JEONJU Intl. Film Festival

Loading...■■■□□ JEONJU IFF D-40 !

2025-03-21 17:00:00

Loading ... ■■■□□ The JEONJU IFF D-40 !

Hi Everyone! This is D & S, in charge of J Letter.

Time flies, doesn't it? I remember when we marked D-100,

and now only 40 days are left.

We have lots of content for you, so please enjoy it!

✔️ March Updates🎉

✔️ What's Next🎬

✔️ JEONJU CALLING 3: Like a Vegan🍀

✔️ Our J List🎁: After Yang

✔️ Life In Jeonju by SUSU🌼

✔️ CINÉ ZINÉ🎥

March édition, c'est parti!

The 26th JEONJU IFF: March Updates 🎉

▶ Programmer of the Year

Lee Jung-hyun

The J Special: Programmer of the Year section selects a programmer each year to spotlight their cinematic world.
This year, J Special: Programmer of the Year is honored to feature multi-artist Lee Jung-hyun, who has built a remarkable career as an actress, singer, and now, director.
We invite you to explore her cinematic world in the J Special: Programmer of the Year section!

📍 Screening List
📹 Featured Selections
A Petal (1996), JANG Sun-woo

Alice In Earnestland (2014), AHN Goocjin

Night Fishing (2011), PARKing CHANce

📹 Curated Selections
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), PARK Chan-wook

The Child (2005), Jean-Pierre DARDENNE, Luc DARDENNE
Nobody Knows (2004), KORE-EDA Hirokazu

▶ Pre-registration for paid badges opens!

Check out badge benefits on our website.

📍 Badge Details
✅ GUEST·INDUSTRY
- Pre-registration:

Mar 13 (Thu) 13:00 - Apr 15 (Tue) 17:00 (KST) / 70,000 KRW
- On-site registration:

Apr 30 (Wed) - May 9 (Fri) / 100,000 KRW

✅ PRESS
- Pre-registration: Pre-registration:

Mar 13 (Thu) 13:00 - Apr 15 (Tue) 17:00 (KST) / FREE
- On-site registration:

Apr 30 (Wed) - May 9 (Fri) / 50,000 KRW

*The entire process (application, approval, and payment) must be completed within the registration period.

What's Next? 🎬

Chronological overview of the Opening and Closing films from the past 4 editions of the JEONJU IFF

2024

All the Long Nights – MIYAKE Sho
Matt and Mara – Kazik RADWANSKI

2023

TORI AND LOKITA – Jean-Pierre & Luc DARDENNE
Where Would You Like to Go? – KIM Hee-Jung

2022

AFTER YANG – Kogonada
Full Time – Eric GRAVEL

2021

Father – Srdan GOLUBOVI
Josep – Aurel

JEONJU International Film Festival has been running under our slogan, Beyond the Frame, for 26 years.

This time, we have prepared the Opening and Closing films from the past four years of the JEONJU IFF, which represent the JEONJU IFF's spirit clearly. Can you feel the values and energy we represent?

Please wait for our 26th Opening and Closing Films!

JEONJU CALLING 3: Like a Vegan🍀

Jeonju is famous for its bibimbap, which can be made vegan upon request—but that’s not the only option! There are plenty of other delicious restaurants in the city that offer vegan-friendly dishes.

📌 빛의 안부 Letter of Light｜Cafe & Brunch (Vegan Options Available)

📌 풀꽃세상 Grass Flower World Vegetarian Buffet ｜Buffet

📌 커리우먼｜Curry (Vegan Options Available)

📌 진미반점｜Chinese (Vegan Options Available)

📌 채식주의자의 무화과 Fig from Vegan｜Bakery

📌 백수의 찬 Baeksuui Chan｜Fusion (Vegan Options Available)

📌 프프프 FFF｜Japanese and Chinese (Vegan Options Available)

📌 메르밀 진미집｜Korean (Vegan Options Available)

📌 감로헌 Gamloheon｜Korean (Vegan Options Available)

📌 러빙헛 Loving Hut Seoshin｜Buffet

📌 우아한 새참｜Korean (Vegan Options Available)

📌 쁘레종 Present Vegan Cafe ｜Cafe

📌 하와이안 레시피 Hawaiian Recipe｜Curry (Vegan Options Available)

📌 아이 마미따 Ay Mamita｜Mexican (Vegan Options Available)

📌 녹두꽃 Nogdukkoch｜Korean (Vegan Options Available)

… Probably More

Our J List🎁: AFTER YANG

AFTER YANG

The 23rd JEONJU IFF Opening Film

If there's someone who lingers in your mind when recalling the season of cherry blossoms,

wouldn't that be beautiful?

Synopsis

One day, the android "Yang" suddenly stops working. As Jake and his family search for a way to fix him, they discover Yang’s special memory bank. This journey leads them to unexpected reflections on life, connection, and what it means to remember.

What did you want to hold onto, Yang?

Hello, my name is Z, and I’m in charge of "Our J List" for the 26th JEONJU IFF. March is a time when the weather is still a bit chilly, yet flowers begin to bloom—especially the cherry blossoms, which are breathtaking. For many of us, cherry blossoms symbolize the memories of spring. We remember the moments spent beneath them, sometimes bringing a smile, other times a sigh.

Do you have someone who often comes to mind, making you pause and reflect?

AFTER YANG, directed by Kogonada, was the Opening Film of the 23rd JEONJU IFF. Many viewers might feel a sense of uncertainty when watching it because it doesn't fit the mold of a typical sci-fi drama about androids. There are no futuristic cities filled with towering skyscrapers or spaceships drifting across the sky. Instead, the film unfolds in a suburban setting—one that feels deeply familiar.

