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Production
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SYNOPSIS
At 10:28 p.m. on December 3rd, 2024, in Seoul, the President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol declares the martial law. It is a self-coup carried out in an attempt to break through a political crisis. A decree banning all political activities and public assemblies is announced, and martial law troops move toward the National Assembly to seize control. Meanwhile, citizens rush to the National Assembly to block the troops, while lawmakers break through police’s barricades at the main gate, climb over the walls to attend the session that lifts the martial law. Large numbers of elite troops are deployed by helicopter and armored vehicles, launching a sudden assault on the National Assembly building. People begin to block the troops’ advance, instinctively invoking the memory of the Gwangju Democratic Uprising 45 years earlier—one of the deepest traumas in South Korea’s history.
FESTIVALS
- International Film Festival Rotterdam 2026
Official Selection - Harbour Section
- Docville International Documentary Filmfestival in Leuven Topic Competition
- Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival 2026 World Showcase - Audience Award Competition
Bill Nemtin Award for the Best Social Impact Documentary Competition
- Udine Far East Film Festival 2026
Audience Award Competition
White Mulberry Award Competition for Best Debut Film
- Jeonju International Film Festival 2026
Korea Cinema Jin Motors Documentary Award Competition
- Seattle International Film Festival 2026
Documentary Competition
AWARDS
- International Film Festival Rotterdam 2026
NETPAC Award Special Mention
- HotDocs 2026
Bill Nemtin Award for Best Social Impact Documentary
- Udine Far East FF 2026
First Time Directors' White Mulberry Award Special Mention
Audience Silver Mulberry Award
Critic's Choice Black Mulberry Award
- Seattle International Film Festival 2026
Documentary Competition Special Jury Mention
CREDITS
Sript Writers
Editors
Directors
Cinematographers
Assistant Director
DI
Sound Design
Music
Produced by
Production Company
International Sales
Jong Woo KIM
Stacy KIM
Chul Young CHO
Stacy KIM
Jong Woo KIM
Shin Wan KIM
Chul Young CHO
Myung Kyoon KIM
Sun Young LEE
Yoon Mi CHO
Min Je JEON
Jong Woo KIM
Jeong Min SEO
Do Hyun LEE
HyoungHee KIM (DVcat)
EunHa KO
Yeon Su JANG
Eun Taek CHUNG
Hyun Seung LEE
Sona JO
Shin Wan KIM
MBC
ASIAN SHADOWS
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Press kit
PRESS
"Achieving a remarkable amount of tension and dread through its curation of footage, The Seoul Guardians is an exciting reinvention of a political thriller."
"Kim Jong-woo, Kim Shin-wan and Cho Chul-young's searing documentary 'The Seoul Guardians' took the Silver Mulberry Award."
- Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter
FEFF’s top awards are decided by a public vote and saw the Silver Mulberry go to The Seoul Guardians. It was the first-ever documentary to be selected for FEFF’s competition section.
- Michael Rosser, Screen Daily
"The Seoul Guardians is every inch the equal of a futuristic political thriller." "The Seoul Guardians is a historical document that must be preserved by any means possible."
- Riccardo Brunello, Taxi Drivers
"The Seoul Guardians" is a crucial document that demands to be seen by all who love democracy.
- Saskia Wigbold, Vandaagen Morgen
A film that is a necessary act in itself, and which functions as a wake-up call on the fragility of democratic systems around the world.
- Giampiero Raganelli, QUINLAN
“The Seoul Guardians” is exceptional in all aspects and definitely one of the best documentaries (and films) of the year.
- Panos Kotzathanasis, Asian Movie Pulse
“The NETPAC jury jumped out of the common regulations and decided to give, next to the main prize, also a JURY SPECIAL MENTION because we couldn’t resist acknowledging officially one precious film that we feel everybody should watch. The JURY SPECIAL MENTION goes to an intense and gripping film, with a tight, masterfully edited narrative depicting urgent topics of democracy and solidarity- themes relevant on a global scale. The Special Mention goes to the powerful South Korean documentary: The Seoul Guardians by three directors Kim Jong-Woo, Kim Shin-Wan, and Cho Chul-Young.”
- NETPAC Jury, NETPAC AWARD