Jeonju Wraps with Awards and More

South Korea's best showcase of independent and art-house cinema, the Jeonju International Film Festival, closed May 4th with the Indie Vision Woosuk award of US$10 000 going to Chinese director YING Liang's "The Other Half".

The 9-day festival screened 185 films from 37 countries, this year selling 77 258 tickets, averaging an 80% occupancy rate for theaters, up from 70% last year. The public-friendly festival brought in a total of 76 guest visits to screenings to allow Q & A sessions with audiences.

The JJ-Star Award of US$10 000 for best film in the 'Korean Cinema on the Move' section, went to Kim Jeong-joong's "HERs". The HD feature debut presents the short love stories of four women all named "Gina" or the four love stories of one woman. Set in California, Las Vegas, Alaska, and a small rural town in Korea, Gina/the Ginas pass through these places, longing for someone, and experiencing the passions of love and the pains of loss.

Seongbuk Port by SHIN Min-jae won the Korean Shorts Critics Week prize of US$5 000. "Who's That Knocking At My Door??" by Yang Hae-hoon won both the NETPAC award for Best Asian Film screened by the NETPAC Jury, and the CGV Korean Independent Feature Film Distribution Support Award, which guarantees the film will be released on a minimum of 3 theaters for at least 2 weeks, along with US$20 000 in marketing costs. Up-and-coming young director YANG has drawn much attention this year. On top of his win at JIFF, his short film "My Dear Rosetta" was selected to screen in the Competition Shorts section of this years Cannes Film Festival.

Nigel D'Sa (KOFIC)