18th Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival opens with AI focus

The 18th Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival opened at CGV Yeongdeungpo on October 23, showcasing 119 selected films from 3,004 submissions. This year's event highlights generative artificial intelligence and features international projects like "Korinco's Stamp," a cultural exchange involving children from Korea, Indonesia, and Colombia.

The 18th Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival (SESIFF), Asia's first extreme-short film festival, opened at CGV Yeongdeungpo on Friday, October 23, and concluded its six-day official schedule on Wednesday, the 28th.

Hosted and organized by the Seoul International Extreme-Short Image Festival, this year's festival selected 119 competition films from a total of 3,004 submissions from 74 countries, presenting a diverse range of domestic and international extreme-short and short films to audiences.

With the key themes of "Short films that transcend imagination" and "AI," this year's festival focused on expanding the boundaries of existing film formats and highlighting the possibilities of new visual creation using generative artificial intelligence (AI).

Notably, the opening ceremony featured the screening of "Limit Down," completed through the festival's production support project E-CUT 2026, and "Korinco's Stamp," an international cultural exchange project involving children from Korea, Indonesia, and Colombia.

During the festival, "AI Film Night" was held to facilitate exchange between domestic filmmakers and representatives from international media and film education institutions, including China's AI video platform TapNow, Sichuan University of Media and Communications, and the Sichuan International Communication Center, 四川国际传播中心. Additionally, marking the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and France, a special program was organized with the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, the world's largest short film festival, continuing the event's role as an international film festival.

The 18th Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival opens with "Actress of the Year" Solji

The opening ceremony held at CGV Yeongdeungpo on Friday, October 23, was attended by domestic and international film industry professionals, invited guests, and directors and actors from the competition division to mark the start of the 18th festival.

The ceremony consisted of a photo wall event, the official declaration of opening, congratulatory speeches from key figures, and the screening of the opening films. Solji, participating as the "Actress of the Year," served as the master of ceremonies to announce the start of the festival.

The opening films were composed of four works originating from different countries, generations, and genres under the theme "How to reach each other."

The screened works included "Korinco's Stamp," a joint project between Korea, Indonesia, and Colombia; "Nowhere, Somewhere" directed by Ahn Hye-rim; "Limit Down" directed by Jeon Yeong-hyeon; and "The Mysterious Adventures of Claude Conseil" directed by Marirola Terver and Paul Jousselin from France.

These works demonstrated various ways of forming relationships and communicating with others amidst different cultural backgrounds and life conditions, conveying the unique narrative and expressive possibilities of short films.

· "Korinco's Stamp" directed by Won Yu and Son Ye-ryeong | Korea, Indonesia, Colombia | 2026 | 10 minutes | Animation

· "Nowhere, Somewhere" directed by Ahn Hye-rim | Korea | 20:50 | Fiction

· "Limit Down" directed by Jeon Yeong-hyeon | Korea | 19:35 | Fiction

· "The Mysterious Adventures of Claude Conseil" directed by Marirola Terver and Paul Jousselin | France | 2023 | 24:10 | Fiction

"Limit Down," featuring Solji and supported by E-CUT 2026, makes its debut as an opening film

Among this year's opening films, "Limit Down" directed by Jeon Yeong-hyeon was completed through E-CUT 2026, the representative production support project of the Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival.

E-CUT is a project that supports the creative activities of emerging film directors through the talent donation of actors and the production support of the festival, producing and presenting new short films every year through collaborations between actors and directors.

This year, Jeon Yeong-hyeon was selected, and actress Solji participated in the production by donating her talent.

"Limit Down" tells the story of a couple trying to prepare a home to live in together before marriage. Through the commotion that ensues when Solji secretly invests a housing deposit in stocks only to hit a "limit down" and tries to hide it, the film playfully explores issues of economic reality, trust, and communication within relationships.

In particular, Solji added to the purpose and meaning of the festival's creative support by serving as the master of ceremonies for the opening ceremony while also starring as the lead in the production-supported work as the "Actress of the Year."

