Festival Program Includes World Premieres, Asian Premieres, and Restoration of Decades-old Footage

Courtesy of JIFF

▲ “When We Bloom Again” / Courtesy of JIFF

The Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF), scheduled from May 1 to May 10, will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster by showcasing several films related to the tragedy. The disaster, which occurred on April 16, 2014, resulted in the loss of nearly 300 lives, predominantly high school students on a field trip.

Under the special screening titled "Korean Cinema: 10th Anniversary of Sewol Ferry Disaster," JIFF will present world premieres of films such as "When We Bloom Again" by director Shin Kyoung-soo, "10 Years After the Sinking, Zero-Sum" by director Yoon Sol-ji, and "Still Waiting at Paengmok" by director Jang Ju-eun.
 

▲ “All the Long Nights” / Courtesy of JIFF

The 25th edition of JIFF will feature a total of 232 movies from 43 countries, including 102 from Korea and 130 from overseas. Eighty-two films will have their world premieres, while 47 will be screened for the first time in Asia.

The festival will open with director Sho Miyake's "All the Long Nights," based on the novel by Maiko Seo, and will close with the Asian premiere of Canadian director Kazik Radwanski’s "Matt and Mara," a romantic comedy exploring themes of marital discord and newfound connections. 

▲ “Matt and Mara” / Courtesy of JIFFIn addition to the special screening of Sewol disaster-related films, JIFF will collaborate with the Korean Federation of Film Archives to present restored footage from decades-old Korean films, including classics such as "The Widow" by Park Nam-ok and "The Flower in Hell" by Shin Sang-ok.

Further enhancing the festival experience, JIFF will partner with the Walt Disney Company Korea to create a Pixar-themed experience zone and host a special screening of "Inside Out 2."

Moon Seok, JIFF programmer, expressed commitment to expanding the festival's size and scope through collaborations and diverse program offerings. Details regarding ticket sales for the event are available on the festival's website.

Sayart

Blue YIM, yimyoungseo1010@naver.com