The JEONJU International Film Festival (JEONJU IFF, Festival Co-Directors Min Sungwook and Jung Junho) unveiled its Korean Cinema selections.
For its 26th edition, the JEONJU IFF has selected a total of 38 Korean films—20 feature films and 18 short films—making this year’s selection process more competitive than ever. This marks a record-breaking achievement, not only in terms of quantity but also in quality, as the submissions were exceptionally strong compared to previous editions. The number of non-competition feature film submissions reached 114, an increase of 26 from last year’s 88, during the three-month submission period from November to January.
The JEONJU IFF Korean Cinema section features films that will have their Korean premiere or meet higher premiere requirements, offering insight into the evolving landscape of Korean independent cinema. Last year’s selections—VOICES (2024), A Song of Korean Factory Girls (2024), and When This Summer is Over (2024)—were widely recognized for their artistic excellence in theaters and at various film festivals.
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| ▲ The 26th JEONJU IFF Korean Cinema Selected Feature Films |
The area that stands out the most in this year’s Korean Cinema is the documentary field. The six feature-length documentaries here tell a wide variety of stories in different areas. With 2025 marking the 80th anniversary of Korea’s postwar liberation, two of the films in the Korean Cinema section deal with Korea-Japan issues. Im Heung-soon’s Memories Showers Seas is a documentary version of the director’s exhibition of the same name, focusing on the figure of Kim Dongil and her clothing. A descendant of an anti-Japanese activist, Kim served herself as a liaison in the events of Jeju April 3. Shiso is a documentary about Kim Rihyang, a Tokyo-born Zainichi Korean director who has been living in Korea for over seven years, and her family members back in Japan. It shares an intimate look at the identity of a Zainichi Korean who belongs to neither Korea nor Japan.
The documentaries in this year’s Korean Cinema section represent a more diverse selection than in past years. The Birds Who Lived Home - Where Did You All Go? by director Kim Hwayong is an original project that reflects on the history of human interactions with poultry, raising questions in the process about our perceptions of animals and minorities today. This work is also based on an exhibition of the same name. Pink Moon by director Yun Han-seok tells the story of Yun Suknam, a preeminent Korean artist and pioneering presence in feminist art. This work explores the essence of Yun Suknam’s art as it spotlights the difficulties encountered by the director as someone who transformed into an artist in her search for meaning in her life as the wife of the oldest son in a large family. The documentary Heart to Heart by director Seo Hansol focuses on the Heart Heart Orchestra, whose members are people with developmental disabilities.
LGBTQ-themed documentaries that stood out in the Korean Competition and Korean Competition for Shorts will also be showcased. Edhi Alice is a new work by Kim Ilrahn, who has been active with the LGBTQ culture and human rights group PINKS in the two decades since its 2004 establishment. The focus is on two figures—Edhi and Alice—who have chosen to transition from male to female life.
Tell Me That You Love Me by director Kim Jho Gwang-soo and HOMEWARD BOUND by director Kim Dae-hwan, which will be discussed below, also deal with LGBTQ issues.
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| ▲ The 26th JEONJU IFF Korean Cinema Selected Short Films |
A striking number of Korean submissions this year were directed by actors, and three of these are featured in the Korean Cinema section. Rectangle, Triangle is the feature directing debut of Lee Heejun, an actor who has appeared in mainstream and independent films alike. Sam-hee: The Adventure of 3 Joys is the feature directing debut of Moon Hyein, an actor who has made a name for herself in independent films like Inserts (2024) and The Fifth Thoracic Vertebra (2022). Moon’s film tells the story of Hyerim, an actor who experiences burnout after an accident during a film shoot. Also debuting in Jeonju is the short film Toe-Tapping Tunes, the directorial debut of actor Lee Jung-hyun, who was selected as the Programmer of the Year.
New works by established directors are also drawing notice. Jung Yoon-chul, whose previous films include Marathon (2005) and Warriors of the Dawn (2017), presents SEA TIGER, a work examining the life of the late Kim Gwanhong, who worked as a diver at the time of the Sewol ferry sinking. CLEAR, a new work by Shim Hyeongjun, known for the documentary My Dearest Fu Bao (2024), is a docu-fiction starring actor and singer Kim Pureum, which raises awareness of the importance of the environment.
