Expanded Cinema represents the forefront of innovation and experimentation at the JEONJU International Film Festival. With many filmmakers now labeling their work as “experimental,” it often raises the question: what truly defines experimental cinema? If we simply mean the dictionary definition of attempting new forms and methods, the category becomes incredibly wide-ranging. This section honors the expansive film language cultivated by JEONJU's programmers over the years through the section name and selection of films, showcasing bold, risk-taking works that might feel unfamiliar but communicate powerfully through images and sound alone.
Jessica Sarah Rinland's camera brings a quiet yet persistent gaze to Argentinian zoos in Collective Monologue. The film observes zoos in transition—evolving into museums or sanctuaries—and explores historical records and shifting relationships of humans, animals, and nature.
Portuguese director Marta Mateus' debut film Fire of Wind follows vineyard workers during harvest season. When they climb trees to escape a charging bull on their way home after work, each character journeys through personal dreams and memories, and the director creates poetic images with fable-like narrative.
bluish is a new work by Milena Czernovsky and Lilith Kraxner, who burst onto the Austrian film scene with their debut film Beatrix (2021). While continuing their exploration of everyday life, this film shifts to urban characters marked by isolation and disconnection.
Evidence recounts the director's childhood family memories while examining how money can reshape a nation's mindset and create ideology.
In Nine Different Nuances of the Same Colour, Carlos Vásquez Méndez approaches filmmaking like a classical artist, studying the materials of the film he wishes to create and crafting a visual essay expressed through cinematic forms and techniques.
Les Habitants is the latest from Maureen Fazendeiro, co-director of the Cannes Directors' Fortnight selection The Tsugua Diaries (2021). Now settled in Portugal, the filmmaker receives letters from her mother in a small French village describing the arrival of migrants—some locals offering help, others demanding their relocation. This masterful work examines social issues and emotions through the intimate lens of personal correspondence.
One film uses cinema as a notebook or actually suggests that film can function as a stroll between what is visible in nature and what remains hidden. As the title suggests, 7 Walks with Mark Brown demonstrates how the simple act of walking can become a framework for various forms of essays on cinematic records.
Welcome Interplanetary and Sidereal Space Conquerors blends truth and fiction. Director Andrés Jurado assembles diverse stories into a curious UFO-like artifact—part truth, part fantasy, and thoroughly cinematic.
Can images and sound truly capture the essence of a nation? Does a film have the power to accomplish such a feat? Annalisa D. Quagliata Blanco's Aoquic iez in Mexico! Mexico will no longer exist! attempts to answer these questions, as this single film returns pure audiovisual power to the cinematic form.
This year's short film selections stand out for their experimental focus on the interplay between sound and image. We are particularly proud to present works by director Lee Jangwook, whose handcrafted approach to film has made him a notable figure in Korea. The program includes screenings of his new film CHANG GYEONG and other 16mm films, complemented by a special two-channel live film performance by the director himself, accompanied by the music of Lee Minhwi. (Sung Moon)
