Announcing the Official Selection for Korean Competition for Shorts

Thank you to everyone who submitted their precious projects to the 23rd JEONJU International Film Festival’s Korean Competition for Shorts.

This year, 19 narrative films, 1 documentary, 3 experimental (including 1 other (narrative/experimental)), and 2 animations were selected.

We have selected the following works to screen at the 23rd JEONJU International Film Festival’s Korean Competition for Shorts.

Official Korean Competition for Shorts Selection (25 titles, in Korean alphabetical order)

1) 29th breath (KOOK Joong-yi)｜Korea｜2022｜27min｜DCP｜Color

2) Layers of Summer (PAEK Siwon)｜Korea｜2022｜34min｜DCP｜Color

3) Framily (KIM In-hye)｜Korea｜2022｜30min｜DCP｜Color

4) Piggyback ride (CHOI Jihoon, HAAM Yuni)｜Korea｜2021｜26min｜DCP｜Color

5) Mudfish (Daniel LEE)｜Korea｜2022｜24min｜DCP｜Color

6) No Problem (GOH Gainsoo)｜Korea｜2022｜15min｜DCP｜Color

7) A Guitar In the Bucket (KIM Boyoung)｜Korea｜2021｜15min｜DCP｜Color

8) Wunderkammer 10.0 (KI Yelim ,PARK Soyun, JUNG Inwoo)｜Korea, Netherlands｜2021｜32min｜DCP｜Color

9) Light It Up at 2 AM (YOO Jongseok)｜Korea｜2022｜19min｜DCP｜Color+B&W

10 Epicenter (HAHM Heeyoon)｜Korea｜2022｜11min｜DCP｜B&W

11 The Exhausted (Justin Jinsoo KIM)｜Korea, USA｜2021｜7min｜DCP｜Color

12) Bugs in your heart (HAN Wonyoung)｜Korea｜2022｜24min｜DCP｜Color

13) My Daddy is an Alien (PARK Ju-hee)｜Korea｜2022｜28min｜DCP｜Color

14) The Nocturnal Kids (PARK Jisu)｜Korea｜2021｜26min｜DCP｜Color

15) Nearby (JANG Yun-mi)｜Korea｜2021｜18min｜DCP｜Color

16) Home Sweet Home (LEE Hae-ji)｜Korea｜2022｜37min｜DCP｜Color

17) In The Dry Stream (KANG Ji-hyo)｜Korea｜2022｜26min｜DCP｜Color

18) Be With Me (Eugene Mok)｜Korea｜2021｜25min｜DCP｜Color+B&W

19) The Owners (JO Heeyoung)｜Korea｜2022｜20min｜DCP｜B&W

20) A Soundless Dream (KANG Yeeun)｜Korea｜2022｜26min｜DCP｜Color+B&W

21) Transit (MOON Hyein)｜Korea｜2022｜28min｜DCP｜Color

22) TRADE (KIM Minju)｜Korea｜2021｜29min｜DCP｜Color

23) Beyond the Veil (KIM Jin-hyeong)｜Korea｜2021｜26min｜DCP｜Color

24) The Banners (YOON Haesung)｜Korea｜2022｜25min｜DCP｜Color

25) When You Grow Up (KIM Eun-hee)｜Korea｜2022｜34min｜DCP｜Color

Overview of Korean Competition for Shorts

The 1,169 short films that were submitted to the 2022 JEONJU International Film Festival is the result of many struggles against the ongoing feelings of disconnect, loneliness, and helplessness under the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the barriers we’re facing in reality, filmmakers imagined new cinematic times and spaces, and made diverse and extraordinary attempts to restore relationships. First and foremost, we would like to express our appreciation for their strong determination to create.

Through the process of selecting approximately 24 titles for the Korean Competition for Shorts section this year, the 6 preliminary jury members agreed that dating, and the darker side of family relationships were some of the themes that overwhelmingly dominated the submissions. Intimate and exclusive relationships brought about tension and discord, and that in itself created fascinating vibes for some films. Others evoked sympathy by having these relationships penetrate through the images. The selected works which mostly focus on the hardships of couples, conflicts between family members, and individuals that parted ways, all calmly suggest new possibilities for connecting and bonding without being overwhelmed by excess or hatred. Among them, some impressed us with their fresh ideas, stylish sensibility, and smooth photography, while others won us over with their irresistibly friendly and lovely charms despite looking a bit less polished.

At the same time, filmmakers seem to have been more aware of the limitations of physical contact and the barrier that restrict them from the outside world, as they told their stories in wise ways. Familiar spaces were dismantled cinematically, sometimes in gruesome ways and sometimes in pleasant ways. Out of all narrative, experimental, and animation films, higher scores were given to the submissions that were able to strongly express the subtle emotions and tensions in the ruptures of our daily lives. With the rising number of films shot indoors, filmmakers became more creative and original in the techniques they used to visually express spaces, and in turn, were able to improve in quality. In addition, the reason to dig deeper into the human psyche further strengthened. In their new efforts to try and look at familiar sceneries in unfamiliar ways, the way the characters track the city and the nature, the way they explore, the way they wander, and the way they chase also stood out. We’ve put together a program which brings a conversational film that has an acute sensitivity to the weather, a free-spirited road movie, and a local film harboring fantastical elements to one place.

