Yoon Dan-bi's 'The World Before' to compete in Toronto film fest

Korean director Yoon Dan-bi's coming-of-age film "The World Before" has been invited to screen at this year's Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the film's distributor said Wednesday.

The film is among the 12 films that will have their world premieres at TIFF's Platform program, the festival's only competitive section, according to At 9 Film.

"Platform was created to spotlight directorial voices and this year's 12-film selection is an imaginative reflection of new auteur cinema now," Anita Lee, chief programming officer of TIFF, was quoted as saying in a separate press release on the event's website.

It is the second Korean film to compete in the section following Yoon Ga-eun's "The World of Love" (2025).

"The World Before" centers on two teenagers, Jin and Doo-jae, as they encounter new feelings upon the latter's arrival on the island where Jin lives to attend his grandmother's funeral.

Sim Su-bin, who appeared in the film "En Route To" (2005) and the hit Netflix series "Teach You a Lesson," portrays Jin, while Kim Eo-jin, who appeared in the school drama "Fragile" (2024), plays her counterpart.

The coming-of-age story is Yoon's sophomore feature, following her debut film "Moving On" (2019), which won awards at the Busan International Film Festival and was invited to the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

"First love is when one world comes to a close and another one begins," Yoon said, hoping the film will once again evoke that experience for audiences who have walked through that journey.

The film is set for release in Korea next year.

Yonhap