In preparation for its opening with the slogan “Film Goes On,” the 22nd JEONJU International Film Festival (JEONJU IFF, Festival Director LEE Joon-dong) unveiled ten works by new directors who will be leading the Korean independent and arthouse film industry. These are the 10 films that have been shortlisted for the Korean Competition, a section featuring a Korean director's first or second feature-length film among the films produced after January 2020.
This year's Korean Competition section will screen 10 films, selected through stiff competition from a total of 108 films that were submitted between December 1, 2020, to February 1 this year. Regarding the general trend seen in the submissions, MOON Seok, a programmer of JEONJU IFF explained, ”Many of the 108 films submitted to the Korean Competition of this year's JEONJU IFF were representative of the Korean independent film community, which has actively engaged with the affairs of the world.”
Among the 10 films shortlisted for the Korean Competition, three films stand out as works that vividly capture the voices of social minorities. “Awoke,” a feature film directed by JUNG Jae-ik and SEO Tae-soo, exposes problems in the system for persons with disabilities through the story of the protagonist who struggles to be officially recognized as a “person with severe disability,” while director RYU Hyungseok's documentary “Corydoras” presents the inner world of a disabled poet PARK Dongsu by quietly capturing his life. Whereas these two films directly address the issue of people with disabilities, rarely featured in Korean films, director BYUN Gyuri's documentary “Coming to you” tells the story of gender minorities and their parents by posing significant questions for Korean society, which is reeling from the tragedy of former Staff Sergeant BYUN Heesoo.
Films that discuss various issues in Korean society were also shortlisted for the competition. Through the life of Jina, who works at a call center, director HONG Sung-eun's “Aloners” reflects the lives of the increasing number of “holojok” (people who do things alone) in the COVID era. Director HUR Jungjae's “First child” portrays what it is like to live as a woman in Korea, particularly a married woman with a child through Jeong-ah, who has given birth to her first child. The film shows the difficulty of realizing the seemingly ordinary desires of average Korean women. “Influenza” by director HWANG Junha spotlights “taeum,” a hazing practice among nurses that once received wide news media coverage in Korea, and presents a detailed account of the process and the result. Director KAM Jeong-won's “The train passed by” traces the footsteps of a woman laborer who has no particular presence in society while metaphorically describing one of the biggest problems in Korean society—industrial accidents.
“NOT OUT” by director LEE Jung-gon, “Nineteen” by director WOO Kyenghee, and “Kim Min-young of the Report Card” by directors LEE Jae-eun and LIM Jisun are films that captured the lives of youths with different perspectives. Director LEE Jung-gon's “NOT OUT” focuses on the conflicts and wanderings of a high-school baseball star named Gwangho who tries to find a new path in life after facing setbacks in his baseball career. “Nineteen” tells the story of a 19-year-old girl named Sojeong and the situation that unfolds in her difficult life after her mother's death, while “Kim Min-young of the Report Card” depicts with unique sensibilities the changing relationship between Junghee and Minyoung, as the two high school seniors who used to be a part of the Three-Line Poetry Club graduate from school and move on with their lives.
“There was an exceptional number of entries that focused on sensitive social issues for this year's Korean Competition,” Programmer MOON Seok remarked. “Many of the works that exposed the irregularities and contradictions and embraced the marginalized in Korean society were also cinematically excellent.” He added, “I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who made and submitted their works despite the difficulties of the pandemic.”
The 22nd JEONJU IFF will be held on Jeonju Film Street from April 29 to May 8, 2021.
Current Films in the running
“Not Out” by Lee Jung-gon
“Coming to you” by Byun Gyu-ri
“Kim Min-young of the REport Card” by Lee Jae-eun, Lim Ji-sun
“Awoke” by Jung Jae-ik, Seo Tae-soo
“Nineteen” by Woo Kyeng-hee
“Influenza” by Hwang Jun-ha
“Corydoras” by Ryu Hyung-seok
“First child” by Hur Jung-jae
“Aloners” by Hong Seung-eun
“The train passed by” by Kam Jeong-won
