stills: stitch of Green Fish-Peppermint Candy-Oasis-Secret Sunshine-Poetry-Burning
The 23rd JEONJU International Film Festival (JEONJU IFF, Festival Director LEE Joondong) will hold a retrospective program on director LEE Chang-dong called “LEE Chang-dong: The Truth of the Invisible.”
The 23rd JEONJU IFF is preparing thoroughly under strict COVID-19 regulations with the slogan “Film Goes On,” and has made a big announcement domestic and international film fans will cheer for. Leading Korean director LEE Chang-dong will be spotlighted with a retrospective programming at the festival called “LEE Chang-dong: The Truth of the Invisible.”
Through “LEE Chang-dong: The Truth of the Invisible,” the director's most loved films from the last 20 years as well as Heartbeat, his newest short film, will be presented to the audience for the first time in the world. Heartbeat is LEE's newest film in 4 years, and it made headlines due to the participation of WHO in the production. In addition, a new documentary that focuses on LEE's creative world, Lee Chang-dong: the art of irony, will have its world premiere.
A total of 8 titles will screen as a part of “LEE Chang-dong: The Truth of the Invisible.” They are LEE Chang-dong's most famous works Green Fish (1997), Peppermint Candy (1999), Oasis (2002), Secret Sunshine (2007), Poetry (2010), and Burning (2018), as well as his short film Heartbeat (2022), and Alain Mazars' documentary Lee Chang-dong: the art of irony.
In the case of Green Fish and Oasis, director LEE Chang-dong participated in the digital remastering, and the 4K versions will screen at the 23rd JEONJU IFF for the very first time. It will surely be good news to many festival fans that there will be the opportunity to see his masterpieces, favorites to many domestic and international audiences, the long-awaited new title by the director, and a documentary that encompasses the history of LEE's cinema.
The JEONJU IFF wants to look back on modern Korean film history through director LEE Chang-dong's works, and also shared the news of their plans to publish a special book titled “Lee Chang-dong: Films That Never Stop Asking Questions” to commemorate the retrospective. The book will include a study of the filmmaker and a collection of reviews on LEE Chang-dong's 6 films by critic KIM Youngjin, as well as an interview with the director, conducted by Cine 21's journalist KIM Hyeri.
Programmer MOON Seok who curated the special retrospective “LEE Chang-dong: The Truth of the Invisible” said, “It would not be an exaggeration to say Korean films have grown with director LEE Chang-dong's works. I am also organizing a master class in connection to the event, and we were able to confirm a very special person as the moderator. I am so happy to have this wonderful opportunity, and I believe it will be a valuable time for the audience too.”
Meanwhile, the 23rd JEONJU IFF is scheduled to be held for 10 days from April 28th (Thu) to May 7th (Sat) in and around Jeonju Film Street in Jeonju.
