By Kim Young Shin and Kim Min-Jeung

The 22nd Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival (SICAF) will hold cartoon and animation exhibitions at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) and at the Megabox Dongdaemun movie theater from Aug. 23 to 26, under the theme this year of "Life".

The SICAF organizing committee held a press conference to introduce in detail its exhibitions and films this year at the Korean Press Center in Seoul, Jung-gu District, on July 31.

The committee said that it chose this year's theme, "Life", so that, "The audience could feel that life is full of possibilities by watching selective cartoons and animated features that reflect human life.”

Bang Jung-hyuk, executive chairman of the committee, said, “We prepared various exhibitions and films for all of us to enjoy under the theme of 'Life'. It will be a festival for people from various countries to come together and to enjoy themselves. They will be able to enjoy their graphic works and animated features by sympathizing and communicating with one another."

SICAF is divided into two film festivals. One will be held in the DDP Art Hall 1 and the other at the Megabox Dongdaemun movie theater.

There are a record number of features this year, with a total of 2,703 works from 103 countries. Among these, 72 of them made it into the final rounds, including features from the U.S., the U.K., mainland China, Japan, Russia, France and Mexico.

The Japanese animated feature animation "I Want to Eat Your Pancreas" was chosen as the opening film. It's a love story about a boy and a smart girl whose days are numbered due to her pancreatic illness. The head of the film festival, Cho In Beom, said that it is the most suitable work to match with this year’s theme. The closing film will be the Grand Prix winner and will be selected during the festival, based on the judges' decision.



A special exhibition this year on Arabic animated features will also captivate audiences. Eight works from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates can be seen, including a story about war, "Sandarah" (2014), and a comedic animated feature about teenagers driving, ‘Sabab Popcorn' (2015).

Concerning the special world exhibitions, the Slovakia exhibition will showcase 12 works, including "A Ballad of Four Holes” (1995) and "Glider" (1997), to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Slovakia's independence.



The exhibitions also revolve around the theme of "Life" and aims to be a space where the past, present and future are bound together.

The DDP exhibition consists of a retrospective on the late Shin Dong-heon. It has rare and original materials of his “Hong Gil-dong" (1967), Korea’s first feature-length animated film, along with an exhibition of "paper boyfriends", which feature male characters, so-called "paper boyfriends", from works such as "Cheese in the Trap" and "Yumi’s Cells". An exhibition of works created by the winners in the comics and animation categories for teenagers will also be on display.

Kim Young Doo, chairman of the SICAF organizing committee, said he recommends the retrospective exhibition on the late Shin Dong-heon. “This exhibition will present you with a valuable opportunity to travel back in time and to look back on the early history of South Korea’s animated films, provided by Japan.”

English, Mandarin and Japanese interpretations will be provided for free during the exhibitions.

For more information, please visit the website below.

http://sicaf.org




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