Some of the directors this year have been regular visitors to past editions of the JEONJU IFF. Director Ko Bong-soo returns to Jeonju after two years with the Turkish-set story Güle Güle. The director’s trademark humor and bittersweet sentiments shine through in a story about a character named Daesik who travels to Türkiye on business. Director Choi Changhwan presents a story about six people who end up spending the day at a layover hotel when their flight from Incheon to London is forced to make an unscheduled landing in Kitakyushu. Sharing a similar structure to the 23rd JEONJU IFF work The Layover (2022), Layover Hotel boasts a detailed sense of the dramas experienced by its characters. Another featured director, Kim Dae-hwan makes his return for the first time in eight years with HOMEWARD BOUND. Director Shin Dong-min, who won the Korean Competition twice with Mom’s Song (2020) at the 21st JEONJU IFF and From You (2023) at the 24th, presents the short film Dogs in the Sun.
As always, the Korean Cinema section shares films of a bold and experimental nature. Trials and Initiation is a new work by director Paik Jongkwan, who was previously invited to present work in the Korean Competition for Shorts at the 17th and 19th JEONJU IFF editions. I'd like that corner seat over there by director Park Syeyoung and The Bek Show End of Civilization is a work by director Kelvin Kyung Kun Park will also meet the audience at the 26th JEONJU IFF. Also worthy of attention are works by up-and-coming directors. Home Behind Bars, the debut feature of director Cha Jeong-yoon, delicately presents the drama that unfolds when a female prison guard happens to meet the middle school student daughter of one of the prisoners.
Selected films of the Korean Cinema, showcasing a diverse spectrum of styles and genre will be presented during the 26th JEONJU IFF, from April 30 (Wed) to May 9 (Fri) throughout Jeonju.
| The 26th JEONJU IFF Korean Cinema Feature Films Selections |
| Title |
Director |
Genre |
| Güle-Güle |
KO Bong-soo |
Fiction |
| Memories Showers Seas |
IM Heung-soon |
Documentary |
| Tell Me That You Love Me |
KIM JHO Gwang-soo |
Fiction |
| Layover Hotel |
CHOI Changhwan |
Fiction |
| Home Behind Bars |
CHA Jeong-yoon |
Fiction |
| Hideaway |
HAN Jisu |
Fiction |
| SEA TIGER |
CHUNG Yoonchul |
Fiction |
| The Bek Show End of Civilization |
Kelvin Kyung Kun PARK |
Experimental |
| HOMEWARD BOUND |
KIM Dae-hwan |
Fiction |
| The Burglars |
KIM Taehwi |
Fiction |
| Sam-hee : The Adventure of 3 Joys |
MOON Hyein |
Fiction |
| Trials and Initiation |
PAIK Jongkwan |
Experimental |
| Edhi Alice |
KIM Ilrhan |
Documentary |
| Shiso |
KIM Rihyang |
Documentary |
| I'd like that corner seat over there |
PARK Syeyoung |
Experimental |
| Rectangle, Triangle |
LEE Heejun |
Fiction |
| The Birds Who Lived Home - Where Did You All Go? |
KIM Hwayong |
Documentary |
| Pink Moon |
YOON Han-seok |
Documentary |
| CLEAR |
SHIM Hyeongjun |
Fiction |
| Heart to Heart |
SEO Hansol |
Documentary |
** 20 titles, Korean alphabetical order
| The 26th JEONJU IFF Korean Cinema Short Films Selections |
| Title |
Director |
Genre |
| Galbi |
SONG Esther, LIM Yeonju |
Fiction |
| Mr. Driver |
RYU Keesan |
Fiction |
| Toe-Tapping Tunes |
LEE Jung-hyun |
Fiction |
| The Roots |
SO Ji-in |
Fiction |
| Treeman |
LEE Myeonglyun |
Fiction |
| The Wayward Bird |
LEE Seungjae |
Fiction |
| UNDERCURRENT |
LEE Ru-ri |
Fiction |
| Live after Death |
KIM Taehwi |
Fiction |
| POEM OF SONGJU |
KIM Sieon |
Fiction |
| I told you |
NAM Seojeong |
Fiction |
| Umwelt |
LIM Seyoung |
Fiction |
| Liminality |
KWON Heesue |
Experimental |
| Womb Mates |
NOH Heejeong |
Fiction |
| The Fallen Dog |
JEONG Hyunseok |
Fiction |
| On the Crosswalk |
LEE Jihyang |
Fiction |
| Dogs in the Sun |
SHIN Dong-min |
Documentary |
| God complex |
KIM Eun-seong |
Fiction |
| Lesson |
KIM Jinwoo |
Fiction |
** 18 titles, Korean alphabetical order
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