My Own Private Top Ten Films of 2025

Twenty selectors—film critics, festival programmers, film journalists, media writers, and more—compiled their own “Personal Film List” from works that premiered at international and Korean festivals between November 2024 and October 2025, as well as films, series, and restorations released in Korea during the same period. From these lists, we have curated a selection that reflects both buzzy standouts from major festivals that have yet to receive official Korean distribution, and titles already met by audiences but repeatedly championed by multiple selectors—films we believe deserve to be experienced again, together, in a cinema. Taking release timing into account, we present 15 films in total. This year, for the first time, Cinematheque KOFA also adds two of its own choices to the lineup: Tehran, An Unfinished History and Urchin.

Tehran, An Unfinished History weaves rare archival footage into a sweeping record of Tehran’s social and political upheavals from 1900 to the present, rewriting the city’s time as a cinematic history. Urchin, the feature directorial debut of actor-turned-director Harris Dickinson, follows a rough sleeper on the streets of London, capturing—through a raw yet vivid rhythm—the collision between cycles of self-destruction and the desire to begin again.

What would be on your own private film list?