Seoul subways to get 'small moment of happiness' with short film festival

Seoul subway travelers will get to watch short films on the train and vote for their favorite for the Seoul Metro International Subway Film Festival (Smiff) kicking off on Aug. 29.

An image of Jamsil Station in Songpa District, southern Seoul [YONHAP]

Seoul subway travelers will get to watch short films on the train and vote for their favorite for the Seoul Metro International Subway Film Festival (Smiff) kicking off on Aug. 29.

This year's 15th edition will take place until Sept. 25 across Seoul Metro lines No. 1 through 8 with films screening on digital boards in subway stations as well as on a media board in Gwanghwamun Station in central Seoul. The festival is co-hosted by the Seoul Metro and the Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival and sponsored by Shinhan Card.

The films can also be watched on the festival’s official website, Seoul Metro’s social media channels and through the QR code on Smiff posters.

Smiff, first launched in 2010, is a film festival that showcases short films on subways, aiming to breakdown the barrier between art and daily life to make the subway a hub for culture and artistry.

This year's festival received 1,669 film submissions from 59 countries. The organizing committee selected 50 final nominees including 20 films for its International Competition section and 15 films for its Korean Competition and ESG Special Competition section, respectively. The maximum length of a film was 210 seconds.

The final winners of Smiff will be determined based on citizen votes conducted on its website. The voting will begin in tandem with the festival's kickoff.

“I hope that the 210-second films you encounter throughout the Seoul Subway will become a small moment of happiness and a moment to pause and relax during your daily life,” an official from Seoul Metro’s public relations department said in a press release.

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]