Florence Korea Film Fest

Overview

The Florence Korea Film Fest (FKFF) is Italy's only dedicated Korean cinema festival. The 24th edition ran March 19 to 28, 2026, in Florence, screening contemporary and classic Korean cinema across 10 days at the La Compagnia cinema and other venues. The festival is a cultural bridge between Italian and Korean film industries, built on curatorial relationships with Korean distributors and film organisations.

The 2026 edition honoured actor Gong Yoo and director Yeon Sang-ho with the Festival Cinema Award, recognising their contributions to Korean cinema. Gong Yoo is known internationally for "Train to Busan" (2016) and the Netflix series "Squid Game," while Yeon Sang-ho directed "Train to Busan" and "Peninsula" (2020). The festival's jury was chaired by Federico Micali and included David Pacifici, Alessio Giorgetti, Isabella Ahmadzadeh, Kim Kyung-ok, and Yoon C. Joyce.

The Festival Jury Award for best film went to "The Mutation" by director Shin Su-won, an exploration of human vulnerability and alienation in a peripheral Korea far from the neon lights of Seoul. The Audience Award went to "The Journey to Gyeong-ju" by Kim Mi-jo, a road movie blending surreal comedy with personal pain. A special jury mention was awarded to "Halo" by Roh Young-wan, a debut film about a young delivery man navigating precarious work and invisible violence in urban Korea.

Submission Details

Submissions are managed through the festival's official website. Key details for the 24th edition (2026):

Only feature films released after January 1 of the festival year are accepted for the competition section. All films must have English subtitles and be delivered in HD Cam or DCP 2K format. If the DCP is locked, the festival requires the KDM key two weeks before the festival start to verify functionality for the duration of the event. Films selected for the festival receive an official invitation, entry form, and agreement form that must be completed and signed.

The Selection Committee chooses films with the help of local consultants in Korea who work closely with leading film producers and distributors. This means the festival is not a standard open-submission festival - selection is largely driven by curatorial relationships with the Korean film industry rather than by a general open call.

Competition Sections

• Korean Horizons - competition section for new Korean films, eligible for the Festival Jury Award and Festival Audience Award
• Independent Korea - competition section for Korean independent cinema, eligible for the Festival Jury Award and Festival Audience Award
• Short, Shorts! - Korean short film programme, eligible for the Festival Audience Award for short films and the Festival Short Film Award
• K-Cinema Today - contemporary Korean cinema screenings
• K-Fantastic - themed programme of genre cinema
• Retrospectives - classic Korean cinema and director tributes
• Masterclasses - industry events with Korean filmmakers and professionals

Awards and Prizes

The 24th edition (2026) awarded the following prizes:

• Festival Cinema Award (Guests of Honour) - Gong Yoo (actor) and Yeon Sang-ho (director)
• Festival Jury Award (Best Film) - "The Mutation" (dir. Shin Su-won)
• Special Jury Mention - "Halo" (dir. Roh Young-wan)
• Festival Audience Award (Korean Horizons and Independent Korea) - "The Journey to Gyeong-ju" (dir. Kim Mi-jo)
• Festival Audience Award (Short, Shorts!) - "Lesson" (dir. Kim Jin-woo, 21 min)
• Festival Short Film Award (Short, Shorts!) - "Lesson" (dir. Kim Jin-woo)

Prizes are awarded based on a combination of jury deliberation and audience voting. Audience votes are collected both in the theatre at the end of each screening and online through the MYmovies website. Winners are announced during the closing ceremony.

Festival History

The Florence Korea Film Fest was founded in 2007 at the height of the Korean Wave (Hallyu), the global cultural phenomenon that brought Korean cinema, music, and television to international audiences. The festival has operated continuously for 24 editions, tracking the international rise of Korean cinema through the careers of directors including Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho, Lee Chang-dong, and Hong Sang-soo, all of whom have been featured at the festival.

The festival was established in Florence, a city with a Renaissance heritage and a status as a centre of artistic excellence. The festival's programming reflects the trajectory of Korean cinema from a national industry with limited international visibility to one of the most globally recognised national cinemas, culminating in Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2019 and four Academy Awards in 2020.

The 25th Florence Korea Film Fest will take place in March 2027.

What Filmmakers Should Know

The Florence Korea Film Fest is not a standard open-submission festival. The Selection Committee chooses films with the help of local consultants in Korea who work closely with leading film producers and distributors. If you are a Korean filmmaker or producer, the most effective path to selection is through the Korean distributors and film organisations that the festival's consultants work with. Direct submissions are accepted but the curatorial process is relationship-driven.

