Cinephiles and story lovers, it’s time to celebrate stories from the page to the screen! The Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines (KCC) is back with the 2026 Korean Film Festival (KFF), running under the theme “K-Story: Stories that Move Us.” This year’s wave is all about celebrating how our favorite webtoons, books, and pages transform into cinematic masterpieces.
The excitement kicked off with the Kwentong Korea Student Short Film Competition. Out of 43 creative entries, the team behind When Love Met a Language captured the hearts of the judges to emerge as the Grand Winner, winning a trip to South Korea for the prestigious 2026 Busan International Film Festival.
Storytelling doesn’t stop at the edges of the silver screen, as KFF 2026 presents “Meet the Mentor: Webtoon Artist,” bridging the vibrant worlds of Korean webtoons and Filipino graphic novels. The program brings together Lee Younchang—the creative genius behind the hit webtoon-turned-film My Daughter is a Zombie—alongside the Philippines’ own legendary graphic novelist Arnold Arre, celebrated for iconic works like The Mythology Class and The Children of Bathala.
Art enthusiasts and aspiring creators can also catch the two artists during a special Philippines-Korea Talkback Session on August 6 at the Cinematheque Centre Manila. Following this, Lee Younchang is set to lead an exclusive Webtoon Workshop on August 7 at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, offering a rare, hands-on masterclass with one of Korea’s leading digital creators.
Of course, no film festival would be complete without a stacked lineup of films. This year, KFF is screening five page-to-screen adaptations including Your Letter, When Love Met a Language, Love in the Big City, My Daughter is a Zombie, Omniscient Reader, and Yumi’s Cells: The Movie. Catch these exciting films at select SM Cinemas nationwide, including SM Mall of Asia, SM North EDSA, SM City Iloilo, and SM Lanang.
Are you excited for this year’s Korean Film Festival? Let us know which part you’re looking forward to the most in the comments!