Hae-Sup Sin announced as recipient of Allwyn Residency as part of EFP FUTURE FRAMES 2026

Karlovy Vary, 8 July 2026: This year’s recipient of the Allwyn Residency scholarship, awarded as part of the EFP FUTURE FRAMES programme at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, is Swiss-Korean director Hae-Sup Sin. He impressed the jury with his short film titled Ban Dal (Half-moon). The residency scholarship in Los Angeles was proudly awarded for the fourth time by the multi-national gaming entertainment company Allwyn, European Film Promotion (EFP), and the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Hae-Sup Sin is one of ten young European filmmakers selected this year for the EFP FUTURE FRAMES programme, where they presented films offering unique perspectives, particularly on the themes of family, memories, and unresolved relationships. Hae-Sup Sin won over the jury with a distinctive directorial style that came through in the winning short film Ban Dal (Half-moon). The film tells the story of a Swiss adoptive mother and her son, who travel to South Korea to meet his biological mother.

“I’ll do everything I can to get the most out of my scholarship in LA. I haven’t had enough time yet to process all the experiences of the last few days, but I’m 100 percent sure that the greatest gift of the EFP FUTURE FRAMES programme was getting to know the other young filmmakers. Thanks to them, I’m even more motivated, and I firmly believe that our paths will cross again in the future,” said the winner Hae-Sup Sin.

Thanks to the Allwyn Residency scholarship, Hae-Sup Sin will spend a month participating in a professional programme in Los Angeles. This professional scholarship, organised in collaboration with the prestigious Hollywood talent agencies UTA (United Talent Agency) and Range Media Partners, offers young directors opportunities for one-on-one mentoring, job shadowing, and specialised training. UTA and Range Media Partners will arrange one-on-one meetings with distributors, producers, and other professionals from the American film industry.

“At Allwyn, we firmly believe that success favors those who have the courage to step out of line and seize opportunities. Supporting the next generation of creators is a very meaningful investment in the future of European culture for us. Our goal is to help build bridges between extraordinary talent and the contemporary world of the film industry. I sincerely congratulate this year’s recipient of the Allwyn Residency scholarship, Hae-Sup Sin, and I wish all the other participants in the EFP FUTURE FRAMES programme that this year’s edition will mark the beginning of a long and successful international journey for them,” said Robert Chvatal, CEO of the Allwyn.

The Allwyn Residency has been awarded for the fourth consecutive year. The first director to receive the award was Amalie Maria Nielsen of Denmark in 2023, followed in 2024 by her compatriot William Sehested Høeg. Last year, Simon Schneckenburger from Germany won the film residency in Los Angeles with his film Skin on Skin.

The EFP FUTURE FRAMES programme, launched in 2015, has established itself as a prestigious European platform for the next generation of European filmmakers. During its existence, the platform has helped more than a hundred young directors launch their international careers. Since 2023, Allwyn has played a key role in expanding the program and its impact, particularly through the Allwyn Residency scholarship, partnerships with UTA, Range Media Partners, and the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

EFP FUTURE Frames Executive Director Irina Ignatiew-Lemke describes the programme’s purpose as follows: “European cinema brings incredible inner strength, courage, and a unique diversity of stories to the global stage. Our mission at EFP is to help these young voices be heard far beyond Europe’s borders.”

Every year, ten young European filmmakers are selected by Karel Och, the Artistic Director of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, and his team. Talented students or graduates of film schools are nominated by individual national organizations affiliated with the EFP. In Karlovy Vary, these young filmmakers not only present their films to the public but also participate in a curated programme focused on networking, presentation, and building professional contacts.

“The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has always been a place of discovery. Thanks to the EFP FUTURE FRAMES initiative and the Allwyn Residency scholarship, we can take it a step further. We’re not only introducing young talents to the festival audience, but we’re also actively helping them launch their careers in the very heart of the global film industry,” explains Karel Och, Artistic Director of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

About the recipient of the Allwyn Residency 2026: Hae-Sup Sin is a Swiss-Korean director from Opfikon in Switzerland. In 2015, he began his studies at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), which he completed in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in 2019, followed by a master’s degree in feature film directing in 2025. His work focuses on cross-cultural stories set in diasporic communities. He is currently working on his first feature film Some Korean Summer.

Nominees for EFP FUTURE FRAMES 2026 and their films:

• Croatia: Jozo Schmuch – Shallow Ground

• Czech Republic: Marie Lukáčová – Orla

• Finland: Helmi Donner – The Lightning Rod

• France: Teilo Quillard – Zampano

• Lithuania: Arnas Balčiunas – Past The Hill Of Napoleon’s Hat

• Netherlands: Ollie Launspach – kiss kiss bang bang

• Slovenia: David Champaigne – Self-Sown

• Spain: Júlia Coldwell Serra – Nobody Barks

• Sweden: André Vaara – Sister of Mine

• Switzerland: Hae-Sup Sin – Ban Dal (Half-moon)

About Allwyn

Allwyn is a multi-national gaming entertainment company, lottery-led and with leading market positions and trusted brands across Europe and North America, listed on Euronext Athens. Its purpose is to make play better for all by focusing on innovation, technology, player safety and returning more to good causes across a growing casual gaming entertainment portfolio. https://www.allwyn.com

Allwyn Cesko (formerly Sazka) is part of Allwyn. All Allwyn Cesko press releases can be found here.

About KVIFF

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) is the largest film festival in the Czech Republic and the most prestigious festival in Central and Eastern Europe. It is one of the oldest Category A film festivals (i.e., non-specialized festivals featuring feature-length fiction film competitions), a distinction it shares with the festivals in Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Locarno, San Sebastián, Montreal, Shanghai, and Tokyo. Among filmmakers, distributors, industry professionals, and journalists, KVIFF is considered the most important event in all of Central and Eastern Europe.

About EFP FUTURE FRAMES

Since its establishment in 2015, EFP FUTURE FRAMES has presented ten talented emerging directors from Europe each year at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. These ten outstanding film school students and graduates from across Europe—recommended by member organizations of European Film Promotion and selected by the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival team—participate in a tailor-made program that includes mentoring, networking, and promotion, all aimed at launching their international film careers. The young professionals will also take part in an exclusive masterclass with an internationally renowned filmmaker and meet with festival programmers, global sales agents, producers, film sponsors, and other key members of the film industry.

EFP FUTURE FRAMES – Generation NEXT of European Cinema, in collaboration with the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF), is made possible thanks to support from the European Union’s Creative Europe – MEDIA program, Allwyn, a multi-national gaming entertainment company, and the participating national film support institutes and EFP member organisations. Variety is the main media partner, and other media partners include Cineuropa and Fred Film Radio.