Discovery is a competitive section introducing first or second feature films by female directors both in Korea and abroad. The included films are notable for their feminist perspectives and aesthetics. The SIWFF Best Feature, the SIWFF Special Jury Award, and the SIWFF Best Director are all awarded.This year, a total of 132 films were submitted from 62 countries, with 12 reaching the finals after fierce competition. Although the making of each film was influenced by the pandemic, they are more liberal regarding world conditions in comparison to last year¡¯s entries. The subjects, characters, genres, and grammar of the films are more highly diversified. Some incorporate women¡¯s pent-up desires through genres such as thrillers and fantasy (To Kill the Beast), while others flexibly demonstrate resistance and subversion to male-centered social structures through black comedy (Babysitter). One prominent narrative explores boundaries by viewing queer lives from new perspectives (Marvelus and the Black Hole and Unlock Your Heart), and this mode of breaking boundaries is also applied more broadly to the film form in Jet Lag.
Many of the films explore mother-daughter relationships, but some are also daring and take a big step into psychologically ambiguous areas that have rarely been considered, such as The Apartment with Two Women and The Den. The feminist gaze has also been expanded to include issues of society, class, environment, and power, as in Carajita and Waters of Pastaza.
I would like you to also pay attention to the films in which the female directors exuberantly express the profound inner worlds of characters, as in The Hill of Secrets, Archaeology of Love, and Unprovoked Home. [Programmer KIM Hyunmin]