This special screening features four short films and two music videos directed by Park Syeyoung. We had hoped to include his commercial advertisement projects, as a way to illustrate his philosophy that "everything becomes cinema." However, copyright restrictions made this impossible. In curating the program, we aimed to highlight some of Park's lesser-known short works. While the goal may not be fully realized—given the growing number of venues showcasing his projects—we believe that his short films most clearly reveal his hallmarks: boldness, determination, and a distinctive cinematic vision, offering an accessible entry point into his world.
Twilight, which won the Special Jury Prize in the Korean Competition for Shorts at the 25th JEONJU International Film Festival, follows a man climbing a mountain near his neighborhood with his dog at dusk. After the sun sets, a sudden rain transforms the forest landscape, creating abrupt and striking visual changes. Park's ability to transform a quiet, mundane situation into a visually compelling cinematic experience is particularly notable.
Michelle, presented at the Busan International Film Festival in 2024, initially appears as a love story. A couple visits a motel near Ganjeolgot on the East Sea, hoping to rekindle their relationship, only to find themselves repeatedly arguing. The man suggests they try to maintain their relationship until sunrise, though the outcome seems uncertain. Although the narrative takes place entirely within a motel room, the filmmaker generates visual variety through careful lighting and camera movement. Actor Hong Kyung both produced and starred in the film, and co-wrote the script with Park.
Revenant Princess was created for the Leeum Museum of Art's 2024 Art Spectrum: Dream Screen. The film traces the spirit of Shin Gyeongja, a Korean-Chinese singer of the past, who rises from the ocean to reclaim her soul, rendered through Park's distinctive visual style. It shares thematic and stylistic elements with The Fin. Windowlicker explores the residual traces of light. With strong experimental qualities, the film follows the movement of light by flattening three-dimensional space into two dimensions and delineating its flow through the frame.
Park's wider body of work includes music videos for a broad spectrum of artists, from indie musicians such as Organic Beer and Kim Oki to artists like 10CM and SE SO NEON, as well as a recent collaboration with WOODZ (Slide Strum Mute, 2026). For this screening, we present Check Pattern by Sungjin, the leader of DAY6, and 1993 by youra, both of which showcase Park's distinctive visual sensibility. (MOON Seok)