Children from three countries meet through film... International cultural exchange project "Korinco's Stamp"

Another opening film, "Korinco's Stamp," is the result of an international cultural exchange project involving children from Korea, Indonesia, and Colombia.

The Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival has continued the "KORINCO" international exchange project, in cooperation with Minikino in Indonesia and Bogoshorts in Colombia, where children share their cultures and stories through film.

Completed this year, "Korinco's Stamp" is an animation set on the magical island of Korinco, telling a story of introducing traditional stamps from various countries to reply to letters arriving from across the sea.

Children with different languages and cultural backgrounds expressed the process of introducing their own cultures through the familiar subject of stamps and understanding one another across borders.

The project holds significant meaning as the children participated not merely as audiences, but as subjects of video creation and international cultural exchange. It also demonstrated new possibilities for international film festival networks, as the continuous cooperative relationship between the three countries' festivals resulted in a single collaborative creation.

"AI Film Night" held... Korean filmmakers and Chinese AI video industry professionals gather

At 7:00 PM on Saturday, October 24, the second day of the festival, "AI Film Night" was held to highlight the convergence of film and artificial intelligence technology and the future of the Asian video industry.

This event was organized as a venue for international exchange, bringing together stakeholders from the video industry, education, and media sectors in Korea and China, including the Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival, the AI video creation platform TapNow, China's specialized video and media educational institution Sichuan University of Media and Communications, 四川传媒学院, and the international media exchange organization Sichuan International Communication Center, 四川国际传播中心.

In particular, the event was graced by the presence of major domestic film production officials, production company representatives, and stakeholders from China's AI video platforms, including producer Jeong Mun-gu, who participated in the production of the film 'Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy'.

Attendees focused on the changes that generative AI technology brings to film production and the overall video industry, sharing possibilities of how the existing film industry and the new AI creation environment can connect and cooperate.

TapNow, which participated as a major cooperation partner, is an AI-based video creation platform that supports video production using new technologies and the activities of creators.

Sichuan University of Media and Communications, 四川传媒学院, is a Chinese educational institution that fosters professional talent in the fields of film, broadcasting, and digital media, while the Sichuan International Communication Center, 四川国际传播中心, is an organization that promotes international media exchange and the overseas expansion of content.

The participation of these institutions added significance in that AI video creation could move beyond simple technical experimentation to connect with education, production, industrial cooperation, and international content exchange.

Especially since Korean film production sites, Chinese AI technology platforms, video education institutions, and international media organizations gathered in one place, this event laid the foundation for future exchange for Asian AI film creation and video industry cooperation.

Additionally, GP Liquor and the wine importer Vinotech participated as sponsors, and the Maison Jalliance champagne provided by Vinotech enriched the atmosphere of the event and added vitality to the exchange among domestic and international filmmakers.

International AI Film Hackathon hosted by Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival... Creative exchange between Seoul, Shanghai, and Tokyo

Prior to 'AI Film Night', the Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival held the AI film production project 'ARENA PEAK ASIA - SEOUL 32H AI FILM HACKATHON' at Dangunsoft on the 3rd floor in Seocho-gu from Friday, October 16 to Saturday, October 17.

This event, hosted by the Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival, was the Seoul competition of an international AI film hackathon conducted simultaneously in Seoul, Shanghai, and Tokyo, operated in a manner where participants completed short films using generative AI technology within 32 hours. Subsequently, on Sunday, October 18, a screening and awards ceremony for the completed works were held to share the creative achievements of the participants.

Approximately 100 participants took part in the Seoul competition, performing the creative process from planning and production to video implementation within a limited time, experimenting with new possibilities of AI-based film production.

In particular, it served as a place to experience a new production environment where technology and art combine, as participants from various fields using AI technology joined alongside creators with film production experience.

