SEOUL, Oct. 27 (Yonhap) -- The 18th Seoul International Senior Film Festival, featuring a diverse selection of films about old age and life, will be held for four days from Oct. 27-30 at the Seoul Film Center.

Under this year's theme of "Connection," the festival focuses on exploring the possibilities of empathy and connection by looking into one another's lives across generations.

The festival will open Tuesday with a screening of director Heo Ga-young's "First Summer" at the Seoul Film Center.

The short film tells the story of Young-soon, an elderly woman played by Heo Jin, who wants to attend the 49th-day memorial service for Hak-soo, a younger man she met while dancing at a colatec, rather than attend her granddaughter's wedding. 

The film won first prize in the student film competition, La Cinef, at last year's 78th Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first Korean film to receive the top prize in the category.

The festival's classic film section, held in cooperation with the Korean Film Archive, will screen three films featuring late actor Lee Soon-jae in tribute to the actor, who died last year.

The lineup includes "Guests Who Arrived on the Last Train" (1967), which depicts the anxiety and alienation of urban residents in the 1960s; "Bunryegi" (1971), which portrays the tragic life of a woman amid poverty, convention and violence; and "The Obsession" (1976), a biographical film about Heo Jun, a renowned physician during the Joseon Dynasty, which earned Lee the Best Actor award in the film category at the 13th Baeksang Arts Awards.

The short film competition will screen 25 finalists selected from 530 entries, including 17 Korean shorts and eight international shorts.

The festival will also present "Hall of Fame: Barrier-Free," featuring six award-winning films from last year's festival in barrier-free versions with subtitles and audio descriptions.

Special programs will include "Memory Archiving Project: Life Exchange," which documents the lives and memories of senior citizens through the cameras of young directors, and "Docent's Choice: Homecoming Day," featuring films selected by docents.

Actor Lee Kwang-gi, known for his roles in dramas including "Taejo Wang Geon," "Rustic Period" and "Jeong Do-jeon," will serve as this year's festival ambassador.

[Copyright ⓒ K-VIBE. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution are prohibited.]