Jeonju Int'l Film Fest Announces Line-up

One of Korea's top three annual cinema events, the Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF), is celebrating its tenth edition this month. Running April 30 – May 9, JIFF will screen 200 films from 42 countries. Among them are 12 feature film World Premieres mainly from the Korean Feature Competition section.

JIFF will showcase films at 14 venues around Jeonju city in Jeollabuk Province, with its opening film "Short! Short! Short! 2009" featuring shorts by 10 of Korea's leading young filmmakers representing Chungmuro and the independent film scene. The JIFF 2009 Jeonju Digital Project this year presents three shorts by acclaimed directors Hong Sang-soo of Korea, KAWASI Naomi of Japan and Lav Diaz of the Philippines.

JIFF's Korean Discovery section will showcase the features and shorts of indie-pioneer filmmaker Hong Ki-seon, known best for his acclaimed 2003 film, "The Road Taken". Korean Retrospective looks back at such early classics as the colonial-era "Sweet Dream" (1936), the premiere of the fully restored Kim Ki-young masterpiece, "The Housemaid - 1960" (1960), SHIN Sang-ok's "Bound by Chastity Rule" (1962) and LEE Doo-yong's "The Last Witness" (1980).

Spotlights this year include Discovery: Sri Lankan Cinema which showcases 14 features from the nation's top filmmakers, and Retrospective: Jerzy Skolimowksi, presenting 9 features from Poland's finest and least known film genius. For its 10 anniversary, the festival will showcase remarkable directors whose first films debuted at JIFF including Zhang Lu, Ryoo Seung-wan, Bong Joon-ho, and YAMASHITA Nobuhiro.

Nigel D'Sa (KOFIC)