
North American Premiere
In his feature debut, writer-director Oh Jung-min gives us the Kim family, from grandparents down through middle-aged offspring to Seong-Jin (Kang Seung-ho), the sole grandchild, who is something of a surrogate for the audience. The Kims hail from a small rural community, though some have left—including Seong-jin, who is trying to make it as an actor in Seoul. In depicting three occasions for reunion, Oh takes us from summer to winter, and he portrays the changes in family dynamics in tandem with the seasonal transformations of the countryside.
House of the Seasons is by turns funny, tender, and tragic. Like any family, the Kims are burdened with years of buried resentments and unacknowledged confusion, and Oh’s mapping of these problems is intricate and subtle. The film is distinguished by its emotional complexity, its fine ensemble cast, and its visual beauty—from a summer of green and brightness to the rich colours of autumn to the stark whiteness of winter, cinematographer Lee Jin-keun creates a vivid backdrop to the human turmoil.
KBS Independent Film Award, Busan 2023
Media Partner
Kang Seung Ho, Woo Sangjeon, Son Sook
South Korea
2023
In Korean with English subtitles
At International Village
At Fifth Avenue
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Credits & Director
Producer
Jeong Joeun, Jang Ji-won
Screenwriter
Oh Jung-min
Cinematography
Lee Jinkeun
Editor
Oh Jung-min
Original Music
Jang Yeonggyu, Jeong Jungyeop

Oh Jung-min
Oh Jung-min was born in 1989 in Daegu City, South Korea. He majored in Korean Literature at Sungkyunkwan University and studied filmmaking at the Korean Academy of Film Arts. He directed several short films including Yeonji (2016), LIM (2018), CUT (2018), 100 Days (2018), and Coming of Age (2018). House of the Seasons (2023) is his debut feature film.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Resident Orca
Captured in Puget Sound in 1970, killer whale Lolita spent the next half century in a cramped tank in Seaquarium, Miami. The film follows a coalition of Lummi elders, animal lovers and philanthropists on a rescue mission to return her to the ocean.
No Other Land
Deemed by many critics one of the essential films of 2024, a multiple festival award winner and Academy Award winner for Best Documentary, No Other Land is a reminder that mass expulsion is by no means a new reality for Palestinians.
Misericordia
Edgy, eccentric, and unapologetically queer, this film goes from drama to comedy without putting a foot wrong. Sex and murder are the subjects, and writer-director Alain Guiraudie (Stranger by the Lake) mines them for suspense and outrageous laughs.
There's Still Tomorrow
A critical and box office sensation in Italy, Paola Cortellesi's triumphant directorial debut is the tale of a Roman housewife in 1946, who stands up against the routine sexist abuse she suffers. Funny, heartbreaking and inspiring.
The Way, My Way
All manner of pilgrims flock to France and Spain to walk the 800 km Camino de Santiago. One such is Bill, a stroppy sexagenarian Australian filmmaker who's determined to do the Camino with minimal prep, a dickey leg, and no firm idea why.