- 391 out of 697 screenings sold out, including 91 VR Cinema screenings
- 85,900 audiences and 10,000 visited the Factory of Contemporary Arts in Palbok
- Acclaimed reviews on programs such as Newtro Jeonju and
the 100 Years of Korean Cinema
20th Jeonju International Film Festival (Jeonju IFF) comes to an end with a record-breaking number of 85,900 audiences and 390 sold-out screenings (estimate of May 11th, 375 screenings were sold out until May 10th). Moreover, in the Factory of Contemporary Arts in Palbok, an expanded festival space to present the special exhibitions, nearly 10,000 people visited the exhibition screenings (estimate of May 11th, 8,220 visitors visited until May 10th). ascertaining the enthusiasm about the new programs.
1. Breaks the record with the largest number of audiences and sold-out screenings
Compared to last year, 202 number of screenings were sold out on the online ticket opening day foreshadowing the audiences enthusiastic response toward the 20th Jeonju IFF programs.
During the festival, a total number of 390 screenings out of 697 screenings were sold-out, making a new history. 299 screenings out of the 559 general screenings and 91 screenings out of the 138 VR Cinema programs were sold out. Following the previous record of 19th Jeonju IFF of 284 sold-out screenings, the number of 85,900 visitors surpassed last year’s record of 80,244.
Every screening of the opening film Piranhas by director Claudio Giovannesi and films from the Korean Competition for Shorts were all sold out. Furthermore, 99 percent of the“Roy Andersson: Exhibition of Human Being” tickets were sold out due to its popularity among the audience. The selected projects of Jeonju Cinema Project (JCP) 2019, Somewhere in Between by director Jeon Jeehee, the Breathing of the Fire by director Ko Hee-young and Shades of the Heart by director Kim Jong-Kwan, drew vast attention before the film festival with 94 percent of the seats filled. The Korean Competition seats were filled by 90 percent and the 20th anniversary special section Newtro Jeonju, International Competition and the World Cinemascape were also full by more than 80 percent.
With the total number of 11,665 seats (increased more than 6,037 from last year) 275 films from 53 countries (201 feature films and 74 short films) were screened at 22 theaters across the streets in Jeonju.
2. The program’s transformation in terms of quality and quantity was highly praised
The 20th Jeonju IFF has not only achieved its goal from increasing the number of films from 241 to 275 last year but has also received great reviews in terms of quality.
Newtro Jeonju, a special exhibition to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Jeonju IFF, was highly praised for re-examining the past through the unique perspective of the Jeonju IFF and for presenting a plan to take a step forward. Programmer Dan Sullivan of the Film Society Center quoted the Jeonju IFF program as,"the film selection and the programming direction were excellent."
The 100 Years of Korean Cinema, a special exhibition to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Korean cinema, presented a new list of Korean films with a new perspective by casting a light on 12, 20th century works valued in film history and 14 original 21st century works that went beyond the forms of traditional films.
The most noticeable accomplishment is the audience’s ardent response on the newly launched “Expanded Plus: UTOPIAN PHANTOM.” The exhibition aimed to go beyond the cinematic conventions and push the boundaries of modern cinema by making new attempts of exhibiting films. Peter Bo Rappmund and Adam R. Levine, who have participated the launched “Expanded Plus: UTOPIAN PHANTOM” with the work Communion Los Angeles, have quoted, “it was surprising to see a work of art installed in a completely different way. It was also amazing to see a kind of imagination embodied on its first time in the first exhibition.”
A collaboration project with the festival´s program and graphic design, the "100 Films, 100 Posters," exhibition also successfully took place at the Factory of Contemporary Arts in Palbok with 10,000 visitors visiting the exhibition. After the festival “Expanded Plus: UTOPIAN PHANTOM” exhibition will run until June 16th.
The “VR Cinema: Sight in Front, Future Cinema” was presented in order to provide an immersive cinematic experience through the new media. Exceptional Korean films that received attention abroad were invited to present a cinematic experience via innovative technology. The 13 documentaries shown at this year´s Jeonju IFF presented a wide variety of trends and were widely supported by audiences with their impressive themes and formats in demonstrating social issues and enabling the audience to experience the lives of others.
3. Classes and Archive Exhibitions highly praised
This year the Jeonju IFF presented an impressive lineup with 630 guests from all over the world visiting Jeonju. The program has drawn attention for providing the chance for the audience to meet the auteurs. A total of 266 forums, Q&A with guest visit and classes were held including the classes such as the Master Class, Cinematology Class, Frontline Class, and Talk Classes. Cinema Classes were held by renown filmmakers in the 100 Years of Korean Cinema special section with Kim Soo-yong, Im Kwon-taek, Bae Chang-ho, Lee Jang-ho, Park Chan-wook, Na Hong-jin, Jang Joon-hwan and Jeong Jae-eun. By having discussions with the directors, the classes not only gave a chance of sharing deep thoughts about the films but also provided the chance to re-examine the previous films in various and unconventional ways.
