The poster for the Seoul International Environment Film Festival (SIEFF), sponsored by Lotte Department Store. [Lotte Department Store]
The poster for the Seoul International Environment Film Festival (SIEFF), sponsored by Lotte Department Store. [Lotte Department Store]

Lotte Department Store announced Thursday it will sponsor the 2026 Seoul International Environment Film Festival (SIEFF), the 23rd edition of the event, as part of its ongoing eco-friendly initiatives.

SIEFF is a carbon-neutral film festival first launched in 2003 by the Environment Foundation — the first of its kind in South Korea. It is recognized as one of the world's three leading environmental film festivals, alongside the Washington Environmental Film Festival and Cinemambiente in Italy.

This year's festival opens Friday at Lotte Concert Hall, coinciding with World Environment Day. A total of 121 works — including feature and short films, animations and documentaries — from 31 countries will be screened.

The opening film is the feature-length documentary "The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist," directed by Daniel Roher and Charlie Tyrell.

Through its sponsorship, Lotte Department Store will present a special screening section called "RE:EARTH," featuring 10 works — including advertisements, documentaries and animations — from seven countries, spotlighting environmental issues such as resource circulation, sustainability and biodiversity.

"RE:EARTH" selections will be available on the SIEFF official website, with some titles also screening at Lotte Cinema World Tower and the Yeongdeungpo locations.


korean@heraldcorp.com