The Pivot of the “Hybrid” Film Festival in Korea

·To be held from Apr 28 to May 7, 2022

·The special section to be unveiled: “Taehung Pictures”

The 23rd JEONJU International Film Festival (JEONJU IFF, Festival Director LEE Joon-dong) announced the official schedule for 2022. Through a resolution at the end of last year, the board of directors confirmed that the 23rd JEONJU IFF will be held for 10 days from April 28 (Thur) to May 7 (Sat), 2022.

The 23rd edition will get ahead of more in-person special programs than the previous year. It will have its number of selections back to pre-pandemic levels following strict COVID protocols. JEONJU IFF is willing to continue its festival spirit, as well as keep up with achievements against all the odds. With the increasing rate of the COVID vaccination, the film festival in Jeonju plans for 500 screenings with a total of 18 sections and 230 selections for 2022, expecting that the spread of COVID-19 will decline.

A significant number of selections and screenings are planned for this year’s festival as the table shows above. The JEONJU IFF 2022 stacks up against the 19th (241 titles, 536 screenings) and 20th (265 titles, 559 screenings), which broke the record of the most audiences at the time, respectively. Compared to the 21st (194 titles, Extended Screening) or 22nd (186 titles, 356 screenings), which were held during the pandemic, on the other hand, the 23rd film festival has decided to push ahead with various in-person special events.

This year’s festival will showcase a variety of programs and related events, including a special section, “Special Focus: Taehung Pictures.” The special section is to reflect the history of Taehung Pictures, which contributed to introducing Korean films to the world, and commemorate the former CEO of Taehung Pictures, LEE Tae-won who passed away in October last year. Thanks to Taehung Pictures, Korean cinema could dramatically expand in the 1980s and 1990s. In this retrospective program for Taeheung Pictures, 8 films that are considered important in Korean film history will be screened.

The lineup for “Special Focus: Taehung Pictures”

: Chihwaseon (2002), Fin De Siecle (1999), My Dear Keumhong (1995), Rosy Life (1994), The Road To Race Track (1991), Gagman (1989), Our Joyful Young Days (1987), and The Oldest Son (1985)

Meanwhile, an alternative catalogue J Magazine from JEONJU IFF, which resonated cinephiles, will be also published in the 23rd edition. Other special events such as “Street Screening” are expected to attract citizens in Jeonju, especially family audiences for events on Children’s Day.

So far, JEONJU IFF has become the pivot of the “hybrid” film festival in Korea, showcasing various types of films under the condition of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 21st edition, for instance, was the first Korean international film festival that opened amid the pandemic, introducing online screenings and long-term screenings for 114 days. Plus, last year’s festival was held in the form of a “hybrid” concept, combining virtual and physical screenings and events during the festival. It means that JEONJU IFF has continued to challenge itself in terms of the format of the film festival as the festival is based on the discovery and introduction of independent, alternative, and art filｍs.

“It is too early to be relieved of issues about the pandemic. We will expand COVID-19 protocols during the festival,” says the festival director Lee Joon-dong. “We, however, believe that opportunities come to those who are prepared. JEONJU IFF has a sort of duty to present measures and standards for holding film festivals in Korea after the spread of the COVID-19. We will do our best to prepare for this year’s festival and hope to meet more audiences than in the previous years,” he added.