This year's Masters section introduces the works of not just familiar names but also hidden masters. While “hidden masters” sounds like an oxymoron, it represents JEONJU International Film Festival's response to questions about our festival's role and direction in the current era. Recently, award-winning films from major festivals have become widely available in Korea through special screenings and streaming platforms, while famous directors and restores classics have gained popularity with younger audiences. Though this accessibility plays a positive role in creating a stable and high-quality film culture, it prompts us to reconsider what a film festival should truly offer. In response, JEONJU IFF aims to discover hidden diamonds, introducing films by exceptional filmmakers who deserve wider recognition in various fields around the world.
British realism master Mike Leigh's new work Hard Truths is a poignant commentary for our troubled times where it is difficult to feel peace. The metaphor for mental suffering that can paralyze life as effective as physical pain offers both profound insight and emotional comfort to the audience.
François Ozon, a filmmaker who understands that life is shaped by desire and chance, presents When Fall Is Coming. The film follows two elderly women whose happiness centers entirely on family harmony, until desires among family members trigger moral conflicts that transform their once-peaceful daily life into the stage for a psychological thriller.
It is no coincidence that Andrei Ujică references the Beatles in his new film title, TWST - Things We Said Today. Using his signature archival reconstruction technique, the film captures the excitement of summer through previously unseen Beatles footage and images of devoted fans from the era.
The Quay Brothers, legendary masters of animation and magicians of light, after years of focusing on short works, have released a new feature film. Their fascination with Polish author Bruno Schulz has led to the adaptation of his novel Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass, into a mysterious feature film.
Adachi Masao has focused on those who exist in society but live outside the system. ESCAPE portrays a terrorist who paradoxically reveals himself in the face of death after a lifetime on the run. Though visually simple and understated, the film resonates powerfully as viewers cannot but imagine the director's autobiographical situation.
Denis Côté has returned with a documentary after a long time. Paul follows the life of a man struggling with anxiety and depression as he attempts to leave his room, build relationships with others, and find love. Through Paul's journey, Côté examines what it means to live a healthy life. True to his prolific reputation, he also presents a new short film Days Before the Death of Nicky.
The enigmatic title little boy seems to continue a dialogue with James Benning's American Dreams: Lost and Found (1984), as he expands his filmography with tireless passion. Through images of miniature craftsmanship and backed by various songs and political speeches from different eras, the director, according to his own words: look at the past to warn about the future.
Rumours satirizes a G7 summit, where the seven most influential leaders of the world gather. What begins as a meeting to better improve the world faces the challenges of the end of the world, revealing how these supposedly dignified heads of nations respond to crisis. The film boasts an impressive cast of actors including Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander, Roy Dupuis, and Charles Dance.
Christopher Petit's notable works include the 1970s masterpiece Radio On, which garnered attention with Wim Wenders as producer and Sting in the cast, and London Orbital, based on Iain Sinclair's book of the same title. Producer Emma Matthews, who has worked with him on previous films, joins as a co-director to reveal an intimate family story. D is for Distance visualizes the desperate hearts and time of parents doing everything to treat their son's illness into a masterful film.
John Smith, a pioneering British experimental filmmaker, has proven exceptional ability in creating fiction using real images through cinematic composition. Being John Smith is an autobiographical film that traces his life and work, starting from his name. JEONJU IFF takes this precious opportunity to screen two of his previous works, The Girl Chewing Gum and The Black Tower which demonstrate how even experimental films can create humorous drama and mysterious horror.
Finally, we present two posthumous films by Jean-Luc Godard, completed thanks to his collaborators who shared his final moments. Scénarios and Exposé du Film Annonce du Film “Scénario” offer insight into Godard's filmmaking process while confirming that film history was built, as the director once said, from small films. (Sung Moon)
