The extraordinary unearthing of more than three decades of extensive news report footage on Israel and Palestine by Swedish national public broadcaster SVT, runs at only two hundred minutes. Documentarist Göran Hugo Olsson is well known for his works based on archival materials such as The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (2011), Concerning Violence (2014), and That Summer (2017). His newest film presents both sides of the story through the eyes of a neutral nation, and it is evident that the filmmaker has taken tens of thousands of hours to painstakingly select the images that depict how the harrowing history of conflict runs its course. This is not just about what happened in the past, but about what is actually going on in this world we live in today. (Karen PARK)

The face of Hwanhee is the second feature film by director Lee Jeahan, who previously directed the tender and delicate debut film, Sophie’s World (2021). Composed of four chapters— House of a writer, The Visitors, To the never never land, and The face of Hwanhee—the film unfolds like a collection of short stories, and can be experienced as such. In this narrative, Hwanhee is neither anyone nor nobody. The four stories, which feature a student visiting a teacher, an unwelcome guest at a restaurant, a man contemplating studying abroad and his girlfriend and his mother, and a novelist and a reader, each contain stories within stories. They traverse freely between night and day, fact and truth, narrative and image, within and outside the frame, dream and reality, actors and characters, the singular and the plural, and chance and fate, stimulating all the senses. The face of Hwanhee presents four curious adventures of Hwanhee and Hwanhee’s neighbors, where structure creates mood and mood shapes the world, making for a fascinating journey. (JUNG Hanseok)

In 1978, in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, three French journalists arrive in this isolated and completely unknown region. They have been officially invited by the government to report on the reality of Cambodia and to interview Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge. However, as their reporting continues, they begin to sense that something is profoundly wrong in this society, and they start to see things differently.
An official selection at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, this film is inspired by true events. The actors’ live-action performances, combined with black-and-white archival footage and the director’s signature clay puppet scenes, create layers of representation and amplify emotions. What are the “ideals” and “revolution” of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, and who are they for? Through the eyes of journalists, director Rithy Panh confronts the heartbreaking past and asks these questions. (BOO Kyunghwan)

Shoredust is about three brothers dealing with the death of their mother. The eldest brother retrieves her ashes, the middle brother brings an urn, and the youngest one is unaware of her passing. (PARK Sungho)

The first feature fiction film by director Sora Neo, who made documentary Ryuichi Sakamoto / Opus (2023), invited to the Busan International Film Festival last year. Happyend has been invited to many film festivals including Venice, Toronto, and New York, attracting attention. Set in Japan in the near future, the film depicts the conflict between an oppressive high school and rebellious students. Close friends Yuta and Kou witness the school principal entertaining government officials and play a prank with the principal’s car. The angered principal is eager to find the culprit and doesn’t hesitate to make discriminatory remarks towards Kou, who is of Korean descent. The school introduces a system that immediately gives demerits to students who misbehave using surveillance cameras, but ultimately faces resistance from the students. Happyend, which shows a miniature version of the entire Japanese society through the school, raises questions about the system that justifies dictatorship and oppression. Disadvantaging those who are not Japanese and suppressing those who rebel with public power is no different in school or society. The film movingly depicts the teenagers trying not to hurt their hearts in such a harsh environment. (NAM Dong-chul)

Agathe Riedinger’s debut feature Wild Diamond, which competed at Cannes, portrays a girl in the midst of the social network society. Liane, a 19-year-old girl from southern France, lives in the era of TikTok and Instagram. She is determined to become a reality TV star by any means necessary. For Liane, whose future is bleak this is the only way out of poverty. With thousands of followers, she goes to great lengths to make her appearance resemble that of a famous beauty influencer through cosmetic surgery and makeup. Just before stepping into the world eager to exploit youth, Liane meticulously applies her makeup and dons a tight dress like armor, á la an Amazoness preparing for battle. Through references to myths and Cinderella fairy tales, and dreamlike scenes of a nightclub with blinking blue neon, the director allows the protagonist to escape from reality. The director states, “I criticize sexism and the consumerist culture of reality TV, but I do not judge Liane, her dreams, or her environment.” (SEO Seunghee)

