[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] “First World,” the new film by director Yoon Dan-bi of “A Summer Night with My Brother and Sister,” has been invited to the 74th San Sebastián International Film Festival.

Distributor Etnine Film announced on the 31st, “‘First World’ has been officially invited to the New Directors section of the 74th San Sebastián International Film Festival, following its selection for the 51st Toronto International Film Festival.”
Director Yoon Dan-bi’s second feature film, “First World,” has been officially invited to the New Directors section of the 74th San Sebastián International Film Festival, which will be held from September 18 to 26. This marks yet another selection by a leading international film festival, following its invitation to the Platform section—the competition category of the 51st Toronto International Film Festival—and once again demonstrates Director Yoon Dan-bi’s artistic merit and unique directorial vision.
The San Sebastián International Film Festival, which has previously featured works such as Director Hong Sang-soo’s *The Tower*, *The Woman Who Ran*, *After*, and *Yourself and Yours*, as well as Director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s *Broker*, is the most prestigious international film festival in the Spanish-speaking world, held in Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain. Director Yoon Dan-bi also first established a connection with the San Sebastián International Film Festival in 2020 when her debut feature, *A Summer Night with My Brother and Sister*, was invited to the Pearl River section.
The New Directors section, to which *First World* has been invited, is an international competition section dedicated to directors’ first or second feature films; it is a flagship section that spotlights the unique cinematic worlds of emerging directors. Prior to *First World*, the section has introduced works by Korean directors—such as Hong Seong-eun’s *People Living Alone* and Jeong Ji-hye’s *Jeong-soon*—and has a track record of discovering new talent.
“First World” tells the story of “Jin,” a 17-year-old living on an island with no land connection, who meets “Doo-jae”—who has returned to the island for his grandmother’s funeral—and is confronted for the first time with a strange desire awakening within her. Director Yoon Dan-bi, who captures the moments of growth and emotional shifts that everyone experiences at least once in their lives with a delicate eye, explained her directorial intent, saying, “First love is not so much the moment when love begins, but rather the moment when one world ends and another begins,” adding, “I hope this film reminds each audience member of their own ‘First World’ that they have each passed through.”
Actress Shim Su-bin, who plays the seventeen-year-old girl “Jin” in *First World*, is set to deliver a profound portrayal of “Jin’s” inner turmoil as she faces desire for the first time. Meanwhile, actor Kim Eo-jin takes on the role of “Do-jae,” who brings unexpected changes to “Jin’s” world.
Director Yoon Dan-bi won the New Choice Award at the 45th Seoul Independent Film Festival, as well as awards at the 24th Busan International Film Festival, the 8th Muju Mountain Film Festival, the Bright Future Award at the 49th Rotterdam International Film Festival, and the Best Feature Film Award at the 19th New York Asian Film Festival for her debut feature film, *A Summer Night with My Brother and Sister*.
“First World” is set to be released in South Korea next year.