Aside from a few elements, such as Yang being a techno-sapien, Jake’s neighbor being a clone, or interactions happening through screens, there are hardly any overt sci-fi markers. But the genre itself is not what defines this film. Instead, AFTER YANG uses science fiction as a lens to tell a different kind of story.

At its heart, this is a story about family.

Jake's family is composed of individuals from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds, yet they all call each other family—without hesitation or discomfort.

In one poignant scene, Yang and Jake’s adopted daughter, Mika, discuss family and their roots while looking at grafted trees. Yang tells Mika that while her biological family is important, the people she lives with now are also her family. His words suggest that family isn’t necessarily defined by blood but by those who share life’s struggles and experiences together.

As Jake explores Yang’s memories, they appear like scattered stars in the galaxy—each one warm and delicately interconnected. This evokes a profound thought: we are not merely defined by where we come from but shaped by the lives we touch and the connections we form. When seen this way, isn’t memory something truly beautiful? As we go through life, each of us leaves a piece of ourselves in the memories of others. Even after time passes, those moments remain.

Ethnicity, race, gender, and age are simply constructs—artificial boundaries. We exist in the memories we create and share. AFTER YANG is a film that invites us to reflect on ourselves through the lens of memory and connection, using the language of science fiction.

I hope that AFTER YANG stays with you, even if just for a moment. And I hope you find films at the 26th JEONJU IFF that leave a lasting impression, like a star in the night sky.

Life In Jeonju by SUSU🌼

# Cat Power

Are you a cat person or a dog person? I like both. However, working in Jeonju, I can easily find cats, especially where I work. Whenever I go out to get some fresh air, cats are sleeping in the sunlight, which makes me feel better. Regarding preferences between cats and dogs, I think these differences reflect what we seek from others. Of course, it could be simply an animal preference, but it is more than that. I believe our desires reflect our taste. If you prefer solitude and want people to leave you alone, then you are likely a cat person. On the other hand, if you want others to approach you, then you are a dog person. Entering a cat’s personal space is really difficult. When I get close, they run away. I don’t want them to leave. If I visit them more often, then will they open their hearts to me?

# Curry Woman Walking Down the Street

First of all, this is not intended as advertising: I go out to eat curry once a week. Indeed, if I have to order my preference, I would say Indian curry is the best, followed by Japanese and Korean. (In the Seoul office, there was a decent Japanese curry restaurant which was also great. I miss it a lot) However, here, a curry restaurant near my bureau changed my life. (If I went too far, I understand, but you should keep in mind that food can sometimes change one’s thoughts or even their lives.) Maybe you would feel there is no special thing inside, and then, you are going to eat without thinking. There’s a kind of magic. Last week, I tried a cheese pork cutlet with spicy curry, which is the best on the menu. Today, I tried fish cutlet with spicy curry, which was also lecker. What I like the most is that they also provide a vegetarian option! So if you want to try Korean-style curry, you should visit there. (The name of the restaurant is mentioned above if you noticed haha)

Hello there!

This time, we are going to cover noticeable film magazines all around the world. As you know, we have been trying to seek better and alternative ways of experiencing cinema. In this context, J Letter brings a new chapter called “CINÉ ZINÉ”! Let’s check it out!

Rough Cut (Australia)

Founded in 2019 by a group of young, brilliant critics, whose collaboration began with the 2018 iteration of Melbourne International Film Festival’s Critics Campus, Rough Cut set out to illustrate their own world through film criticism.

They view film criticism as a social medium, pursuing thoughtful and curious analysis with an eye for accessibility and a desire to engage the film community in rich conversations with other artists and art forums. They believe that film criticism exists beyond the poles of the pithy and the academic—thriving in conversations, diaries, drawings, and poems.

As part of their mission, they support and acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which they live and work—where sovereignty has never been ceded—and recognize the ancient, ongoing practices of Indigenous image-making and storytelling as vital to cinema’s past, present, and future.

While they cover a wide range of films, they primarily focus on their local community and festivals. For example, they recently conducted an interview with an Associate Curator at the Australian Cinematheque, who organized a retrospective program on Tsai Ming-liang, a filmmaker who attended last year's JEONJU IFF. Their work provides deeper insight into Australia’s film landscape and festival culture.

If you want to seek an independent and Australian-focused film magazine which will give you an insight of cinema, why don’t you try Rough Cut?

Sabzian (Belgium)

Established in 2014 and named after Hossein Sabzian, the protagonist of the Iranian film Close-Up (Abbas Kiarostami, 1990) – described as a true cinephile – Sabzian was founded by a group of Belgian filmmakers who believe that reflection and criticism, as well as writing and speaking about film, are inseparable from the art of cinema and the practice of filmmaking.

Inspired by Australian film critic Adrian Martin's description of cinephilia as a “tactical, cultural war machine” with questionable mobilizing power and effectiveness, they argue, in the same spirit, that the vitality of cinema as an art form cannot be separated from its collective meaning – shaped by the groups and communities of filmmakers, spectators, and readers who, through intense dialogue, keep the silhouettes on the screen alive by providing them with words. For Sabzian, a film magazine is an act of imagination, reflecting a belief in and love for cinema.

Sabzian regards cinema as something that should remain free from projected certainties – an ongoing history of forms and narratives –expanding the spectrum of cinema’s future possibilities without end.

Additionally, the platform offers content in three languages—English, Dutch, and French—enriching its reviews with a more diverse and multi-dimensional perspective. The aesthetics of both the cinema it explores and the website itself invite readers to discover deeper perspectives on film.