Jeonju film fest to kick off, featuring over 230 films

The Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF), South Korea’s premier platform for indie and art house cinema, is scheduled to commence later in the day, showcasing 232 films from 43 countries, the organizer said Wednesday.

The 25th edition of the festival will kick off with a 10-day run, with an opening ceremony at 7:30 p.m. at the Sori Arts Center in Jeonju, located about 190 kilometers south of Seoul.

The Japanese film “All the Long Nights,” directed and written by Miyake Sho, will open the festival, JIFF said. Adapted from the novel of the same title, the film depicts the healing journey of a woman grappling with premenstrual syndrome and her colleague who struggles with panic disorder. It will have its world premiere at the festival.

The annual festival will conclude with the Canadian drama “Matt and Mara,” directed by Kazik Radwanski. The film portrays the rekindling of tensions and uncertainties as Mara, a young professor in a strained marriage, reunites with Matt, a man from her past.

During the festival, 232 movies will be screened across Jeonju. Among them, 82 films will have their global premieres at the festival.

Among the notable movies to be screened is Shin Kyoung-soo’s “When We Bloom Again,” which focuses on the 2014 sinking of the Sewol Ferry, a tragedy that claimed the lives of more than 300 passengers, mostly high school students on a field trip to the southern resort island of Jeju. Additionally, the Austrian documentary film “Favoriten” explores the themes of teaching and learning, delving into the often surprising experiences that occur between them.

The festival’s Special Focus section will showcase director Tsai Ming-Liang’s “Walker Series,” featuring all 10 installments available in cinemas for the first time worldwide. This includes the latest addition to the series, “Abiding Nowhere,” according to the organizer.

The series, beginning with “No Form” (2012), is inspired by the monk Xuanzang from the Chinese classic “Journey to the West.” These films feature actor Lee Kang-Sheng portraying a walker dressed in a red robe, moving slowly and barefoot through various cities, such as Taipei, Hong Kong, Kuching, Paris and Washington, D.C.

Director Hur Jin-ho will present two of his films, “One Fine Spring Day” (2001) and “April Snow” (2005), as part of the “Programmer of the Year” series in the festival’s J Special section. This segment allows a chosen individual to showcase their cinematic perspectives and tastes through a curated selection of films. Additionally, three other movies, “The March of Fools” (1975), “Paris, Texas” (1984) and “Tokyo Story” (1953), will be screened as part of this section.