Although there aren’t many experimental films, the group that broke the overflowing number of smoothly structured narrative films left a strong impression. These works boldly dismantled the elements that function as mediums of images such as the speaker, data, and frame to induce screen tension. They also show the aesthetical aspirations of the filmmakers in an era of theater less movies. In the case of documentary submissions, there are many regrets. There weren’t many submissions to begin with, and it was even more difficult to find submissions that could persuade the jury members. With the absence of documentaries that could raise consciousness or display tenacious coverage, some documentaries closer to essay films were found to initiate interesting discussions. The jury paid attention to the works that focused on finding out the truth of reality via the digital image, and also those that explore emotions.

Despite having relatable themes, unfortunately some films didn’t make the official selection because the filmmakers didn’t spend enough time thinking about the film’s length and density. In particular, there were very few narrative films with constructively smart formats. Korean short films have long took the passive stance in terms of expression, so in the midst of this generational change, it’s something creators should consider reforming. Very few films were socially conscious, historical, or a dramatization of a timely issue, and because of that, some films received generous scores as the jury were trying to find a balance. Works that copied preexisting narratives and genres were boldly eliminated despite their polished quality. Often times, we had to think about whether a film might be more suitable for a festival or digital platforms even when it had fresh ideas and popular appeal. We believe this is a task the film festival will need to continuously contemplate.

We live in an era where anyone can shoot short videos. That’s why it’s becoming increasingly difficult for filmmakers who want to ambitiously realize the medium’s unique aesthetics and to express serious themes through short films. In particular, we want to express our condolences to filmmakers who had to go through the narrow and lonely process over the past 2 to 3 years. Through the films in the Korean Competition for Shorts at the 2022 JEONJU International Film Festival, we hope the audience will get to personally face this unfamiliar and persistent fate of short films. We believe this year´s films, which draw on solidarity and dissolution and look forward to the world, will surely serve you a bit of serene courage.

Korean Competition for Shorts Preliminary Jury Members KIM Byeonggyu, KIM Somi, SON Sinae, LEE Jae-eun, LIM Jisun, JIN Myunghyun

Official Local Cinema Selection (5 titles, in Korean alphabetical order)

1) Entering your heart (KANG Jeeiee)｜Korea｜2022｜23min｜DCP｜Color

2) Bone and Flesh (KIM Kyumin)｜Korea｜2021｜19min｜DCP｜Color

3) No problem (GOH Gainsoo)｜Korea｜2022｜15min｜DCP｜Color

4) Loss (YOON Hyojin)｜Korea｜2021｜26min｜DCP｜Color

5) Mercy Killing (KIM Eun-seong)｜Korea｜2022｜11min｜DCP｜B&W

Overview of Local Cinema

Now in its 6th year, Local Cinema seems to have finally found its place. This year, we received 1 feature and 32 short submissions for the section. We can’t say that this is a high number of submissions, but qualitatively speaking, we got the impression that the films have improved. In regards to this qualitative growth, JEONJU International Film Festival’s Local Cinema section and the festival’s support to local films in Jeollabuk-do and Jeonju area must have had some impact. But most of all, we believe the passion and hard efforts of local filmmakers struggling in this dire condition are mostly responsible.

The total number of films selected for the 23rd JEONJU International Film Festival’s Local Cinema is 5, and they’re all shorts. They are KANG Jeeiee’s Entering your heart, KIM Kyumin’s Bone and Flesh, GOH Gainsoo’s No problem, YOON Hyojin’s Loss, and KIM Eun-seong’s Mercy Killing. Among them, GOH Gainsoo’s No problem received a lot of support from the jury and it was selected to screen as a part of Korean Competition for Shorts. GOH Gainsoo participated in Korean Competition for Shorts last year with Where Is Our Love Song, and No problem is a humorous and cute story about dating. It was recognized for the witty and delicate way it expresses the feelings of a woman who has a crush on a man. The performances of all four actors were exceptional, and KIM Yeji who plays the protagonist left a strong impression with her wide-range of performances.

Director KANG Jeeiee who is actively working in her local region was highly praised for her strong direction of Entering your heart. The mother and daughter relationship is an overused theme often seen in short films, but it was told in a different and unique way in Entering your heart. The details in the story were also outstanding. KIM Kyumin’s Bone and Flesh is the film that was seen as the most experimental out of all the Local Cinema submissions this year. It is a film with very little dialogue. It could seem like an ordinary drama film or a fantasy film, while it can even feel like a horror film at times, making it unique. YOON Hyojin’s Loss can be categorized as a thriller. The movie, which takes two men working as special cleaners as its protagonists, portrays the extremes of greed. Despite having a simple structure, it was recognized for its strong buildup and scene composition. Mercy Killing can be seen as a low-budget science fiction movie. It is the story of a mother seeking the permission to die from the state in a crime-ruled world, and her son and her daughter-in-law who are looking after her. Their discord and confrontations feel ironic thanks to the holy music. Many thought the story has an interesting yet “blasphemous” imagination.

While writing this note as a jury, it has come to my attention that we selected a comedy, a drama, a thriller, an SF, and an experimental film, although it wasn’t intended during the selection process. In addition, I believe this is a reflection of how much wider and deeper the spectrum of local cinema is becoming.

The selection for Local Cinema was conducted along with Professor JUNG Seung-eun of the Department of Film and TV at JEONJU University and director CHOI Jinyoung (The Slug and Yeonhui-dong). We were able to find wonderful films thanks to Professor JUNG’s sharp eyes and director CHOI’s keen observation, who has been making diverse films set in the region. I would like to thank the two jury members once again. In addition, I’d like to thank the directors and producers who bravely made and submitted films even under the difficult circumstances we’re living through in our 3rd year of the pandemic.

Programmer MOON Seok