Cartoon and animation festival set for Seoul

By John Redmond

With much of the world’s popular animation production taking place in Korea, including the likes of “The Family Guy” and “The Simpsons,” the Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival (SICAF) will be held throughout the Seoul Square and Myeong-dong Station area from May 23-28.

SICAF introduces various forms of animation and comics through exhibitions, movie festivals and various other events.

“For the past 18 years, SICAF has been selecting the best animated works from all around the world and presenting them through its Animated Film Festival. This year, after screening more than 1,000 shows, SICAF has selected works excelling in story, quality of work, artistic value and motivating themes,” the event organizer said on its website.

“Among tens of thousands of animation produced in the world every year, the number we watch on TV or at the movies is less than 1 percent. We miss so many great shows due to commercial, linguistic and geographical barriers.”

The festival will feature claymation from Spain; 3D computer animations from Taiwan, Belgium and the Netherlands; and 2D animation from Iran.

The festival is open from 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m.

Tickets cost 6,000 won.

The exhibition road area is from Myeong-dong Station, Exit 3, to Namsan's Seoul Animation Center, and stretches over to the Korean Red Cross headquarters.