Jeonju International Film Festival

Jeonju International Film Festival
Location Jeonju, South Korea
Language International
www.jiff.or.kr
Jeonju International Film Festival
Hangul 전주국제영화제
Hanja 全州國際映畵祭
Revised Romanization Jeonju Gukjae Yeonghwajae
McCune–Reischauer Chŏnju Kukche Yŏnghwaje

Launched in 2000, Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF, Korean: 전주국제영화제, Hanja: 全州國際映畵祭) is one of the biggest Asian film festivals and the most important supporter of experimental and adventurous projects in Korea. JIFF is often compared with Busan IFF. While Busan IFF pursues economies of scale and aims to become ‘Cannes’ in Asia, Jeonju sets its stance more of Locarno or Rotterdam IFF. While Busan IFF attracts its audience with ‘bling-bling’ tourists’ spots in Haeundae, Busan that about half its audience are tourists, Jeonju is a traditionally beautiful city like Firenze, Italy that JIFF allures hard-core, serious moviegoers with the quality of its films.

The pursuit of JIFF, DISCOVERY of films, could be seen in its very beginning. In the first edition of JIFF, debut films of Darren ARONOFSKY, Fernando MEIRELLES, and Alejandro González IÑÁRRITU were introduced to South Korea. For the first time in Asia, Jiff highlighted early works of Béla TARR, Ulrich SEIDL, Laurent CANTET as well. The winners of Jeonju IFF’s International Competition Section include Matias PIÑEIRO, YING Liang, Denis CÔTÉ, Apichatpong WEERASETHAKUL, SUWA Nobuhiro, John AKOMFRAH and MIIKE Takashi.

Another interesting point of Jeonju is that it produces movies as well. Directors that once invited to Jeonju IFF, were later invited again to Jeonju Digital Project (JDP) which is a set of three digital shorts. JDP granted financial support to masters for their short films and world-premiered those pieces in Jeonju. The former directors ran JDP include ZHANG Yuan, JIA Zhang Ke, TSAI Ming Liang, SUWA Nobuhiro, Shinji AOYAMA, BONG Joon-Ho, Apichatpong WEERASETHAKUL, Shinya TSUKAMOTO, Darezhan OMIRVAEV, Pedro COSTA, Mahamat-saleh HAROUN, HONG Sang-soo, Lav DIAZ, Denis CÔTÉ, Jean-Marie STRAUB, Claire DENIS, José Luis GUERIN, YING Liang, Edwin, ZHANG Lu, KOBAYASHI Masahiro.

Celebrating its 15th edition, JDP has boosted scale up to Feature-length with GYÖRGY Pálfi(Hungary), PARK Jung bum/SHIN Yeon-shick (Republic of Korea.)

One of the other notable characteristics of JIFF is its experimental section called Expanded Cinema (formerly called Stranger than Cinema.) Expanded Cinema is possibly the best experimental film section in Asia that world-premieres new project of directors such as Peter KUBELKA, Peter TSCHERKASSKY, Harun FAROCKI, Artavazd PELESHIAN, James BENNING, Alexander KLUGE, Pere PORTABEELA, Raya MARTIN, Romuald KARMAKAR, and Jon JOST.

History

1st Jeonju International Film Festival (2000)

2nd Jeonju International Film Festival (2001)

3rd Jeonju International Film Festival (2002)

4th Jeonju International Film Festival (2003)

5th Jeonju International Film Festival (2004)

6th Jeonju International Film Festival (2005)

7th Jeonju International Film Festival (2006)

8th Jeonju International Film Festival (2007)

9th Jeonju International Film Festival (2008)

10th Jeonju International Film Festival (2009)

11th Jeonju International Film Festival (2010)

12th Jeonju International Film Festival (2011)

13th Jeonju International Film Festival (2012)

14th Jeonju International Film Festival (2013)

The 15th Jeonju International Film Festival (2014)

Jeonju Digital Project

Since its birth and until Jeonju Digital Project (JDP) 2013, Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) bestows 50 million KRW to three selected directors. The biggest change made for JDP 2014 is that unlike it supported short films for the last 14 years, it decided to boost up its scale to feature films.

Jeonju Digital Project 2000

The Jeonju International Film Festival presents Short Digital Films by Three Filmmakers (PARK Kwang-Su, ZHANG Yuan, and KIM Yun-Tae) in conversation with each other about their various interpretations of the digital film medium.

The filmmakers were given three conditions: to make a film in digital format, no longer than 30 minutes, and using a limited production budget. The three films construct one feature-length film entitled N, representing Next Generation, New Technology and Networking which are the common themes. Projects like Short Digital Films by Three Filmmakers, which focus on film production, creativity, and interactive technology, reflect the spirit of JIFF as they explore the zeitgeist of contemporary film.

