The most brilliant moments of life do not always align with times of fulfillment and happiness; even moments accompanied by profound sorrow and bitterness can be remembered as life’s most luminous times. Director Song Il-gon, who has long explored themes of memory and healing, meticulously captures such painful yet radiant moments through the friendship of two lifelong companions and the delicate, heart-wrenching stories of three individuals in his new film, Still Shining. The film interweaves the story of Soon-ok (Park Seo-kyung) and Jeong-im (Choi Ju-eun) as 17-year-olds during the Japanese colonial period with their elderly lives in the present day, played by Kim Hye-ja and Cha Mi-kyung respectively, alongside the story of Doo-young (Moon Seong-hyun). Through this tapestry, it pieces together fragments of memory to depict the aching friendship of the two women, life’s cruel crossroads, and stories of hardship not easily spoken of, deeply moving the audience with their steadfast integrity, profound friendship, and enduring love. Intersecting with pivotal historical narratives, their journey comes alive through Jeong-im’s beautiful singing that pierces through a destitute and harrowing reality, Soon-ok’s tender gaze, and the unwavering devotion they hold for one another, shaping the film into a vibrant, living work of art.
Born in 1971. He graduated from the Department of Film at the Seoul Institute of the Arts and then studied film directing at the National Film School in Łódź, Poland. His short film The Picnic (1999) won the Jury Prize in the Short Film Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and his feature Flower Island (2001) won the Young Critics′ Award at the Venice Film Festival. His other directorial works include Spider Forest (2004), Magicians (2006), Time of the Dance (2009), and Always (2011).
From Busan International Film Festival 2026, No. 31
