This year as well, the Special Screening: Local Independent Cinema Showcase supports and encourages the local independent film community, which continues to produce meaningful achievements despite challenging circumstances. It seeks to create a space where the public can be introduced to last year’s achievements and significance in regions where independent film associations are active, reflect on them together, and explore a new future.
This year’s Local Independent Cinema Showcase is presented in collaboration with independent film associations from eight regions—Gangwon-do, Gwangju, Daegu-Gyeongbuk-do, Daejeon, Busan, Incheon, Jeonbuk-do, and Jeju-do—and the films were selected based on the opinions of these eight associations.
Official Special Screening: Local Independent Cinema Showcase for Selection (13 titles)
Features 6 titles (in Korean alphabetical order)
1) On a Beautiful Day (KWON Yongjin)｜Korea｜2025｜81min｜DCP｜Color｜Busan
2) BangBang and Planaria (PARK Heejin)｜Korea｜2025｜91min｜DCP｜Color｜Gangwon-do
3) Stars and Sand (KAM Jeongwon)｜Korea｜2025｜118min｜DCP｜Color｜Daegu·Gyeongsangbuk-do
4) Curry of the day (JO Meehye)｜Korea｜2025｜119min｜DCP｜Color｜Jeonbuk-do
5) The time of Jeju (KIM Dawoon)｜Korea｜2025｜116min｜DCP｜Color｜Jeju-do
6) Coming of Age (JEONG Seung-o)｜Korea｜2025｜105min｜DCP｜Color/B&W｜Incheon
Shorts 7 titles (in Korean alphabetical order)
1) Noise Canceling (HAN Minyoung)｜Korea｜2025｜24min｜DCP｜Color｜Daejeon
2) Haunt (LIM Jihun)｜Korea｜2025｜29min｜DCP｜Color｜Busan
3) No Diving (JANG Hyun-been)｜Korea｜2024｜17min｜DCP｜Color｜Daegu·Gyeongsangbuk-do
4) Starting over (KIM Soyeong)｜Korea｜2026｜29min｜DCP｜Color｜Gwangju
5) Connection—Fantasy (PARK Hanna)｜Korea, Chile, Taiwan, Singapore｜2026｜24min｜DCP｜Color｜Jeju-do
6) Men Wandering in the Mountain (PARK Minuk)｜Korea｜2025｜19min｜DCP｜Color｜Gangwon-do
7) First Line (LEE Dayoung)｜Korea｜2026｜28min｜DCP｜Color｜Incheon
Selection Statement Local Independent Cinema Showcase The 27th JEONJU International Film Festival
First and foremost, we would like to extend our sincere congratulations and support to the films and filmmakers that have been selected. The jury had diverse opinions throughout the selection process, and it should be noted that the final decisions were not reached easily. Many of the films that were ultimately not selected also received leveled support during the deliberations. Given the relatively small number of submissions, and our belief that such categorization would not necessarily be meaningful, we have chosen not to identify any particular trends in terms of themes or subject matter.
Evaluating local cinema is challenging. The scope of what constitutes a local cinema may vary from person to person, and perspectives on the purpose and fairness of this section can also differ. With an open mind, we approached the selection process with careful restraint, remaining particularly mindful not to allow the local cinema to lower its own standards of qualification. The process was so difficult that we felt compelled to express such an obvious statement here.
While it may not amount to a clear trend, one brief impression we gathered from watching films produced in various regions is that a wide range of creative attempts are being made without restraint. local cinema today is not confined strictly to geographic boundaries—rather, it is being created freely without a fixed center. Some may find it unfortunate that relatively few films explicitly express a distinctive regional identity or specificity. Yet we believe that the most important value of the term local cinema lies in sustaining the desire to make films anywhere.
We conclude by expressing our gratitude to all those who have made films in respective regions, and by asking for continued interest and support for regional cinema.
The Preliminary Juries of Local Independent Cinema Showcase KO Hyuck-jin, KIM Seulgi, GIM Jiyeon, MIN Byunghoon, SHIN Minchan, LEE Sejin, JANG Byungki, HAN Seha
