In different light, different temperature, and different pace each day. Even when we fail to notice those subtle shifts, dawn always opens onto another day.
Amid a growing number of works that cross boundaries and conventions through new media and technologies steadily finding their place, this year's First Flight showed a trend of increasing running times and scale despite living in an era of short-form content, and the number of submissions also rose to 194, higher than in previous years — a fact for which we are grateful, even as it deepened the challenge of judging.
Works from a wide range of schools and styles stood out in equal measure, and some were as intense as the noon sun, making the very name "dawn" feel almost inadequate. From tender essays on young love, to ways of embracing pain, to chilling thrillers that refuse to let the eye wander, to distinctive perspectives that render the world unfamiliar — we have selected 19 films of such varied textures, weighing not only their themes but the pacing of emotion, harmony and connection, and even the effort beneath it all. Giving broad consideration to the range of media and schools represented, we discussed each film carefully and in depth, though there were works we regrettably had to let go. They continue to linger in our minds even after leaving the discussion table. We wish to state clearly that a jury's selection does not define the absolute value of a work. We thank all the directors who submitted their films.
Just as each color reveals itself in the breaking light, the selected works, too, will reveal their own colors once again the moment they meet the audience. We hope you will feel, together with the films, the temperature and light of dawn opening onto a new day in the theater.
Written by Lee Hyejung, on behalf of the First Flight preliminary jury: Seo Pyeongwon, Lee Sehyung, and Lee Hyejung.