Following the special archive exhibition first launched last year as Disney Legendary, “Star Wars Archive: Never-ending Chronology” was exhibited to shed new light on the Star Wars series as the myth of the popular culture of the present era. The special exhibition focused on the series progress starting from an independent studio later becoming a major genre in cinema history.
Various programs were shown to present the Star Wars series in various dimensions. As a result, the special archive exhibition was cheered by the audience for breaking away from the dichotomous standard between commercial film and art.
4. 11th Jeonju Project Market’s 2nd leap as a networking platform
The Jeonju Project Market has excavated and supported within ten films each year through the Jeonju IFF´s "Jeonju Cinema Fund (JCF)," a networking platform and film development grant established to discover and support creative fiction. This year, project A Far Place by director Park Kunyoung was selected as the prestigious JCP among the selected among the 7 projects.
For this year´s “JCP: NEXT EDITION," a project pitching program to select an international “JCP" project, 5 projects were selected. The project Outside Noise by director Ted Fendt was selected as the honorary JCP 2020. Film critic Ela Bittencourt has stated in the jury comment that the 5 projects that participated in this edition for the upcoming JCP were all very valuable and they are looking forward to the completed version of the films. The 2 selections of “JCP 2020” will have its world premiere at the 21st Jeonju IFF with the award of monetary investment of no more than 100 million KRW.
Moreover, screenings of this year’s JCP selections were continuously sold-out, ascertaining the enthusiastic response of the audience toward the Jeonju IFF production investment program. Notably, Director Damien Manivel’s ISADORA’S CHILDREN was also invited to renowned international film festivals.
The 11th Jeonju Project Market, which held the events for three days during the festival, presented a variety of programs including "JCF Promotion," "JCP: NEXT EDITION" pitching events and seminars with the participation of 210 film industry professionals from 120 investment, production and distribution companies. JPM has established itself as a successful model for the industry Program by holding 71 business meetings, which is double compared to last year.
The Middle Earth “Writing” Camp, designed to foster creators, has successfully finished by promoting communication and networking among creators, striving to cultivate one´s humanity and strengthen their planning skills.
5. Strengthening LIVE broadcasting through online platforms
This year´s Jeonju IFF continued its experimental attempts in terms of operation as well as programs. In order to adapt to the changing media environment, Jeonju IFF focused on sharing live news and provide the contents of the festival through Naver´s V channel, YouTube and SNS. The Jeonju IFF official press conference and opening ceremony were broadcasted live via Naver V Live broadcasting and the opening ceremony caught the public’s attention by achieving 3 million views.
During the festival, film talks were held through the V LIVE with the films Somewhere in Between, Shades of the Heart, Goodbye Summer and Ongals and a total of 33,000 views were achieved from the 11 live broadcasts. “Talk in Spring” and Talk Classes were also vividly delivered as the festival official promotional channel and made efforts to smoothly communicate with the public.
6. Jeonju Dome firmly established as the Jeonju IFF landmark
This year, programs in Jeonju Dome, the landmark of Jeonju IFF, was comprised of various films that can be enjoyed by men and women in all ages along with various events. Special performances of the non-verbal comedy team Ongals and guest visits from the film My First Client and Scandal Makers were arranged to provide the time to communicate with the audience.
Moreover, to celebrate the Star Wars Day, various events were prepared in the Jeonju Dome.“The Star Wars: Music Performance” by the Koreana Philharmonic Orchestra was presented before screening Star Wars and a fan parade was held offering a variety of fun events for the audience. The "Star Wars: Gallery," which was installed at Jeonju Lounge as part of the Star Wars archive special exhibition, was also a big hit. An audience shelter was also created as a resting space for visitors. The “100 hurtful words” exhibition, organized by “Save the Children," presented pictures of the hurting words that children get inside the Jeonju Dome. In order to develop the festival along with the Jeonju citizens, discount benefits of the Jeonju Dome screenings for Jeonju citizens and students studying in universities in Jeonju were provided and group tours of students in for the students studying in elementary and middle and schools in Jeonju were organized.
The 20th Jeonju International Film Festival, which has made significant achievements such as the high record of sold-out films and high attendance figures, wrapped up its 10-day run with a closing ceremony on May 11th hosted by So E Hyun and In Gyo Jin. The 21st Jeonju International Film Festival will once again visit audiences in the spring of 2020 with innovative programs and new looks.
