Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival winners head to New York; ‘Hijo Mayor’ meets Spanish audiences

[Financial News] Works by emerging South Korean creators and directors from the Korean diaspora are finding opportunities to reach audiences overseas one after another.
Netflix said on the 23rd that it had presented award-winning films from the MSFF at the first New York Korean Independent Film Festival, hosted by Korean Cultural Center New York from the 15th through the 25th.
The ‘MSFF Special Section,’ co-hosted by Korean Cultural Center New York, the Korea Creative Content Agency’s New York Center, and Netflix, was organized to showcase the diverse appeal of South Korean independent films and expand opportunities for emerging creators to screen their work overseas. Netflix, which served as the MSFF’s main sponsor this year, extended its collaboration in South Korea to connect with audiences abroad.
The five films selected for screening are winners of the 22nd MSFF: ‘Seonhui Imo’ (directed by Wi Eun-kyung and Son Gwang-min), ‘Ojojun’ (directed by Kang Seong-jun), ‘Wolnam Bosal’ (directed by Kim Geun-ho), ‘Noise Cancelling’ (directed by Choi Ji-hye), and ‘Seoreul Damgo’ (directed by Park Jung-soo).
Jang Young-yup, CEO of Cine21 and director of festival operations for the MSFF, said during a panel session, “We confirmed that collaboration with global OTT platforms can broaden the reach of short films and create synergies with offline screenings as well.” Jang added that after the collaboration with Netflix, new audience groups came in alongside existing short-film fans, and seat occupancy at offline theaters during the MSFF reached 97%.
Director Son Gwang-min, who made ‘Seonhui Imo,’ said, “I heard many times from industry professionals that they had watched the film on Netflix, and I was able to get feedback from a range of perspectives.” Son added, “My previous short had just 15 comments, whereas ‘Seonhui Imo’ received more than 1,000, and I could really feel the audience’s enthusiastic response.”

In Spain, a film about the lives of Korean immigrants met local audiences. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the 23rd, the Korean Cultural Center in Spain partnered with the local cultural space La Mistral to hold a special screening of ‘Hijo Mayor’ and a conversation with its director, Cecilia Kang, at Cines Embajadores in Madrid on the 16th. Some 50 people, including local audience members and members of the Korean diaspora, attended.
‘Hijo Mayor’ explores the lives and identities, hopes and losses of a Korean family that immigrated to Argentina. Actors of Korean descent, including Kim Chang-seong, star in the film, which realistically portrays the lives of immigrants. Director Cecilia Kang, a second-generation Korean immigrant, drew international attention after winning the Best New Director award in the Filmmakers of the Present competition at the 78th Locarno Film Festival in 2025 for the film.
[email protected] Shin Jin-a Reporter