Skip to main content
Winter Light film image; man fully hunched over a desk with a pencil held limp in his hand

Winter Light

Gyeourui Bit

Spotlight on Korea

This event has passed

International Premiere

Cho Hyun-suh’s film is attuned to the poetry in silences, the tension in talk, and the paradox when dedication to one person often means neglect, or even betrayal, of another. Da-bin (Sung Yu-been) is quite burdened for an adolescent: his mother is broke, he’s got a runaway brother, and his little sister is going deaf. Trudging through each day with academic, romantic, social, and economic pressure weighing him down, he nonetheless finds moments of happiness with his best friend Jung-won (Lim Jae-Hyeok) and girlfriend Jae-un (Kang Min-ju).

Cho gets strong performances from Sung, Cha Jun-hui as his adorable younger sibling, and Lee Seung-yeon as his mother. As Da-bin’s thuggish pal Jung-won, Lim radiates menace and pathos in equal measure, and Kang is restrained and graceful as the girl our hero may not be able to hold on to. Cho’s visual style is clean and concise, while still conveying the feel of winter in all its blankness and severity.

 

Oct 5 & 7: Q&A

 

Cooperating Organizations

                       

Media Partner

Vanchosun logo

Community Partner

           

Director
Cast

Sung Yu-been, Cha Jun-hui, Lee Seung-yeon

Credits
Country of Origin

South Korea

Year

2025

Language

In Korean with English subtitles

18+
90 min
Award Winners Cinemas of Asia Drama Family Relations Spotlight on Korea

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

Credits & Director

Producer

Jeong Young-joon

Screenwriter

Cho Hyun-suh

Cinematography

Jung Woon-chun

Editor

Han Ji-yoon

Production Design

Suh Joo-yeon

Original Music

Lee Soo-yeon

Cho Hyun-suh headshot

Cho Hyun-suh

Born in 1995, director Cho Hyun-suh studied directing at the Korean Academy of Film Arts and has directed short films including Tree (2020) and Nobody’s Land (2021). Winter Light is his debut feature film.

Filmography: Tree (2020); Nobody’s Land (2021)

Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre

A Poet

Dir. Simón Mesa Soto
120 min

When embittered poet Oscar Restrepo takes a job at a local high school, he meets Yurlady, a talented student from a poor background. Seeking to help her cultivate her art, he draws her into the poetry world — to disastrous and comedic results.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

It Was Just an Accident

Dir. Jafar Panahi
105 min

Having offered some late-night assistance to a stranger in the wake of an auto accident, a mechanic grows convinced that he recognizes the supposed stranger’s voice as that of his torturer during a grueling prison spell.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Krystle Dos Santos Sings Jackie Shane

Dir. Michael Mabbott & Lucah Rosenberg
180 min

Two-time Western Canadian Music Award winner Krystle Dos Santos pays tribute to 60s soul pioneer Jackie Shane, followed by a screening of the acclaimed documentary Any Other Way.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes

Dir. Jenn Strom
82 min

A beautiful portrait of E.J. Hughes, who quietly helped reshape the artistic landscape of British Columbia in the 20th century. This extraordinary documentary explores Hughes’s legacy not only as an artist, but as a devoted, humble human being.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Spring After Spring

Dir. Jon Chiang
78 min

Three daughters strive to live up to the standards set by their mother Marie Mimi Ho, and keep Vancouver Chinatown's Spring Parade going through thick and thin, in this enormously affectionate local documentary by Jon Chiang.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
Seeds
Seeds film image; man carrying a baby

Seeds

Dir. Brittany Shyne
123 min

Shot over nine years, Brittany Shyne’s Sundance-winning documentary is a tender portrait of Black farming families in the American South. A moving meditation on land, legacy, and the strength it takes to hold on.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre