Beyond the Frame! Ten Days of Film Festival!

The 24th JEONJU IFF fiery kicks off at the Sori Arts Center of Jeollabuk-do, Moak Hall.

- Beyond the Frame! The festival of challenge and expansion begins!

- Over 2,000 guests and audiences gathered at the festival, showing great interest in the JEONJU IFF

- Woo Beom-ki, the JEONJU IFF Festival Chairman, said, “Unlike the previous years, many places in Jeonju will be widely used for festival venues, rather than events concentrated in one place.”

The 24th JEONJU International Film Festival (JEONJU IFF, Festival Co-Director Min Sungwook and Jung Junho) commenced its twenty-fourth journey.

On Wednesday, April 27, the 24th JEONJU IFF began with a splendid Opening Ceremony at the Moak Hall, Sori Arts Center of Jeollabuk-do, under the slogan “Beyond the Frame.” Over 2,000 guests and visitors attended the event. Domestic and international actors and filmmakers, including directors Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne of the opening film Tori and Lokita, actor and judge for International Competition Ok Ja-yeon, actors Park Joong-hoon and Sin Hyun-joon, actor Park Hae-il of Gyeongju, director Lee Changjae of This is the President, actors Jang Dongyoon and Lee Juseung of Pamir, band Jaurim from the film JAURIM, The Wonderland, and actor Lee You-mi of No Heaven, But Love. graced the red carpet.

After the guests walked the red carpet, a congratulatory performance was presented by the World Taekwondo Federation Demonstration Team. Jin Goo, a host of the Opening Ceremony, remarked, “I’m Jin Goo, a host of the Opening Ceremony and actor beyond the frame.” He elicited cheers from the audience by commenting that this year’s festival slogan “expresses the color of the JEONJU IFF, which tries to cross lines, ignores boundaries, and continues to take new challenges.” Co-host Gong Seungyeon said, “If we don’t cross the line, we cannot discover the new world beyond the frame,” and expressed her expectations by adding, “It’s always exciting to meet new films.”

Woo Beom-ki, the Festival Chairman, stepped up to the podium, made the opening declaration, and opened the 24th JEONJU IFF with the words, “I sincerely thank everyone who visited the 24th JEONJU IFF on a sunny spring day. Unlike the previous years, many places in Jeonju will be widely used for festival venues, not to be the centralized festival.”

The Sori Arts Center of Jeollabuk-do, Moak Hall where the Opening Ceremony was held, is the starting point of the JEONJU IFF's ambitious journey to expand the event space throughout the entire city of Jeonju. During the next ten days of the festival, various events will be held on Jeonju Film Street, Ogeori Culture Square, Factory of Contemporary Arts in Palbok, and Jeonbuk National University Cultural Center.

On the stage, Festival Co-Director Min Sungwook expressed his deep gratitude and said, “First of all, thanks to the audience who support and visit the festival, the JEONJU IFF can be what it is today.” Festival Co-Director Jung Junho also conveyed his heartiest appreciation to all attendees and said, “I hope you are taking a nice trip down memory lane with films.”

Hosts Jin Goo and Gong Seungyeon introduced 14 judges of the International Competition, Korean Competition, Korean Competition for Shorts, NETPAC Award and J Special: Programmer of the Year. The Opening Ceremony ended with the screening of the opening film Tori and Lokita.

Prior to the Opening Ceremony, a press conference was held for the opening film Tori and Lokita. Festival Co-Director Min Sungwook said, “The Dardenne directors have created unique cinematic languages capturing human’s distinctive nuance and complexity for years.” And he added, “I’m happy to hear stories about Tori and Lokita from the world-renowned directors, Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, through the press conference today.”

Directors Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, who visited Korea for the first time through the JEONJU IFF, said, “We know Korea only by films, so we came to Jeonju willing to learn about Korea.” They expressed excitement about the JEONJU IFF and the schedule of future events in Seoul. Jean-Pierre explained about Tori and Lokita “I wanted to show how far the friendship between two immigrant youths can go.” And Luc said, “I wish all the audience who watch Tori and Lokita will feel like being a friend of Tori and Lokita, rather than enemies.”

The 24th JEONJU IFF, which opened on Wednesday, April 27, will be held until Saturday, May 6 on the Jeonju Film Street and surrounding areas. For ten days, 247 films from 42 countries will be screened, and 38 Korean short films will be available for streaming via ONFIFN, an online platform dedicated to film festivals. The video recording of the 24th JEONJU IFF Opening Ceremony can be accessed on Naver NOW.