Pyongyang International Film Festival: Overview

⁠The Pyongyang International Film Festival (PIFF) is an annual international cultural event that was first held in 2002. Its aim is to develop the art of cinema by promoting exchange and cooperation between world film makers all over the world under the ideal of Independence, Peace and Friendship.

If your film is selected for the Pyongyang International Film Festival, you may be invited to attend PIFF 2026 as an official festival guest. Invited filmmakers typically have all ground costs covered during their stay, including accommodation, meals, in-country transport and participation in screenings and cultural events. International flights and the visa fee are not included.

To give you a sense of what delegates may experience, PIFF 2025 provides a useful example. Held from October 22 to 27, it was the festival’s first edition since 2019 following its pandemic hiatus, and YPT was invited to attend as official agents assisting with international submissions. That year the festival received more than three hundred entries, selecting around one hundred for screening. Most events took place at the two-thousand-seat Yanggakdo International Cinema, which hosted both the opening and closing ceremonies. Delegates also visited the new Junui, or Vanguard Cinema, in Pyongyang’s modern Hwasong District for special screenings of recent DPRK productions.

The 2025 delegation consisted of around 50 international guests, mostly from China and Russia, along with filmmakers and industry representatives from countries including Australia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Austria, India, Greece, Italy, Switzerland and Denmark. This diverse group quickly bonded over the shared experience of attending one of the world’s most unique film festivals, engaging in lively conversations, networking naturally and exchanging details about the projects each of them was developing beyond the event.

The opening ceremony of PIFF 2025 demonstrated the kind of spectacle for which the DPRK is known. The event began with formal remarks by senior government leadership, followed by an elaborate performance of traditional Korean dance and music amplified by pyrotechnics, fog effects, coordinated lighting and massive LED screens. It was a polished production that would not seem out of place at the opening night of a larger international festival.

Delegates in 2025 were also taken on curated cultural excursions throughout Pyongyang, including the Juche Tower, Kim Il Sung Square, the Pyongyang Metro, the Arch of Triumph and new art exhibitions related to the eightieth anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea. The group also traveled outside the capital to Mount Myohyang to visit the International Friendship Exhibition, an extensive underground complex displaying gifts presented to the DPRK’s leaders since the nation’s founding.

While every edition of PIFF has its own character, the 2025 festival provides a clear example of the type of programming, hospitality and cultural access that invited filmmakers can expect. If your film is selected and you are invited, you will have the rare opportunity to present your work this one-of-a-kind festival while engaging with delegates from a wide range of countries and cinematic traditions.

Pyongyang International Film Festival: Submission

Submissions for the 19th Pyongyang International Film Festival are now open.

YPT have been bringing tour groups to PIFF for since the 2010s, but now Young Pioneer Tours is the official agent of the Pyongyang International Film Festival. Please note that we are now accepting submissions for the 19th Pyongyang International Film Festival to be held in Pyongyang in the fall of 2026.

Genre: All types of films are welcome, including features, narratives, shorts, documentaries, and animations, but the selection committee has emphasized themes of “war against aggressors, historical events, true love, defence of justice and science fiction.”

Release Date: For exhibition purposes, films from any year are eligible. However, to be considered for competition, films must have been completed no earlier than January 2025, a world premiere is not required.

Submissions should be sent to media@youngpioneertours.com. Your film should be sent in .mp4, .mov, or DCP format, along with the required entry form, which can be downloaded below:

The official submission deadline is August 15, 2026.

The Film Organising Committee bears double fare and living expenses for 1 of the film delegation selected for the competition (2, if the director or the leading actor visits the festival) and living expenses for 2 of the film delegation selected for the non-competition.

Pyongyang International Film Festival: YPT and PIFF

⁠The Pyongyang International Film Festival (PIFF) is an annual international cultural event that was first held in 2002. Its aim is to develop the art of cinema by promoting exchange and cooperation between world film makers all over the world under the ideal of Independence, Peace and Friendship.

