서울국제여성영화제

A Room of Our Own is a web-based archival project led by Bina Paul, Reena Mohan, and Surabhi Sharma. It brings together the voices and experiences of women graduates from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), where only around 600 of over 6,000 alumni have been women. Through oral histories, photographs, and short films, the project revisits women’s roles in Indian cinema and challenges dominant film narratives from a gendered perspective. In this session, Reena Mohan shares insights into the making of this collective memory archive.

 

* Interpretation and translation in English is supported.

 

This session features cinematographer Andaç Karabeyoglu-Thomas, who shares her experience working on Elbow, a film portraying a young person’s struggle to survive as an outsider in an unfamiliar city. The talk explores the female gaze in cinematography, focusing on camera angles, visual storytelling, and the creative process behind the film.

 

* Interpretation and translation in English is supported.

 

This masterclass features Korean Canadian filmmaker Helen Lee, whose work has profoundly explored the female body and memory, sexuality and gender, racial and cultural tensions, diasporic identity, and life on the margins. From her debut Sally’s Beauty Spot (1990) to her latest film Tenderness (2024), Lee has sensitively portrayed the emotions and experiences of lives lived “between here and elsewhere.” Spanning over 30 years, her films traverse and deconstruct boundaries-cultural, personal, and cinematic-offering a compelling reimagining of identity. Audiences are invited to reflect on Lee’s expansive creative journey through this session.

 

* Interpretation and translation in English is supported.

 

Two critics, KIM Haery (Editorial Board Member, Cine21) and Lee yeonsook aka Rita (Visual Culture Critic), who are active in diverse fields including film, art, and visual culture, revisit and discuss Orlando (1994) by director Sally Potter. Based on Virginia Woolf’s novel, the film portrays a character who transcends identity across centuries. The session provides a critical re-examination of the film from a contemporary perspective.

 

The two “similar yet distinct” feature documentaries - Edhi Alice: Reverse and Edhi Alice: Take - are not only narratives of personal transition but also bold cinematic and aesthetic experiments. These works extend the notion of “transition” beyond individual life stories to include relationships, bodies, spaces, and cinematic perception itself. This session brings together the director, editor, and literary critic for a conversation on the boundless possibilities of transitioning cinema.

 

An opportunity to explore the works of director Joung Yumi, internationally acclaimed for her distinctive pencil-drawing style that visualizes reflections and imagination on women’s inner worlds, society, and relationships. The program features eight short films, from her early work My Little Doll’s House to Dust Kid, Math Test, Love Play, House of Existence, Wave, Circle, and Paranoid Kid. After the screenings, director Joung Yumi and animation scholar Jinny Hyejin Choo will join the audience for a conversation.

 

Shin Sugok, protagonist of Horoomon and a third-generation Korean resident in Japan, has long fought against hatred and discrimination in Japanese society. She says, “To live, I must fight-and I fight because I am alive.” Her life is a continuous struggle, yet alongside her anger, she seeks out places needing solidarity and shares friendship. Her story invites reflection on what it means to live authentically. This session offers a chance to hear from Shin Sugok and discuss her journey.