'Hwaseong Village Film Festival' Opens on September 5 at Closed Seosin Elementary School Jebu Branch Campus

Hwaseong Special City (Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun) announced that the '3rd Hwaseong Village Film Festival,' where the daily lives of citizens in a city of one million become a cinema and ordinary citizens become protagonists, will be held September 5-6 at the sports field of Seosin Elementary School Jebu Branch Campus on Jebu Island.

The Hwaseong Village Film Festival was launched in 2024 to reconsider the value of people, relationships, and community through film—aspects easily forgotten as the city grows.

This year's festival transforms the sports field of Seosin Elementary School Jebu Branch Campus, closed due to declining student enrollment, into a village cinema where island residents and tourists can enjoy films together under the stars. Under the theme 'Island-Seeing Village Cinema,' the festival offers a fresh perspective on the familiar Jebu Island through the lens of film and fills previously empty spaces with people and stories.

Ten films will be screened, including citizen-produced films made directly by Hwaseong's youth, teenagers, and activists, as well as invited works selected by citizen programmers. In addition to film screenings, experience booths for citizen participation will operate, and a dialogue venue (G.V.) bringing together directors and audiences will be arranged.

Since March, preparations for the festival have been carried out through collaboration among the citizen group Glocal Content Exchange Association, Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi Province Content Agency, Hwaseong-Osan Office of Education, Hwaseong City Sustainable Development Council, Seosin-myeon Residents' Autonomous Association, and Jebu-ri Village Association.

The festival is open to all citizens to participate freely. Notably, this year the festival is coordinated with Hwaseong City's city tour 'Ethical Travel One Day' (Sunset and One Day Course), allowing visitors to enjoy both the festival and local tourism. On September 5, visitors can tour the Songsan Grape Festival during the day before watching films on Jebu Island in the evening.