Director Yoon Ga-eun’s film The World of Love has been officially invited to the Panorama section of the 16th Beijing International Film Festival.
Opening on the 16th in 2024, the Beijing International Film Festival is one of China’s flagship international film festivals and, alongside the Shanghai International Film Festival, is regarded as a key driver of the country’s film industry. On the 9th, the festival praised The World of Love, stating, "With director Yoon Ga-eun’s signature, delicately female gaze, the film portrays girls’ inner worlds with striking density. When the world tries to define them, it gently yet powerfully captures their choice to become the masters of their own lives."
This invitation is a standout achievement amid the ongoing hurdles for Korean films entering China following the so-called Hallyu ban, drawing even more attention after the confirmation of a Chinese distributor.
The film follows Joo-in, an 18-year-old high school student with tangled feelings—somewhere between the popular crowd and the attention-seekers—who starts receiving mysterious notes after she alone refuses to sign a schoolwide petition. During its Hong Kong release, it scored a high 4.6 on a local review platform and was lauded as "a film that offers quiet comfort and courage to anyone living with scars."