"Democracy Unfolding Like a Thriller"—How The Seoul Guardians Captivated Rotterdam

Poster of ‘The Seoul Guardians' (provided by IMDb)

At the 55th International Film Festival Rotterdam (January 29–February 8, 2026), The Seoul Guardians, a 70-minute documentary directed by the production team behind MBC's investigative program PD Notebook, secured second place in the audience preference rankings. In a festival renowned for showcasing experimental and avant-garde cinema, this Korean current affairs documentary outperformed narrative features to win audience favor.

The Seoul Guardians received a NETPAC Awards Jury Special Mention—an honorary distinction given to films that the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema jury finds particularly noteworthy—and was selected as one of the festival's "Top 5 Films of the Year," earning an additional screening in a 1,300-seat theater. Prior to the festival's opening, Asian Shadows, a sales company specializing in Asian art and independent cinema, acquired international distribution rights for the film, opening pathways for global release.

The Seoul Guardians chronicles in real time the six hours following South Korea's martial law declaration on the night of December 3, 2024, capturing events inside and outside the National Assembly. Directors Kim Jong-woo, Kim Shin-wan, and Cho Chul-young grabbed their cameras immediately upon hearing the martial law announcement and rushed to the Assembly, documenting the tension and chaos as citizens, soldiers, police, and legislators converged.

Vanja Kaludjercic, Director of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, described the work as "a documentary that unfolds like a thriller." She noted that the film's reportage-style immediacy pulls audiences into the crowd, conveying the palpable tension of history being written in real time. The NETPAC jury praised The Seoul Guardians for "powerfully depicting globally significant themes of democracy and solidarity through meticulously and brilliantly edited narrative."

The documentary cross-cuts archival footage from the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement, illuminating how memories from 45 years earlier drew citizens into the streets. The Rotterdam festival recognized how the film translates a specific event in contemporary Korean history into a collective narrative of "defending democracy."

The success of The Seoul Guardians signals new possibilities for Korean political documentaries. Where films like A Taxi Driver and 1987: When the Day Comes conveyed memories of the May 18 Gwangju Uprising through narrative cinema conventions, this work demonstrates the unique power of documentary to capture events as they happen in the "here and now." It represents a fusion of broadcast journalism's mobility with cinematic compositional strength.

The film's Rotterdam achievement suggests that Korean documentary filmmaking is evolving beyond domestic political commentary into a form capable of translating urgent local events into universal narratives about democratic resilience—stories that resonate with international audiences seeking to understand how societies confront authoritarian impulses in real time.

Sources

• Cineuropa, "Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar's Variations on a Theme and Rezwan Shahriar Sumit's Master take the top honours at IFFR", 2026.02.09

• IMDb, "South Korean Martial Law Documentary 'The Seoul Guardians' Acquired by Asian Shadows Ahead of Rotterdam Bow (Exclusive)", 2026.01.27

• Cineuropa, "Vanja Kaludjercic • Director, International Film Festival Rotterdam", 2026.01.27

• Topstar News, "MBC 'PD Notebook' Documentary 'The Seoul Guardians' Receives NETPAC Special Mention at Rotterdam International Film Festival", 2026.02.10

• Asia Economy, "MBC Documentary 'The Seoul Guardians' Wins NETPAC Special Mention at Rotterdam Film Festival", 2026.02.010