Like a movie: The Third Jecheon International Music & Film Festival (JIMFF) will take place at the breathtaking lakeside city in North Chungcheong Province, Aug. 9-14. / Courtesy of JIMFF
Dive Into Summer Film Festivals at Scenic Places!
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Still wondering where to spend those precious days off? Dive into the ultimate cinema experience by enjoying quality films at scenic getaways. The Ninth Jeongdongjin Independent Film & Video Festival (JIFF9) will screen innovative independent films outdoors at one of the most well-known seaside sites in the country until Aug. 5. The Third Jecheon International Music & Film Festival celebrates melodious movies at the picturesque lakeside city of Jecheon Aug. 9-14.
Co-organized by Gangneung Cinematheque and the Korean Film Archive, the three-day festival explores the creativity and courage of the independent spirit. This year's lineup includes 17 shorts and two full-length feature films, comprising documentary pieces, animations and dramas.
Independent film buffs will thoroughly appreciate pieces like "Dolus Eventualis" (2007) by Ham Kyoung-rock, a short 20-minute film that was shown at the 2007 Jeonju International Film Festival's `Short! Short! Short!' section. The work portrays the blurred line between memory and reality as the protagonist searches for a missing friend, whose diary serves as the only clue for the investigation.
Families can enjoy cartoon movies with a moral message, such as "Loup Garou" (2007) by Park Ji-hye. Featuring a museum display of a large stuffed wolf, the animation traces the prejudiced and fearful human mind in its relation to nature. The stuffed wolf is not a monster, but a warm creature that comes to life every night in search of its baby.
You can get a bite of reality through "We are Railway Crew of KTX" (2006), a 30-minute documentary tracing the controversial conflict between railway workers and Korail (Korean Railroad) and Korvans (Honikoe).
Every night beginning 8 p.m., films can be viewed free of charge at Jeongdong Elementary School. Under the starlit sky and in an arm's reach from the open sea, indulge in the special cinematic experience while sipping free beer, provided by Hite Beer.
During the daytime before the evening screenings, explore the colorful Jeongdongjin area.
Beaches: Located by the East Sea, about 18 kilometers outside of the Gangneung downtown area in Gangwon Province, Jeongdongjin is known for its beautiful beaches. Ever since the Shilla Kingdom (57 B.C.-A.D. 936), it continues to be a celebrated spot for watching the sunrise. In 2000, Korea's New Millennium celebration took place here.
Jeongdongjin Train Station: Listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for its seaside proximity, the train station is also famous as the set for "Sandglass", a classic Korean TV series. You can visit the nearby Sandglass Park, where you can see a gigantic circular hourglass. For more information, such as tickets for a sunrise tour train, visit Open the link.
The Third Jecheon International Music & Film Festival (JIMFF) celebrates the perfect marriage of music and motion pictures in Jecheon in North Chungcheong Province. This year's festival has gotten bigger and better, with a diversified program complete with 72 films from 23 different countries and live music performances.
Lyrical Irish film "Once" (2006) will open the music film festival. After winning the Audience Award at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and the Dublin International Film Festival, the film was initially released on two American screens earlier on this year but went on to be shown across 126 screens. Featuring the lead vocalist of Irish rock band The Frames and Czech songwriter Marketa Irglova as leading actors, the modern-day musical is about two strangers discovering love through the language of music.
The festival's Music In Sight section introduces the latest documentary films on music. Jeon Jin-su, the festival's programmer, personally recommends "Knowledge Is the Beginning" (2006, Germany). To promote peace between Israel and Palestine, world-renowned conductor Daniel Barenboim creates an orchestra comprised of children from the two conflicting nations. At the annual camp, the children learn to accept and understand one another and create harmonious music.
The Cine Symphony section shows various genres of work from around the world that spotlight great music. In feature animation "From the Sea" (2007, Spain), melodious tunes replace dialogue to provide audiovisual delight with the colorful and dynamic hand-painted drawings.
The Korea Music Film Special section that will show six domestic films with musical themes, including hits like "200 Pounds Beauty" (2006) and "Radio Star" (2006) and musical "The Ghost Theater" (2006). A special forum discussing the music trends in Korean cinema will take place.
Moviegoers can also enjoy electrifying live concerts. Concerts grouped under the title One Summer Night await audiences: Band Night, Aug. 10, features British band The Vigours and the domestic ChungWonYoung Band and HanSangWon Band. Iconic rocker Lee Seung-hwan will blow away fans on Star Night, Aug. 11; while on Aug. 13 Hip Hop Night will sizzle with gigs by popular groups MC Sniper, Bobby Kim & Buga Kingz and Dynamic Duo.
The festival will provide more live music at scenic venues in Jecheon Live Choice: Summer Modern Rock Festival featuring artists from around the world, will take place at Cheongpung Lake Art Hall, which is built as if it is magically floating on water. Nature, music and tradition converge at Artist Choice: Modern troupes will give dynamic traditional music performances at Cheongpung Culture Complex, which houses two national treasures. At "Place Choice", an exciting mask dance show "Cheonhajaeil Tal" will be staged at JIMFF Stage, set by one of Korea's oldest reservoirs, Euirimji.
Tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies and night screenings cost 10,000. All other films can be viewed for 5,000 won. Seats for One Summer Night concerts cost 15,000 won and 10,000 won for Jecheon Live Choice performances (except Genre Choice, which is free of charge). Tickets can be purchased at www.jimff.org or on the site.
To learn more about places to see and vist in Jaechoen city, visit. Open the link.
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