Big Screen or Big Reach? Young Korean Filmmakers Weigh Netflix Against the Theatre

Is it better to be seen by 15 people in a theatre or hundreds online? That’s the question young Korean filmmakers wrestled with at Netflix’s Creative Asia summit, and their honest answers say a lot about where indie film is heading.

Young Korean Filmmakers : Snapshot

Meet the Panel

• Namkoong Sun: Director of Love Untangled (Netflix) and Time to Be Strong.
• Wi Eun-kyoung and Son Gwang-min: Co-directors of the short film My Aunt, which recently won the Grand Prize at Korea’s Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival.

A Safety Net After Bad Luck

Namkoong has long worked in independent film. Her earlier films had theatrical releases, but one came out during COVID-19 and another during the 2024 martial law declaration. As she put it, some things are out of one’s control. Netflix distribution, by contrast, guarantees a level of global viewership.

She also wanted to make something more pleasurable and delightful after her earlier work. The process was largely the same, she said, but once production got the green light, the team could focus on the film itself.

The Theatrical Trade-Off

The directors were candid about what’s lost. Namkoong acknowledged giving up the face-to-face energy of a theatre crowd in exchange for potential worldwide engagement, though she said a different kind of festive atmosphere was still there. You can read about the festival’s history on Wikipedia.

Shorts Finding a Home

Wi Eun-kyoung’s My Aunt is about an aunt caring for an abandoned dog until the niece she raised returns. It’s based on her own aunt, so she also starred in it. Note that it’s available on Netflix only in Korea. She said that while anyone can post films on YouTube, she valued Netflix’s curated approach. She hadn’t imagined the short would be released, and access to shorts is usually difficult.

From 15 Viewers to Hundreds

Son Gwang-min admitted mixed feelings as an aesthete, since theatres have a feeling and texture that’s hard to match. But the upside is clear: where feedback once came from about 15 people, it now comes from hundreds.

Neither director felt that a wider audience meant artistic compromise. Wi’s view was that if you focus on making a good film, the rest takes care of itself.

The Hard Part: Money

Asked about indie challenges, the panel’s answer was blunt:

• Budget: Namkoong named it first, along with uncertainty about a film’s life after release.
• Self-funding: Wi paid for My Aunt herself and called that unsustainable.
• Audience: She noted she couldn’t guarantee audiences would embrace her work, a worry that will likely continue.

Why It Matters?

The panel shows streaming as both a lifeline and a compromise. Want more? Browse our Netflix and OTT news and K-drama and film coverage.

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