Jeonju Digital Project 2001

JIFF attempts to open up new aesthetics for digital films as well as their functional efficiency. John AKOMFRAH of England, JIA Zhang Ke of China, and TSAI Ming Liang of Taiwan, who have experimented in the genre of digital films, will show their works, these will be added to the list of digital masterpieces.

Jeonju Digital Project 2002

Jeonju International Film Festival 2002 has selected 3 renowned cineastes in Asia. The three men are: director MOON Seung-Wook from Korea, who gained international critical acclaim last year with his film (Nabi-Butterfly), director WANG Xiao-shuai from China, whose film (Beijing Bicycle) was shown in last year's festivals, and who has, through his many films, become the representative artist of the Chinese 6th generation filmmakers, and lastly, SUWA Nobuhiro from Japan, who has already achieved the status of maestro of the 21st century films in Japan.

Jeonju Digital Project 2003

Like previous years, JIFF presents ‘Digital Short Films by Three Filmmakers’, where three directors are invited to come together at Jeonju. This year's participants are young directors, AOYAMA Shinji, Bahman GHOBADI, PARK Ki-Yong. Japan’s director AOYAMA Shinji has received worldwide acclaim by establishing his own cinematic traits beginning with his debut film. Iranian director Bahman GHOBADI has made his entrance into the arena of world directors with his film The Hours of the Drunken Horses (Zamani Baraye Masti Asbha). The Korean director, PARK Ki-yong, recognized worldwide, has opened new possibilities in digital films through Camel(s).

Jeonju Digital Project 2004

Digital Short Films by Three Filmmakers’ that JIFF directly produces and distributes are different from the existing filmmaking process. Although the three directors maintain the basic framework of one theme with 30 minutes format, there is no intervention to be found in this project other than the necessary coordination needed to better foster the practicalities of the production process. As a production project that verily desires to fully bring out the individualities of the auteurs in film, this project will be an example that will stand out from the standard filmmaking system that self-censors the film contents on the logics of marketing. This year, BONG Jun-ho of Korea, YU Lik-Wai of China and ISHII Sogo of Japan are preparing three very different digital films. The approaches of the three directors are quite different but in blurring the edges between fiction and reality, they will each show their own world of ‘realities‘.

Jeonju Digital Project 2005

The names of those involved already have perked up quite high expectations for this year’s ‘Digital Short Films by Three Filmmakers’ With films such as Blisslully Yours and Tropical Malady, Apichatpong WEERASETHAKUL is already being heralded as one of the up-and-coming masters of Asian cinema. Ever since the groundbreaking Tetsuo, the Iron Man, SHINYA Tsukamoto has continued to explore the relationship between the human body and the modern world while SON Il-gon's earnest, philosophical introspections and aesthetic exploration never cease to amaze the audience. The talents of the three directors are evident in the highly accomplished digital shorts that they have sent us, and better yet, we have noticed a similar theme flowing beneath the films. Behind the differences, all three films seem to cross the boundary between fantasy and reality, and share an interest in matters such as love and memory. Thus, it wasn't too difficult for us to sense an accidental yet mysterious bond between those living in contemporary Asia. We leave it up to the viewers to discover the strange but wonderful harmony of these three creators.

Jeonju Digital Project 2006

Instead of selecting directors from Korea, Japan, and China this year’s “Digital Short Films by Three Filmmakers" section broadens its scope to other regions of Asia. The directors participating this year are as follows: Darezhan OMIRBAYEV, from Kazakhstan, who won the Un Certain Regard award at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival for his film Killer; Eric KHOO, from Singapore, who is starting to garner international attention after his film Be With Me was chosen as the opening film for Director's Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival; and Pen-ek RATANARUANG, from Thailand, whose film Invisible Waves starring Korean actress KANG Hye-jung and Japanese actor Tadanobu ASANO was selected for competition at the 2006 Berlin Festival. The interlude segments will connect the three stories together and is directed by Chegy, the director of Fade into You.

Jeonju Digital Project 2007

Previously focused on Asian directors, Jeonju Digital Project 2007 takes a look at Europe. The Portuguese filmmaker Pedro COSTA, the German filmmaker Harun FAROCKI, and the French filmmaker Eugène GREEN participated in this project.

Jeonju Digital Project 2008

The participated three directors this year are Idrissa OUEDRAOGO from Burkina Faso, built his fame on (1990), the African rising star director, Mahamat Saleh-HAROUN from Chad whom was introduced at Jeonju International Film Festival with his noticeable film, after winning Grand Special Jury Prize at Venice International Film Festival 2006, and Nacer KHEMIR from Tunisia continuing to build his own unique artistic world of cohesive subject matters as in his film which won Special Jury Prize at Locarno International Film Festival. Directed by Idrissa OUEDRAOGO tells a tragic story of a young lady named Awa. By Mahamat Saleh-HAROUN is another poignant story of thousands of Africans who are in debts, trying to move to the North regardless many dangerous situations. Directed by Nacer KHEMIR brings out the story of a mother who dwells with past memories of her lost son.

