Covid-19 deals blow to South Korea’s indie, arthouse film scene
SEOUL: As the protracted novel coronavirus pandemic has affected every cultural sector in South Korea, the independent and arthouse film circle is on the verge of losing ground amid closures of festivals and corporate restructuring, Yonhap news agency reported yesterday.
Organizers of the Mise-enscene Short Film Festival (MSFF) announced that it will no longer hold the annual festival starting this year, saying that it is the time to seek ways to navigate the fast-changing media industry.
The 19th edition of MSFF was held online in June last year.
“We will terminate the form of a film festival at a time when the MSFF marks the 20th anniversary this year,” the MSFF said in a posting released on Jan. 13.
“In the midst of the yearlong Covid-19 pandemic and an upheaval in the media and theater environment, we need to take time to think about roles of short films and film festivals.”
Starting in 2002, the MSFF has been acclaimed as a cradle of creative filmmakers in South Korea, with director Na Hong-jin of ‘The Wailing’ (2016) awarded the top prize in 2005 before advancing to the mainstream.
The Seoul Independent Documentary Film Festival decided to temporarily halt the annual event and closed its secretariat.
The event’s organizers said that they need to obtain new dynamics that help them go through the fast-changing industry landscape accelerated by the virus pandemic.
At the same time, companies have been cutting budgets for supporting non-commercial art films. CJ CGV, the country’s largest multiplex chain operator, carried out large-scale reorganization last year and downsized CGV Arthouse, a specialty division for screenings and distribution of indie and arthouse films, such as Lee Chang-dong’s award-winning mystery ‘Burning’ (2018).