The World of Love 세계의 주인
YOON GA-EUN 윤가은
2025 • Fiction • 119 min
Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Korean Cultural Center New York
(122 E 32nd Street, New York, NY 10016)
* Center Piece / Closing Film
Synopsis: What kind of person does she look like to you?
Enigmatic 17-year-old high school student Lee Joo-in is a cheerful friend, a shameless
daughter, a mischievous girlfriend, and a person always hard to predict. One day, some words
she says in a fit of anger cause a major scene. Afterwards, she receives anonymous notes
questioning her behavior, and cracks begin to appear in her formerly peaceful world.
“Lee Jooin, who is the real you?”
Will Jooin, who wanted nothing more than to protect her world, be able to go back to how things used to be?
Director’s Note: Sometimes, utterly unexpected accidents entirely overwhelm our lives. And thus we may suffer irreparably deep wounds and may become consumed over many years by pain and despair. But why do some wounds cause pain that lasts eternally, while others quickly fade from memory? Why, after experiencing the same accident, do some people fall into endless despair while others can advance to infinite growth? Is what really drops us into hell the tragedy itself, or our perspective and attitude when faced with tragedy?
The World of Love is a story about the miracles created by ordinary people who nevertheless have extraordinary courage and who resolve to live their own lives, rather than be defined by past events. No one can foresee and prevent a tragedy that suddenly strikes their lives. However, it is possible to alleviate the pain caused by it, to live with the wounds, and to go out into the bigger world despite it. I believe that if we can gather the courage to find our own truth and give voice to it, we will realize that absolutely no one is alone, and that we are all closely connected. In this way, we can maintain ourselves and move strongly forward into a deeper and wider world, even while embracing scars that will remain forever.
Even at this very moment, there are a good many people who are diligently living out their days, personally proving this simple truth. The stories of these real heroes are not reported in the news, but they are living in the midst of life as your family, friends, and colleagues, and they are establishing and creating their own lives by themselves every day. The moment of disaster passes, but life continues even after the disaster. In this film, Jooin is us, the most ordinary of people, who trudge along living our lives even after such a disaster.
When I was facing numerous concerns about this film, I came across an interview with Professor Ji Sun Lee of the Department of Social Welfare at Ewha Womans University. It was an interview where she talked about her journey from an unexpected accident in her early twenties that left her with burns all over her body, to her long recovery, up to the present, and every single word of hers touched my heart deeply. Among the things she said, there was one that gave me a clue about the direction The World of Love should take moving forward. “Just as your lives have joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, my life also has ordinary joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, so please don’t think of it as too special.” I still think about these words often.
62nd Baeksang Arts Awards – Best Director, Film
24th Director’s Cut Awards – Vision Award, Film & Best Screenplay, Film
26th Women in Film Korea Awards – Woman Filmmaker of the Year
29th Chunsa International Film Festival – Best Director
◆ Director YOON GA-EUN, after six years, invites audiences to a much more expanded world with her latest film, The World of Love. Yoon Ga-eun gained worldwide attention with her two short films, Guest and Sprout. Her debut, Guest, which she both wrote and directed, was the first Asian film to win the grand prize at the 34th Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival—often called the "Cannes of the short film world." Sprout, continued her success, winning the Crystal Bear award in the Generation Kplus section at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival. Since then, her feature film The World of Us has been a global success, invited to over 30 film festivals worldwide and collecting numerous awards. She solidified her reputation as a bona fide representative director of Korea, especially with The House of Us, which drew unanimous rave reviews from both critics and audiences. Yoon Ga-eun has built a strong fan base by exploring issues adults often easily overlook or forget, presenting them through the eyes of children in a way that's simple, yet profound. In her new film, The World of Love, she once again showcases her remarkable directing ability, observing characters as they are, and drawing out their most "real" emotions. Following The World of Us, which focused on intimate friendships, and The House of Us, which explored family preservation, The World of Love broadens its scope. Centered around 17-year-old high school student Jooin, the film delves into her world, encompassing both family and friends, offering a rich story, plenty of fun, and unexpected, heartfelt resonance.