'Five Films for Freedom' Short Film Collection

BFI Flare in Seoul PRIDE with the British Council

Programmer’s Pick: <The First Kiss>

This year’s Five Films for Freedom showcases selected films from the BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival, the world’s first online LGBTIQ+ film festival. This collection offers Korean audiences a range of high-quality short films across genres—drama, documentary, and animation—that capture the diverse lives and stories of LGBTIQ+ individuals from different cultural backgrounds. A standout in this selection is The <First Kiss> by director Miguel LAFUENTE, which follows Andy on a journey from a small Spanish town to the heart of Madrid, capturing the subtle emotions of youth, identity, and first love.

The SIPFF in collaboration with the British Council in Korea and BFI Flare (British Film Institute Flare), shares a longstanding partnership dating back to the UK/Korea 2017–18 Creative Futures initiative and the 50th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in the UK. During this time, they jointly presented the UK Focus program, which featured 15 iconic British queer films, including <Orlando> (dir. Sally POTTER), <Edward II>(dir. Derek JARMAN), <My Beautiful Laundrette> (dir. Stephen FREARS), <Sunday Bloody Sunday> (dir. John SCHLESINGER), and <Love Is the Devil >(dir. John MAYBURY).

In 2017, BFI Flare’s chief programmer, Brian ROBINSON, who has been at the helm of London’s LGBTIQ+ Film Festival since 2000, was invited to Seoul, fostering mutual support and commitment to continued collaboration. Inspired by this partnership, the three organizations formally established the BFI Flare in Seoul PRIDE with the British Council program, aiming to break down societal prejudices and promote social awareness for LGBTIQ+ inclusion as part of a shared commitment to equity and diversity.