island and concluded successfully. Over 200 citizens and tourists visited the festival over the two days, sharing an autumn evening on Jebu Island.

This year's festival transformed Seoshin Elementary School Jebu Branch Campus, which closed due to declining student enrollment, into a community cinema. A large screen was installed in the schoolyard of the now-vacant campus, allowing island residents and tourists to sit side by side under the stars and watch films together.

The festival showcased a total of 10 films. The screenings consisted of citizen-produced films created by Hwaseong youth, teenagers, and activists, as well as external invited works selected by citizen programmers.

After each film screening, time was set aside for directors and audiences to discuss the works. Director Jang Geon-jae evaluated "The Shirt" by 16-year-old director Kim Si-yeon, saying it was "a film that is both delicate and has power and ambition." Audiences remained seated in the schoolyard late into the evening, sharing their thoughts and impressions of the films.

The following day, a screening was held at the Jebu Island Culture and Welfare Center's small cinema where villagers watched films together. Residents welcomed the fact that the long-vacant community space was being repurposed as a place where residents gather and enjoy culture, thanks to the film festival.

The "Hwaseong Village Film Festival" is a citizen-participated film festival planned and operated by citizens. It added significance by utilizing citizens' everyday spaces as cultural spaces rather than elaborate stages or large theaters. This year's festival was completed together with the help of citizen activists, university volunteers, and local residents in the planning and operation.

Hong Jeong-ui, head of the Citizen Cooperation Division, said, "This film festival was an occasion where citizen activists and village residents together gave new purpose to the vacant school building, and residents and tourists naturally blended together through film as a medium. Since the process of citizens directly planning and creating represents the meaning of village community, we hope this experience will lead to new stories in other regions and spaces."