Over the years, Young Pioneer Tours has been the official agent of the Pyongyang International Film Festival and has brought groups to PIFF. We are now expanding our collaboration with the festival to showcase a diverse range of films. This initiative provides an important opportunity for cultural exchange, allowing local audiences to experience foreign films that are not typically shown in the DPRK.

Pyongyang International Film Festival: Venue

The main venue of the 18th Pyongyang International Film Festival is the five-plex Pyongyang International Cinema House, with films also screened in other cinemas around the city.

Pyongyang International Film Festival: Prizes

The Pyongyang International Film Festival features a comprehensive array of awards that recognize excellence across multiple categories of filmmaking. The festival’s highest honor is the Grand Prix, awarded to one outstanding film.

In the Feature Film Competition, a total of 11 awards are presented in the following categoris: Best Screenplay; Best Direction; Best Photography; Best Actor; Best Actress; Best Supporting Actor; Best Supporting Actress; Best Production Design; Best Music; Best Special Effects (Special Display Effect); Best Sound Design.

In addition to feature films, the festival also presents awards for other formats and categories, including: Best Documentary; Best Short Film; Best Animation.

Further distinctions include the Special Jury Award, and the Special Award of the Festival Organizing Committee, which is granted to two films. Additionally, five films are selected for the Prize for Special Screening, recognizing noteworthy works screened outside of competition.

The 19th Pyongyang International Film Festival 2026: What to Expect?

At the 2026 Pyongyang International Film Festival, attendees will have the rare opportunity to engage with North Korean filmmakers and gain insights into the country’s evolving film production landscape. PIFF represents the DPRK’s continued efforts to engage with international cinematic traditions and promote cultural diplomacy through cinema. During the period of border closures, the North Korean film industry has undergone remarkable transformation and development.

After 2016, North Korea ceased producing narrative feature films until 2022, when it released a new film titled One Day, One Night. The movie tells the story of a devoted nurse working in the household of a traitorous high-ranking official, who uncovers and thwarts a conspiracy against the Great Leader Kim Il Sung. With a tightly woven plot and even elements reminiscent of horror cinema, the film caused a major stir upon its domestic release.

Its much-anticipated sequel, Days and Nights of Confrontation, premiered in 2025 and ignited another wave of nationwide excitement. This sequel is set in the mid-2000s and takes as its central plot a real-life assassination attempt on then DPRK leader Kim Jong Il. As a highlight of the festival program, the PIFF 2025 foreign delegation was given a special screening of the film attended by its lead actress, Yun Hyang Chun, along with Kim Gwang Hun, head of the April 25 Film Studio.

During our visit, we were told that the sequel to Days and Nights of Confrontation, titled Severe Autumn, is now in its final stages of production and may be ready to screen for international audiences in time for the 19th PIFF.

The festival also enjoys immense popularity among local audiences in Pyongyang, where tickets are often sold out quickly. North Koreans are known for their strong curiosity and enthusiasm for foreign cinema. Screening your film at PIFF not only ensures it reaches a wide and engaged audience but also contributes meaningfully to international cultural exchange.

Pyongyang International Film Festival: History

The event began in 1987 as the Pyongyang Film Festival of the Non-Aligned and Other Developing Countries, showcasing short films, features, and documentaries. In 1990, the festival became a biennial event, often highlighting domestic films that celebrated the nation’s leadership, such as the 1992 entry “Glory of Our People in Holding the Great Leader in High Esteem,” along with international films on revolutionary themes. Films beyond the original non-aligned and developing countries have been able to participate from 2002 onwards.

The 2004 edition, further expanded cultural exchange by screening a dubbed version of the British comedy “Bend It Like Beckham,” which won the music prize and later became the first Western film broadcast on North Korean television. Additionally, the South African drama “Cry, The Beloved Country” was featured.

In 2006, the Swedish horror-comedy “Frostbite” was shown, marking the debut of a foreign horror film in the country. That year also saw the release of “The Schoolgirl’s Diary,” the first North Korean film in decades to secure international distribution, as it was acquired by French company Pretty Pictures and released in France in late 2007.