Jeonju Digital Project 2009

Digital Project 2009 has come back to Asia to celebrate JIFF’s 10th anniversary. It is to refresh and restart the Project in remembering the very beginning of Jeonju Digital Project. Jeonju Digital Project 2009 selected the most acclaimed, representing Asia, filmmakers in the world stage. Three directors are; a world class director KAWASE Naomi who won Golden Camera Award at Cannes Film Festival with her first feature debut, Suzaku, and came back to Cannes in 2007 and got Grand Prize of Jury with The Forest of Mogari; Lav DIAZ, who is a rising director, representing Philippines film industry in the world cinema with 8-hour long masterpiece Death in the Land of Encantos(screened at JIFF 2008) and won Venice Horizons Award at Venice Film Festival 2008 with Melancholia; one the most critically acclaimed Korean director HONG Sang-soo of Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors which was opening film of the first JIFF, Tale of Cinema and Woman Is the Future of Man which were invited to Official Selection of Cannes Film Festival two consecutive years and Night and Day which was invited to Official Selection of Berlin Film Festival. Via this year’s “Digital Project”, we can experience the current state and the future of digital films at one place.

Jeonju Digital Project 2010

This digital filmmaking project began with the start of JIFF in 2000 and now became a key project of JIFF; JIFF bestows 50 million KRW, for production of a digital film over 30 minutes to each director. In 2010, James BENNING, a master of US experimental/independent films, Canadian independent filmmaker Denis CÔTÉ, and Argentina’s rising star Matías PIÑEIRO have participated in the project.

Jeonju Digital Project 2011

JIFF plans and releases Jeonju Digital Project every year to support creative artists who explore film aesthetics and its future. Since its inception, JIFF has given much thought to the possibility of digital films. In the past 11 years, JIFF has diligently worked to present digital short films by 33 directors from across the world, in order to communicate with audiences both at home and abroad. As a result, Jeonju Digital Project has been screened in Venice, Toronto, Locarno, Torino, Vancouver, Vienna, Hong Kong, Argentina, etc. During the 2006 Locarno Film Festival, a special exhibition was held under the title of ―Digital Asia where all of the Jeonju Digital Project works were presented, and in 2007, one of the project's productions (Pedro COSTA, Eugène GREEN, Harun FAROCKI) won the Special Jury Prize at the Locarno Film Festival International Competition section. And by Mahamat-Saleh HAROUN, one of the Jeonju Digital Projects in 2008, also received Special Jury Award in Africa-Asia Short Film Competition at Dubai International Film Festival, once again proving the potential and possibility of this project to the global film industry.
Also, another Jeonju Digital Project retrospective is planned in June 2011 at Sala Leopoldo Lugones, Buenos Aires, Argentina. In Korea, (JDP 2006) and (JDP 2007) have been released after being screened at Jeonju International Film Festival. In particular, was acclaimed by critics saying ―a masterpiece of three talented filmmakers reflecting their unique cinematic world and it was well received by audience as well. Upon receiving the praises, and in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of JIFF, JIFF put all the films of the Project into a DVD set and has distributed it in the domestic and international markets.
JIFF expanded the area of Jeonju Digital Project to Europe, Africa, and America etc. outside of Asia after 2007, in order to grow the project into a global digital film producing project. The Project was introduced in numerous overseas film festivals before that, and has garnered attention from many creative artists across the world. Based on the continuous interest bestowed by the international film community, the Project boldly stepped out of its Asia-centered director selections and met with European creative artists who shared the vision of the project. In 2008, we shared our vision with creative artists from Africa, which until then had been unknown to us. In 2009, the JIFF Jeonju Digital Project celebrated its 10th anniversary and returned to Asia to commemorate our beginning and declare a new beginning. In 2010, we worked with three directors from America for the first time. In this year's Jeonju Digital Project, we focused on finding new directors who support our trust, and take our first step towards the new decade.
The 12th Jeonju Digital Project is by 3 European artists, for the second time since the launch of the project. The three European auteurs selected for this year's project are Jean-Marie STRAUB, ―a militant of modern cinema who has examined the materialistic aspect of cinema; Claire DENIS, ―an adventurer who has attempted to encounter the other by crossing boundaries; and José Luis GUERĺN, a director who has ―discovered the mystery of life with the attitude of an essayist. The 12th Project will provide an opportunity for the project to once again expand and gain depth. JIFF would like to invite you to the unique digital film world by three directors who have worked in the frontlines of European cinema to express its contemporary film aesthetics.

