14th Seoul International Pride Film Festival opens with HK film

The 14th Seoul International Pride Film Festival poster (SIPFF)

The 14th Seoul International Pride Film Festival kicks off Thursday for a seven-day run, opening with Hong Kong filmmaker Ray Yeung’s movie “All Shall Be Well.”

“All Shall Be Well,” which won this year’s best feature queer film award at Berlin International Film Festival revolves around two women Angie (Patra Au) and Pat (Lin-Lin Li) who have been together for over four decades. Following Pat's unexpected death, Angie finds herself at the mercy of Pat's family as she struggles to retain her dignity and the home that both had shared for over 30 years.

Director Yeung will hold a separate master class with the local audience on Nov. 10.

“All Shall Be Well” (SIPFF)

Director Lee-song Heel’s “Solastalgia,” his first film since his LGBTQ+ movie “No Regret” (2006) will close the festival on Nov. 13.

Screening a total of 104 movies from 30 countries, the 14th SIPFF takes place at CGV Myeongdong Cinelibrary.

One of the most eye-catching programs in this year’s edition is Open Pride, a section in which the festival organizer has invited government agencies to collaborate and share ideas on HIV prevention.

“There have been a lot of efforts to eradicate stereotypes or misunderstandings of HIV, but it hasn’t been so successful. So we tried to use cinema as a tool to offer information on effective ways to prevent HIV,” the festival organizer said.

The 2022 Irish movie “How to Tell a Secret,” a documentary exploring the stigma around HIV disclosure in Ireland and the experiences of people living with HIV, as well as the 2024 movie “Midas Man” on Brian Epstein who discovered and managed the Beatles in 1961, will be screened in the Open Pride section. Free anonymous HIV testing will be also be available to visitors, according to SIPFF.

The festival is also hosting a special exhibition that sheds light on Hong Kong’s queer film scene. The five films to be screened include “Farewell My Concubine” (1992), “Happy Together” (1997), “Lan Yu” (2001) “The First Girl I Love” (2021) and “Green Light” (2023).