Some moments in life are decided in a flash. Life and death can be separated by a few seconds, and a stranger’s actions can change the present of another’s life. Aimitagai focuses on such chain reactions of fate. Azusa and Kanami have been best friends since high school. After Kanami dies in an unexpected accident, Azusa despairs yet finds comfort in sending text messages to Kanami’s cellphone. Kanami’s parents wonder about Azusa’s identity, and upon visiting the orphanage that their dead daughter cared about, are moved by her good deeds. The dead do not come back to life, but their traces shake people’s hearts in various ways, and small, good deeds come together to make the world a place worth living. Kuroki Haru, who appeared in Sleepeeer Hit! (2016) and Okiku and the World (2023), expresses the delicate emotions of the protagonist Azusa. The film is charming with the elaborate rhetoric of Kusano Shogo, who directed What She Likes... (2021). (NAM Dong-chul)

“Why did you do it?” is the question that Jungsik(Lee Sun-kyun) asks his sister-in-law Eunmo(Seo Woo) on two occasions in Paju, and maybe that’s what the movie wants to ask him too. After a failed first love and being wanted for student activism, Jungsik finds himself in the foggy city of Paju. There, he marries Eunsoo(Shim Yi-young), and they start a new life together with Eunsoo’s younger sister Eunmo, but he remains vague, elusive, and distant. His gestures are those of resignation and exhaustion, as if he’s just holding on to what’s in front of him, what he can do, while being weighed down by a deep sense of loss and unshakeable guilt. When this opaque man, who rarely reveals his inner self, speaks the words from his heart to Eunmo, it becomes a mystery of life that cannot be solved or fathomed. The expressionless face of Jungsik, played by Lee Sun-kyun, causes great ripples and eventually leads us into the abyss. (JEONG Jihye)

While preparing a fictional love story, Miguel Gomes faces difficulties securing funding for the film and heads to the remote village of Arganil in central Portugal – the intended filming location – with only a 16mm camera and a few staff. There, he captures the vivid landscape, the local myth, and the life of people during the time of August – band performances, motorcycle clubs, camping sites, a procession of the Virgin Mary, fado, and fireworks... A year later, the director returns to Arganil to shoot the fiction film. The unique two-part structure, where documentary and fiction magically blend and resonate deeply, is the result of this approach. Singer Tânia falls in love with guitarist Hélder, but Tânia’s father does not want his beloved daughter to leave his side. Nostalgia in Our Beloved Month of August is a bright and radiant sa the summer sun. Though their poignant first love cannot last longer than this beloved August, it will be preserved in the memories of these two youths. (SEO Seunghee)

What might a village next to paradise be like? Would it resemble heaven, or is it a place abandoned by God while creating heaven? Unlike many African films that explore conflicts between traditional society, individuals, and families, The Village Next to Paradise presents a character who must adapt to a distorted, modern landscape. With few job opportunities, unresolved financial difficulties, a vanished teacher, and the school closing, along with the looming threat of terrorism that has reached the village and people dying from drone attacks, the film questions life in the face of unforeseeable changes that threaten the future. It maintains a calm, understated tone throughout, mirroring its stoic protagonist. Though it may seem as dry as the dust of a wasteland, this very dryness stirs the hardest of hearts. Rising director Mo Harawe creates “facial expression of the year” through fleeting final smile of the protagonist. (LEE Yong Cheol)

Minjae, an archer nearing retirement, bets all the money she earned from match-fixing on her own loss. For her, this is the final match after an eight-year downward spiral following her last victory. The film is a gripping sports drama that centers on the competition, leading up to a surprising twist with a touch of fantasy. (KANG Sowon)

Jin Joo-seok works as an insert director on a commercial movie set. When Ma Chu-hyun, who has a strange aura, joins the film team, the two become close and spend the night together. However, the next day, Ma Chu-hyun gets angry with Jin Joo-seok for some reason. Afterwards, Jin Joo-seok waits for Ma Chu-hyun with a longing heart. This is the second feature film by director Lee Jong-su, who was invited to the New Currents section and won the KB New Currents Audience Award with Heritage (2023). Like in his previous work, sudden dark humor continues to shine in this film. The unpredictable and distinctive characters are also charming. The film creates an unfamiliar rhythm with witty dialogue, situations, and irregular twists, occasionally suddenly stopping to capture beautiful landscapes and portraits from time to time. It is a sarcastic commentary on cinema, yet above all, a poignant, biting, and charming love story. (JUNG Hanseok)