For Korean filmmakers, the festival provides European market exposure through Italy's cultural gateway city. The Florence audience is knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Korean cinema, and the festival has built a loyal local following over 24 editions. The festival's masterclasses and industry events provide opportunities for Korean filmmakers to connect with Italian distributors, critics, and audiences.

For Italian and European filmmakers, the festival is primarily a screening and cultural exchange platform rather than a competitive submission target. The competition sections are restricted to Korean films. However, the festival's industry events and masterclasses offer networking opportunities between the Italian and Korean film industries.

The submission deadline of January 1 is early in the calendar year, and the programme is published by February 15, giving filmmakers approximately six weeks from deadline to notification. Films must have English subtitles and be delivered in HD Cam or DCP 2K format. The festival does not charge a submission fee.

Past Winners

The Florence Korea Film Fest awards a Festival Jury Award for best film and a Festival Audience Award across its competition sections. Recent winners:

• 2026 (24th edition): The Festival Jury Award went to The Mutation (dir. Shin Su-won), a drama exploring human vulnerability and alienation in peripheral Korea. The Festival Audience Award went to The Journey to Gyeong-ju (dir. Kim Mi-jo), a road movie blending surreal comedy with personal pain. A special jury mention went to Halo (dir. Roh Young-wan), a debut film about a young delivery worker navigating precarious employment. The Festival Cinema Award (guests of honor) was presented to actor Gong Yoo and director Yeon Sang-ho. The Festival Short Film Award went to Lesson (dir. Kim Jin-woo, 21 min).
• 2025 (23rd edition): The Festival Jury Award went to Handsome Guys (dir. Nam Dong-hyub), a horror-comedy and feature directorial debut that is a remake of the American film Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010). The jury praised its "extraordinary ability to flirt with genres." The Festival Audience Award went to Harbin (dir. Woo Min-ho), a historical drama about Korean independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun, starring Hyun Bin. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024. Two special jury mentions went to Hidden Face (dir. Kim Dae-woo) and 4 P.M. (dir. Jay Song). The Festival Audience Award for short films went to Suzuki (dir. Ahn Jung-min). The Festival Cinema Award was presented to actor Hwang Jung-min and director Na Hong-jin.
• 2024 (22nd edition): The Festival Jury Award went to Cobweb (dir. Kim Jee-woon), a black-and-white film about a 1970s film director obsessed with reshooting the ending of his completed film. Cobweb premiered in competition at Cannes 2023 and starred Song Kang-ho. The Festival Audience Award went to Honeysweet (dir. Lee Han). The Festival Cinema Award was presented to Bong Joon-ho.
• 2023 (21st edition): The Festival Jury Award went to Next Sohee (dir. July Jung), a social drama about a high school student driven to tragedy by exploitative call center work. The film was praised for its "cynical fresco on the most alienating part of office work." The Festival Audience Award went to 6/45 (dir. Park Gyu-tae), a comedy about South and North Korean soldiers competing for a lottery ticket. A special jury mention went to Through My Midwinter (dir. Oh Seong-ho) in the Independent Korea section.

Notable Alumni

The Florence Korea Film Fest has featured many of Korea's most internationally recognized directors across its 24 editions:

• Bong Joon-ho received the Festival Cinema Award at the 22nd edition (2024). Bong directed Parasite (2019), which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and four Academy Awards including Best Picture, making it the first non-English language film to win Best Picture. His other films include Memories of Murder (2003), The Host (2006), Snowpiercer (2013), and Okja (2017). The festival has tracked his career from early Korean releases through international recognition.
• Kim Jee-woon won the Festival Jury Award at the 22nd edition (2024) for Cobweb, which had premiered in competition at Cannes 2023. Kim previously directed A Tale of Two Sisters (2003), The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008), I Saw the Devil (2010), and The Age of Shadows (2016), which was South Korea's Oscar submission.
• Park Chan-wook has been featured at the festival throughout its history. He won the Palme d'Or at Cannes for Decision to Leave (2022) and previously won the Grand Prix for Oldboy (2003). His film The Handmaiden (2016) was widely acclaimed internationally.
• Lee Chang-dong has been featured at the festival. He directed Poetry (2010), which won the Best Screenplay award at Cannes, and Burning (2018), which was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and won the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes.
• Hong Sang-soo has been a regular presence at the festival. He has won the Silver Bear for Best Director at Berlin twice (2021, 2022) and the Leopard for Best Direction at Locarno (2022).
• Gong Yoo and Yeon Sang-ho received the Festival Cinema Award in 2026. Gong Yoo starred in Train to Busan (2016) and the Netflix series Squid Game. Yeon directed Train to Busan and Peninsula (2020).
• Hwang Jung-min and Na Hong-jin received the Festival Cinema Award in 2025. Hwang is one of Korea's most bankable actors, starring in Ode to My Father (2014) and Veteran (2015). Na directed The Wailing (2016) and The Chaser (2008).
• July Jung won the Festival Jury Award in 2023 for Next Sohee, her second feature after A Girl at My Door (2014), which was selected in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes.