Jeonju Digital Project 2012

Jeonju Digital Project is a digital filmmaking project that began with the start of JIFF in 2000 and is a core program of JIFF; JIFF bestows 50 million KRW, for production of a digital film to each director. As JIFF meets its 13th anniversary, we invite three Asian directors once again. Raya MARTIN is a star who was first invited to JIFF in 2008 with Autohystoria. The next year, JIFF held an exceptional special with 4 representative films of Raya MARTIN who was only 25 years old at that time. YING Liang, who won Woosuk Award (Grand Prize for International Competition, sponsored by Woosuk University) with his second feature The Other Half talking about the life of contemporary Chinese in a format switching between documentary and fiction in 2007, is regarded as one of the Chinese independent film directors at the frontline. His film The Other Half was put on the list of 10 best films in the first decade of the 21st century by The New Yorker magazine in 2009. Vimukthi JAYASUNDARA made an outstanding debut at Cannes in 2005 when The Forsaken Land brought him Camera d’Or. Later, his second feature film Between Two Worlds was nominated in the competition at Venice Film Festival and the third feature film Mushrooms was invited to Cannes International Film Festival again.

Jeonju Digital Project 2013

Over the decade, JDP has collaborated with the most talented and critically acclaimed 39 filmmakers across Asia, Europe, America and Africa. Along with JDP 2009 and JDP 2012, JDP 2013 comes back to its origin, Asian directors: Living legend of Japan KOBAYASHI Masahiro, Poetic Cineaste ZHANG Lu and Future of Indonesia Edwin. Three Asian auteurs gather forces under a one theme : Strangers in order to highlight strange corners of people's mind.
KOBAYASHI Masahiro has visited JIFF last year as a jury of International competition and his film Women On The Edge (2012) was also invited to JIFF (Cinemascape). His JDP, Strangers when we meet is sort of sequel of his film, The Rebirth (2007). Strangers When We Meet is a story of a husband and a wife who don't talk to each other at all for 2 years. KOBAYASHI plans to dive into nature of this odd couple's conflict and explore inside of these two strangers who live together in living hell without verbal communication.
The long history between ZHANG Lu and JIFF goes back to 2003 when ZHANG Lu was introduced to Korea by screening his first feature Tang poetry (2003) at JIFF. In 2009 he has invited again as a jury of Korean Film competition . This time, ZHANG Lu has returned to JIFF with his JDP Over There . In his first documentary Over There, ZHANG Lu tries to capture the urban scenery of nomads on every corner of Seoul. Over There is going to be a cinematic landscape painted with people's face on streets. As a matter of fact, 'Stranger' is ZHANG's lifetime subject. ZHANG shooting films to fly back and forth from China and Korea and himself has become a witness of 'life on the boundary line'. Like always, he will embrace alienated people who can't belong to anywhere.
When Edwin was a rising star, of course, JIFF didn't miss this Indonesian young blood's talent. His short films were invited to JIFF in 2008 and 2011. In 2013, JIFF decides to choose young Edwin right next to two Asian masters for JDP without any doubt. Edwin's JDP, Someone's wife in the boat of someone's husband follows a girl names Mariana who believes in the mysterious legend of the lovers of Sawai Island and journeys to find its origin along with another stranger, Sukab.
Audience will face the various portraits of strangers and travels hidden dimensions of human mind through eyes of KOBAYASHI Masahiro, ZHANG Lu and Edwin.

Jeonju Digital Project 2014

In the past the Jeonju Digital Project has produced a set of three shorts and then combined them into an omnibus film. In cases, feature-length films have been submitted. With careful deliberation, from 2014, we'll upgrade the Jeonju Digital Project, and present three feature-length films. This is to support and encourage the new young Korean directors as well as create a young innovative projects for the directors in the world.
Hungary's György Pálfi shows a kaleidoscopic story of what's happening in the rooms of an apartment whenever he goes up the stairs. The settings are to show the unique mixture of genre and imagination in a limited space. Korean director Shin Yeonshick describes a writer who is in search for his wife. The strangers on the road someimtes become friends, sometimes, enemies. It is like a labyrinth trip to the unknown destination. Korean director Park Jungbum, acts in the films himself of the protagonist Jung Cheol, who is in his 30s, living without any hope. The wanderings, being isolated from the family and the society takes it into consideration what life is all about. It is a vicious reality happening in the Gangwon Province but overwhelms the audience as if we have entered a wonderland.
The three directors' feature-length visions each show the comprehension of reality. The productions and the solving process may be different but the trial in what film can dimensionally express over a direction in life is similar. As a result, the characters all are in despair in front of death, but the audience gets the strong drive to live.

References

    1. Jeonju International Film Festival History Overview
    2. Jeonju Digital Project History Overview

    External links