The 25th JEONJU International Film Festival announces this year’s

Special Focus: Tsai Ming-Liang - Walker Series

- Screening list including Abiding Nowhere and a special poster released

- The world’s first opportunity to see the entire Walker Series in cinemas

- Director Tsai Ming-Liang and actor Lee Kang-Sheng will visit the festival

- Special programs including a Master Class and a conversation with critic Jung Sung-il

The 25th Jeonju International Film Festival (JEONJU IFF, Co-Director MIN Sungwook and JUNG Junho), which will take place on May 1 (Wed) at the Jeonju Film Street, has announced Tsai Ming-Liang - Walker Series 蔡明亮 - 慢走長征 系列作品 and released a poster to celebrate the Special Focus.

The JEONJU IFF and director Tsai Ming-Liang first connected in 2001 when the director's first digital short film, A Conversation with God (2001), premiered as part of the JEONJU Digital Project at the 2nd JEONJU IFF. "With its history of supporting films that are free from the conventions of cinematic expression, the festival is especially honored to be able to establish a new historical connection with a director who has become a living symbol of innovation," said Sung Moon, programmer of JEONJU IFF, expressing her excitement to invite Tsai Ming-Liang again through this Special Focus. "Walker Series shows cinema as an art form of images that are not limited to storytelling, revealing how cinema not only exhibits aesthetic beauty but also reflects reality in its essence. It also encourages us to take our time in viewing the world reflected in the mirror of the screen. Without incidents, the feet of the Walker steadily move forward, one step at a time, creating materiality through pure repetition that opens the gateway to our inner world.," she said, stimulating the audience's anticipation for the Special Focus.

The 25th JEONJU IFF will offer a unique opportunity to see all 10 films in Tsai Ming-Liang - The Walker Series 蔡明亮 - 慢走長征 系列作品 in cinemas for the first time in the world. Inspired by monk Xuanzang in the Chinese classic 『Journey to the West』, Tsai Ming-Liang's 10 films, starting with No Form (2012), feature actor Lee Kang-Sheng as a walker dressed in a red robe walking slowly and barefoot in different cities including Taipei, Hong Kong, Kuching, Paris, and Washington, D.C. The latest film in the series, Abiding Nowhere (2024), will be screened as Korean premieres. In terms of screenings, shorts under 40 minutes from the 10 films will be grouped into sets of three, with detailed screening schedules available on the JEONJU IFF’s official website (https://eng.jeonjufest.kr/).

▲Where (2022), Abiding Nowhere (2024)

▲ No Form (2012), Walker (2012), Sleepwalk (2012), Diamond Sutra (2012) (Clockwise from the left)

▲ Walking on Water (2013), Journey to the West (2014), Sand (2018), No No Sleep (2015) (Clockwise from the left)

The 25th JEONJU IFF will feature not only Tsai Ming-Liang’s films but also the director himself in presence along with his well-known persona Lee Kang-Sheng. During their visit to the festival, Tsai Ming-Liang and Lee Kang-Sheng will interact with the audience through special program events, including a Master Class and a conversation with film critic Jung Sung-il. For more information, please visit the official website of JEONJU IFF.

The 25th JEONJU IFF will be held from May 1 (Wed) to May 10 (Fri) in Korea’s representative city, Jeonju, centered around Jeonju Film Street.

蔡明亮 - 慢走長征 系列作品 Tsai Ming-Liang - Walker Series Films List