The 8th annual Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) will kick off on April 26 in Chonju, North Cholla Province.
The festival's search for the most innovative and experimental films through digital media will continue this year with a total of 185 movies from 37 countries being shown during its nine-day run. The showcased films have been selected from 1,035 submissions.
The festival opens with the local film "Off Road" by director Han Seung-ryong and closes with the Hong Kong film "Exiled" by director Johnnie To.
The opening film is a Road Movie, which revolves around a bank clerk who becomes a taxi driver to earn more money. But his plan is foiled when he becomes the hostage of a bank robber. The closing film is the story of a group of gangsters who unite after a past gang member who betrayed them in the past returns.
The festival had previously to competition sections _ Indie Vision and Digital Spectrum, but this year they were combined into one under the name of Indie Vision: International Competition.
The competition section will have a total of 12 feature and documentary films of over 60 minutes in length.
The festival's organizer says the effect will be to give freer participation to new talent in film and let them show their technical and aesthetic ability in digital media more effectively.
Non-competitive sections include Jeonju Digital Project 2007, Korean Cinema, Retrospective: Peter Watkins, and Discovery: Turkish Cinema.
Jeonju Digital Project 2007 will showcase "Digital Short Films by Three Filmmakers", an omnibus film especially made for the event by three separate international directors.
The project has previously focused on Asian directors, but this year will concentrate on European filmmakers with the participation of Pedro Costa of Portugal, Harun Farocki of Germany and Eugene Green of France.
Along with the screening of the omnibus film, the three directors will participate in a Carte Blanche section where they will introduce their favorite films to audiences. It is expected to help better understand the directors as well.
The section of Korean Cinema, consisting of Korean Cinema on the Move; Korean Cinema Showcase; Korean Short Animation; and Local Cinema in Jeonju, will showcase the latest local commercial, independent, short and animated films.
The retrospective section is dedicated to British filmmaker Peter Watkins, a pioneer in the genre of fake documentaries. The festival will show the director's early works including the 1964 film "Culloden" and his more recent "La Commune" (2004).
On April 29, there will be a talk session involving an in-depth analysis on the director's works followed by the screening of "Privilege" (1967) at Megabox theater 9 at 8 p.m.
In the section of Discovery: Turkish Cinema; Retrospective, visitors will have a rare chance to enjoy Turkish cinema, which is not well known here. A total of eight films from 1964 to 1999 will be shown.
The opening and closing ceremonies will be held at Sori Arts Center, while other screenings and street events will take place at the Cinema District in Kosa-dong.
For more information, call (063) 288-5433 or visit Open the link
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