We selected a list of 10 Short Films you cannot miss at the 9th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival 2017 that is taking place from September 21st – 28th, in Gyeonggi Province, Paju and Goyang. (*Updated: 22/09/2017)

Daniel by Anastazja Dąbrowska – Poland | 2016 – 24 min.
Non-Competition | Docs Family

The main character is a young boy who spends holiday on camp organized for people with Down syndrome. Camera follows the conversations of Daniel and his friends. Boys, as boys—hey talk about girls. Absolutely seriously. They ask themselves about: “What being close gives you?” or “What is the right way to express love?” Searching for answers is not just an issue for teenagers, but a problem that everyone has.

Trailer:

Disappeared Women by Yourang (Ok Eui-jin) and Sawol (Song Jun-ha)
South Korea | 2016 – 11 min. – Competition | Youth Competition

“I” read a biography of Independence activist, Kim Won-bong and travel to his hometown, Miryang. During the trip, “I” come to have curiosity about his wife Park Cha-jeong. Park Cha-jeong was born to the family of activists and committed her life to Korean independence movement. She was shot and wounded in a war in 1939 and passed away after being ill in bed for five years. “I” visit Busan where Park has grown up in order to find why “I” didn’t know about her so far and how her life was like.

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Encounters with Silence by Janus Victoria – Philippines, Japan | 2016 – 30 min.
Competition | Asian Competition

Kodokushi or the lonely death has become common in Japan. The director confronts the silence on the subject through encounters with a man who cleans the apartments of those who die alone, a photographer who documents the aftermath of kodokushi, an elderly woman fiercely protective of her independence even in old age, and an artist who sings to pierce the stillness around her. By examining the quiet and lonely death, this film becomes a meditation on life itself.

Trailer:

Feminist and Humanist by Kim Ko-eun – South Korea | 2017 – 41 min.
Non-Competition | Korean Docs Showcase

It is the story of Koeun who is a self-called a feminist and Boyoung who is a self-called a humanist.

Fight like a Girl by Lee Yoon-young – South Korea | 2017 – 33 min.
Non-Competition | Korean Docs Showcase

Yoon Young started to learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu because she has never given herself a chance to fight. However she can not help self-hatred because she thinks she is weak. She meets and counsels about the flaws of being woman with the only one female Jiu-Jitsu Blackbelt. After getting consolation, she goes for a fight in jiujitsu competition then realizes the essence of fight is to subvert the order of innate strength. She keeps fighting and makes herself more ‘womanly’ as a girl.

Friends by Kim Min-seo, Kim Nam-ju, Lee Sung-jae – South Korea | 2017 – 12 min.
Competition | Youth Competition

Sora is the disable with second-tier of hearing loss and she joined a performance team in Haja production school. With a question of “How has she conducted the performance with her disability for the last 3 years?”, we began recording her life with her friends at school. One day, the hearing aid device in her ears failed and Sora suddenly can’t hear anything at all.

Quadrilaterals by Martika Ramirez Escobar – Philippines | 2017 – 18 min

This film is about a family of Overseas Filipino Workers in their home in Manila. Prisco Escobal, worked in Saudi Arabia for almost three decades. Today, at 65, Prisco is back home with his wife, sharing stories about the days when they were apart, their children, and their idea of an ideal family. It is now their four children who are away from home, following their father’s footsteps of working outside the islands of our country in hopes of having a better life.

Trailer:

My Low Body, My High Heart by Bae Yeon-woo, Ahn Su-bin – South Korea | 2017 – 21 min.
Competition | Youth Competition

Despite the improving awareness of mental disorders, the situation is still locking. Especially, teenagers are in a limited environment in terms of treatment compared to adults. Therefore, teenagers are not easy to find solution. We decide to look at youth depression.

The First Step by Heo Na-gyeong – South Korea | 2016 – 10 min.
Competition | Youth Competition

Heo Na-gyeong who goes to Road Schola, an alternative education school for traveling, learns about the Vietnamese war. However, she cannot bear the cruelty of civilian massacre during the war. She wonders why we have to see and listen images and testimonials of such cruel scenes of carnage. The first step is a short documentary film about her asking questions and finding answers on her own.

The House in a House in a House by Jeon Chan-young – South Korea | 2017 – 24 min.
Non-Competition | Korean Docs Showcase

I consider myself useless whenever I see the traces of my father on me. The house of my home is a space for sense of guilt. In there, I put myself into the swamp of self-hatred. Why should I struggle so hard to be understood by my father, Can I ever run away from myself who finds me through my father?

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