Seoul International Women's Film Festival (SIWFF)

Overview

The Seoul International Women's Film Festival (SIWFF) is Asia's largest women's film festival. The 28th edition runs August 20 to 26, 2026, at Megabox Sinchon and the Korean Film Archive in Seoul. SIWFF received 4,115 submissions from 125 countries for its 2026 edition, including 2,309 competition entries. The festival operates under the slogan "Let's see the world through women's eyes" and programs fiction, documentary, animation, and experimental films by women directors.

SIWFF is the primary festival platform for women filmmakers targeting the Korean and Asian markets. The festival's Discovery competition section, for first or second feature films by women directors of any nationality, received 462 submissions from 84 countries in 2026, a record high. The Asian Shorts competition received 1,796 submissions from 77 countries. The I-Teens section, for Korean short films by female directors born after 2007, received 51 submissions.

Submissions are free of charge through the SIWFF entry website or FilmFreeway. The deadline for the 28th edition was April 21, 2026, with notification on July 9, 2026.

Key Sections

• Discovery - international competition for first or second feature films by women directors of any nationality. Grand Award: KRW 12,000,000 (~$8,800 USD). Excellence Award: KRW 6,000,000 (~$4,400 USD)
• Asian Shorts - competition for short films by directors of Asian nationality or ethnic identity. Daphnelia Grand Award: KRW 8,000,000 (~$5,900 USD). Excellence Award: KRW 4,000,000 (~$2,900 USD)
• I-Teens - competition for Korean short films by female directors born after 2007. Grand Award: KRW 1,000,000 (~$735 USD). Excellence Award: KRW 500,000 (~$370 USD)
• Korean Competition - new films by Korean women directors (non-competitive and competitive selections)
• Feminist Collectives - films made by domestic and foreign production communities of women, exploring feminist film histories
• Special Programs - thematic programs on film histories, the film industry, and gender issues
• Queer Women's Cinema - films addressing LGBTQ+ women's experiences from feminist and queer perspectives

Submission Details

SIWFF accepts submissions through its entry website or FilmFreeway. Entry is free of charge.

Submission deadlines for the 28th edition (2026):

• All films: April 21, 2026, 18:00 KST
• Notification: July 9, 2026

Eligibility requirements:

• Films must be directed by a woman, or at least one woman director for co-productions
• Films must present various aspects of life from a woman's perspective or provide insight into gender issues
• Films completed after January 1, 2025
• Feature films: 40 minutes or longer. Short films: under 40 minutes
• All genres accepted: fiction, documentary, animation, experimental
• Discovery section: first or second feature-length film by a director of any nationality
• Asian Shorts: director must have Asian nationality or ethnic identity
• I-Teens: Korean short films by a female director born after 2007
• Non-English dialogue films require English subtitles on all screeners and final screening copies
• Online screeners must remain valid until August 31, 2026
• The festival creates Korean subtitles for non-Korean films; copyright of Korean subtitles belongs to the festival

Submission procedure:

1. Create an account on the SIWFF entry website or FilmFreeway
2. Complete the online entry form
3. Provide online screener link (valid through August 31, 2026)
4. Upload supporting materials (poster, trailer, stills) if requested

Contact: SIWFF program team at program@siwff.or.kr or +82-2-583-3599. General inquiries at siwff@siwff.or.kr or +82-2-583-3598.

What Filmmakers Should Know

SIWFF is the most important dedicated women's film festival in Asia. The 28th edition in 2026 selected 8 finalists for the Discovery competition from 462 submissions across 84 countries, an acceptance rate of approximately 1.7%. The 2026 Discovery finalists represented 15 countries including Mexico, Argentina, Kosovo, Switzerland, France, China, Japan, Canada, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Serbia.

The Asian Shorts competition selected 20 finalists from 1,796 submissions, an acceptance rate of approximately 1.1%. The I-Teens competition selected 6 finalists from 51 submissions. These acceptance rates make SIWFF one of the most competitive women's film festivals in the world.

The festival covers round-trip shipping costs for screening copies when filmmakers use the courier service officially designated by the festival. Screening copies are returned within 4 weeks after the festival closes. For non-Korean dialogue films, the festival produces Korean subtitles at its own cost; the copyright of these subtitles belongs to the festival, but filmmakers can purchase them under the festival's internal regulations.

The festival also offers online and IPTV screening options for selected films during the festival period, with the filmmaker's consent. This extends the audience reach beyond physical venues.

The 2026 edition programmed films that span multiple continents and time periods, with many selections examining the 1990s and 2000s retrospectively while addressing contemporary themes of discrimination, isolation, and displacement. The festival's closing ceremony features the Asian Shorts award winners as the closing film.

Major Awards

• Discovery Grand Award - KRW 12,000,000 (~$8,800 USD) for best first or second feature by a woman director
• Discovery Excellence Award - KRW 6,000,000 (~$4,400 USD)
• Daphnelia Grand Award (Asian Shorts) - KRW 8,000,000 (~$5,900 USD) for best Asian short film by a woman director
• Asian Shorts Excellence Award - KRW 4,000,000 (~$2,900 USD)
• I-Teens Grand Award - KRW 1,000,000 (~$735 USD) for best Korean short film by a teenage woman director
• I-Teens Excellence Award - KRW 500,000 (~$370 USD)
• Audience Prize - determined by audience voting during the festival

If more than one winner is selected in a single category, the prize money is divided equally among the winning works.

Festival History

SIWFF was founded in 1997 in Seoul, at a moment when Korean society was undergoing rapid changes in gender relations. The festival emerged from the Korean women's film movement and the broader feminist cultural activism of the 1990s, which sought to create platforms for women's voices in a male-dominated film industry.

Over 28 editions, SIWFF has grown from a domestic Korean event into the largest women's film festival in Asia. The 2026 edition received 4,115 total submissions from 125 countries, a significant increase from previous years. The Discovery competition alone received 462 submissions from 84 countries in 2026, up from 394 submissions from 86 countries in 2025.

The festival has consistently programmed films that address gender, diversity, and human rights from feminist perspectives. Its Queer Women's Cinema section, Feminist Collectives program, and I-Teens competition for teenage women directors distinguish it from other women's film festivals globally. The I-Teens section, which requires directors to be born after 2007, is one of the few festival competitions anywhere dedicated exclusively to teenage filmmakers.

SIWFF is organized with connections to Korean feminist organizations and women's studies programs, giving the festival an activist dimension alongside its cinematic programming. The festival is held at Megabox Sinchon, a multiplex in the Sinchon university district of Seoul, and the Korean Film Archive, which provides archival and research context for the festival's retrospective and historical programming.

See Also

To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. To estimate your probability of acceptance based on festival tier and film characteristics, use the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For festival circuit planning, see Film Festival Strategy. For women in filmmaking, see Independent Filmmaking Strategies. For Korean cinema markets, see International Film Markets.