Attending the 2025 Yangju Barrier-Free Film Festival
The air was noticeably colder in November when I attended the '2025 Yangju Barrier-Free Film Festival' held in Yangju on a weekend afternoon.
Marking its 6th anniversary this year, this event is designed to allow anyone, including people with visual or hearing impairments, the elderly, and children, to enjoy movies without restrictions.
This year's Yangju Barrier-Free Film Festival was held on November 22nd, starting at 2 PM, in the auditorium of the former Cheonbo Elementary School.
Upon arriving at the venue, the first things that caught my eye were the mobile coffee truck welcoming citizens on one side of the playground and the event photo wall set up at the entrance of the auditorium.
Inside the auditorium, many citizens had already filled the seats.
At 2 PM, the opening ceremony finally began, hosted by actor Lee Jung-sung and singer Park Cha-eun.
Before the main ceremony, there was an opening stage performance, starting with a formal fashion show by models from the Korea Disabled Model Association. The moment the models in white dresses and suits confidently walked onto the red carpet, the atmosphere of the venue changed.
Following this, there was a performance by the Didimdol Ukulele Ensemble. From Obladi Oblada to Binggeul Binggeul, the Third Han River Bridge, and Audacious Woman, the audience's applause grew louder with each exciting performance.
After the performance, members of the celebrity volunteer group Josamo (Meeting of Good People) came to the stage to greet the audience. Actors Jeon Won-ju, Kim Hyung-il, Sami-ja, and several other actors gave brief greetings to the audience.
Afterward, singer Park Cha-eun's stage performance continued, and the heat was raised once more with a medley performance, followed by a performance by invited singer Joo Chan, filling the atmosphere with excitement.
After all the performances, the national anthem was played, followed by the opening declaration with a speech by Seo Soon-oh, Chairman of the Korea Arts & Culture Association of Yangju.
Then, introductions and congratulatory remarks from dignitaries, including Yangju Mayor Kang Soo-hyun, were shared.
The highlight of the opening ceremony, the short film awards ceremony, approached, with a total of 65 works submitted this year.
The number of entries increases every year, and I could feel how much the public's interest is growing.
The awards were presented in the order of Special Award, Director Award, Best Actor/Actress Award, Bronze Award, Silver Award, and Gold Award. The Special Award went to 'My Liberation Notes,' the Director Award to 'Seol Chun-hwa,' the Best Actor Award to actor Na Gi-soo for 'Going to Work,' and the Best Actress Award to actress Cheon In-seon for '64 Tera.'
Before the awards ceremony, a congratulatory video from writer Jung Eun-hye was shown, followed by the Bronze Award to 'Suncheon,' the Silver Award to 'Goalball,' and the Gold Award to 'Soharia Children 1968.'
The award winners gave their acceptance speeches with bouquets of flowers, and the audience applauded continuously from below the stage.
After all the awards were given, the Silver Award-winning film 'Goalball' was screened on-site.
The fact that the director and lead actor, Lee Min-seo, is a middle school student drew admiration from the audience.
The film depicted the story of a protagonist who is shaken in his relationships with friends at a new school, using the visually impaired sport of goalball as the subject matter.
Personally, the scene expressing the meaning of existence through fireflies in the dark left a deep impression.
Immediately after the screening, the director came on stage to express his feelings once again, and finally, the film festival concluded with a performance by the domestic couple duo, Sangkeum and Eongkeum!!
Like the slogan, 'Barrier-free movies, boundless emotion,' the Barrier-Free Film Festival was a time for filmmakers and citizens to share culture together, regardless of disability, through barrier-free performances.
I hope that this meaningful event, which shares emotion and joy, will continue in the future, and I look forward to more citizens joining us next year and seeing other great works at the film festival!
Source :https://blog.naver.com/yangju619/224085274338
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