By linking this hackathon with the AI competition category of the film festival and the 'AI Film Night' held on October 24, the Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival attempted to expand the AI film ecosystem—connecting creation, production, screening, and industrial exchange—rather than merely screening completed works. Through this, it sought to expand exchange among domestic and international AI video creators and explored the possibility of becoming a new international video culture platform where film producers, technology companies, and educational institutions cooperate.

140th Anniversary of Korea-France Diplomatic Relations... Highlighting 17 Years of Exchange with Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival

A special program was also prepared at this year's festival to commemorate the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and France (1886–2026).

The Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival, in cooperation with the Cultural Service of the French Embassy in Korea and the French Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, presented the special exhibition 'Two Cities, 17 Years of Exchange'.

The Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival has been a long-standing international partner that has maintained exchange since the launch of the Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival in 2009, and this special exhibition was planned to look back on the history of cooperation accumulated by the two film festivals and to introduce Korean and French short films together.

In the special exhibition held on October 24, major short films from France and Korea were screened, such as the 2025 César Awards winner for Best Short Animation 'Beurk!', the 2026 César Awards winner for Best Short Live-Action Film 'Mort d'un acteur', and director Moon Ji-won's 'Ko Ko Ko, Eyes!'.

Furthermore, it introduced the Clermont-Ferrand children and youth program 'Jeunes Publics' and expanded the exchange between international film festivals to the local community and children/youth audiences through screenings linked with educational institutions such as Lycée Français de Séoul and Savier International School, as well as free screenings in local cultural spaces in Yeongdeungpo-gu.

3,004 entries from 74 countries... Expanding the realm of creation from ultra-short films to AI films

A total of 3,004 works from 74 countries worldwide were submitted to the 18th Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival, of which 119 were selected as main competition works.

The main competition consisted of: △Ultra-Short Competition 21 films (International 13, Domestic 8) △Short Film Competition 49 films (International 28, Domestic 21) △AI Competition 37 films (International 20, Domestic 17) △New Generation Competition 12 films.

In particular, the AI competition category, which marked its second year this year, saw a total of 37 films advance to the main competition, establishing itself as the second largest competition category after the short film competition. Various creative methods were introduced, from experimental narratives using generative AI to hybrid works combining live-action video and AI technology.

During the festival period, diverse events were held, including screenings of domestic and international main competition and invited works, Guest Visits (GV) where directors meet audiences directly, and cooperation programs with overseas film festivals.

Concluding 6 days of film festival... Establishing itself as a venue for international video culture exchange

The 18th Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival concluded its 6-day official schedule with the closing ceremony and awards ceremony held at CGV Yeongdeungpo on Wednesday, October 28.

The festival introduced the unique expressive possibilities of extreme-short and short films this year, while expanding its role through various programs such as AI films, international co-creations, children's cultural exchanges, and cooperation with overseas film festivals.

International partner organizations included the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France, 60Seconds in Denmark, Minikino in Indonesia, Bogoshorts in Colombia, and TMB in Barcelona, Spain, while continuing cooperation with domestic educational institutions such as the Graduate School of Advanced Imaging Science, Multimedia & Film, Chung-Ang University and its Anchor Business Group.

Various private companies, including CGV, Mondo Studio, TapNow, Häagen-Dazs, Dangunsoft, Cinepoem, GP Liquor, and Vinotech, supported the operation and programs of the festival, which was held with the sponsorship of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Korean Film Council, Yeongdeungpo-gu Office, and Seoul Business Agency.

Launched in 2009, the Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival has grown into an international platform that promotes the unique expressive possibilities of short films and discovers new video creators.

This year, especially as generative AI technology is establishing itself as a new trend in video production, the festival presented new possibilities for the festival within the changing video culture environment by providing a venue for international exchange involving film creators, audiences, production companies, technology companies, and educational institutions.

The Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival plans to continue its role as an international platform that spreads the artistic value of extreme-short films and introduces new trends in video creation by cooperating with creators, film festivals, educational institutions, and video industry stakeholders from various countries.

Detailed information about the festival can be found on the official website (www.sesiff.org).

Read the original (Korean)