Submission Tips

1. This is not a standard open-submission festival. The Selection Committee chooses films with the help of local consultants in Korea who work closely with leading Korean film producers and distributors. Direct submissions are accepted but the curatorial process is relationship-driven.
2. Korean filmmakers should work through their distributors. The most effective path to selection is through the Korean distributors and film organizations that the festival's consultants work with. If your film has Korean distribution, your distributor can facilitate the connection.
3. Competition sections are restricted to Korean films. The Korean Horizons and Independent Korea sections are for Korean cinema only. Italian and European filmmakers cannot submit to competition, but the festival's industry events and masterclasses offer networking opportunities.
4. Feature films must be released after January 1 of the festival year. Only feature films released after January 1, 2025, were accepted for the 2026 competition section. Check the eligibility window for your target edition.
5. Ensure English subtitles and correct delivery format. All films must have English subtitles and be delivered in HD Cam or DCP 2K format. If the DCP is locked, the festival requires the KDM key two weeks before the festival start.
6. The submission deadline is January 1. The programme is published by February 15, giving filmmakers approximately six weeks from deadline to notification. This is a relatively fast turnaround compared to larger festivals.
7. There is no submission fee. The festival does not charge for submissions, which is notable for a festival with this level of programming quality.

Industry Reputation

The Florence Korea Film Fest is a specialty festival focused exclusively on Korean cinema. It is not FIAPF-accredited and does not have an attached film market. Its industry reputation is built on cultural exchange rather than acquisitions or co-production financing.

The festival's primary value is as a European gateway for Korean cinema. It is the only dedicated Korean cinema festival in Italy, and it has built a loyal local audience over 24 editions. The Florence audience is knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Korean cinema, and the festival has established curatorial relationships with Korean distributors and film organizations that ensure consistent programming quality.

The festival's industry events include masterclasses with Korean filmmakers and professionals. The 2025 edition featured ten special guests including actor Hwang Jung-min, director Na Hong-jin, and composer Mowg. The 2026 edition honored Gong Yoo and Yeon Sang-ho. These events provide opportunities for Korean filmmakers to connect with Italian distributors, critics, and audiences.

The festival is not Oscar-qualifying. Its competitive awards (Festival Jury Award, Festival Audience Award) do not carry Academy Award qualifying status. The festival's role in the awards ecosystem is indirect: films that win at Florence may have already premiered at larger festivals like Cannes, Venice, or Toronto, and the Florence screening serves as European exposure rather than awards qualification.

The festival's audience voting system combines in-theater votes collected at the end of each screening with online votes through the MYmovies website, giving the Audience Award a broad participation base beyond physical attendees.

For Korean filmmakers, the festival provides European market exposure through Italy's cultural gateway city. For Italian and European film industry professionals, it offers a curated window into Korean cinema without traveling to Asia. The festival's 10-day run at the La Compagnia cinema and other venues in Florence provides sustained programming rather than a compressed market environment.

Watch

:::youtube{videoId="RsY6kEAnqyM"}

:::

Japanese trailer for Harbin (dir. Woo Min-ho), which won the Festival Audience Award at the 23rd Florence Korea Film Fest (2025). The historical drama about Korean independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun stars Hyun Bin and had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024.

:::youtube{videoId="vm5mBEbyoTI"}

:::

A report on the Korean Wave in Italy from Arirang News, examining the growing cultural influence of Korean cinema in the Italian market. The Florence Korea Film Fest, as Italy's only dedicated Korean cinema festival, is a central part of this cultural exchange between the two film industries.

See Also

Calculate your total festival submission costs and projected return using the Festival ROI Calculator. Estimate your acceptance probability with the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For festival circuit strategy and planning, see Film Festival Strategy. For understanding the Asian film market and international sales, see International Film Markets. Read the full Florence Korea Film Fest regulations.