It Achieved the Coexistence of the Festival & the Preventive Measures without a Single Quarantine Accident

The 23rd Jeonju International Film Festival ended on May 7 (Sat) after enjoying the festive mood for 10 days. The closing ceremony held at 7 p.m. in Jeonju Dome was hosted by actors Kang Gilwoo and Lee Sanghee. In the closing ceremony, Lee Joondong, chairperson of the executive committee, said, “The Jeonju International Film Festival, which marks the beginning of the international film festivals in Korea every year, was held this year, declaring the end of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the beginning of the festival, and the restoration of the square. As the distancing rules were completely lifted, many audiences filled the theaters, and we could complete the film festival safely without a single quarantine accident.”

On the closing day, the news of Actress Kang Sooyoun’s death was reported, and a special time was arranged to cherish the memory of the deceased actor during the closing ceremony. Kang Sooyoun was the actor who took the lead in introducing Korean films to the world. We will not forget the late Actress Kang Sooyoun, who left many records in the Korean cinema, starting with the first Asian actor who won the Best Actress at the Venice International Film Festival in 1987. The Jeonju International Film Festival sent a message of deep condolence praying for her resting in peace. 

Geographies of Solitude Won the Grand Prize in the International Competition, While Jeong-sun Won the Grand Prize in the Korean Competition 

At the closing ceremony, the results of the awards at the 23rd Jeonju International Film Festival were announced, and the award-winning directors came up to the stage to express their feelings. A total of 20 winners were selected in 16 sections, including the International Competition, the Korean Competition, and the Korean Short Competition, as well as the NETPAC Award presented by the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema. Geographies of Solitude directed by Jacquelyn Mills enjoyed the honor of the Grand Prize at the International Competition. The Grand Prize in the Korean Competition went to Jeong-sun directed by Jeong Jihye. On the stage, Director Jeong said, “The Jeonju International Film Festival is quite straightforward. I think this film festival supports directors with their own voices and colors with its convictions. I think this award contains the encouragement of the Jeonju International Film Festival to show the film Jeong-sun to many more audiences.” The Best Actor Prize this year (Sponsored by ONFIFN) went to Actor Oh Minae of Missing Yoon and Actor Ok Jayeon of Archaeology of Love.

Director Eric Gravel of the closing film Full Time took stood on the stage himself to celebrate the finale of the 23rd Jeonju International Film Festival. The film Full Time depicts the vivid reality of a working mom who has to raise two kids while working as a temporary worker and is also a hot topic as the two-time winner of the Best Director in the Orizzonti Program and the Best Actress at the 78th Venice Film Festival. Director Eric Gravel said, “I flew from France to share the touching moment of sharing the film through the large screen with many audiences. It feels like a kid has got a yummy chocolate cake,” expressing his overwhelming feelings.

Advantages of Online Film Festivals are Mixed to Normalize Audience-oriented Film Festivals

This year, the Jeonju International Film Festival presented a total of 217 films, including 123 overseas films and 94 domestic films. Among them, 143 are features, and 74 are shorts, and 61 films were introduced in the World Premiere. The films were shown a total of 472 times in 19 cinema screens in the 5 theaters over 10 days, recording sellouts 244 times. Compared to the last year, the number of offline screenings increased 116 times, and 55,090 seats increased in number. 

Compared to the last year, offline program events were greatly expanded, creating a complete recovery of the festival. A total of 176 offline program events were held, and not only 56 overseas guests, but 619 guests, the cineastes leading the domestic and foreign film industries, including Director Lee Changdong, Yeon Sangho, and Shin Suwon, participated in the events and communicated with the audience.

The events for networking through movies were also actively held. The Jeonju Project, which marks its 14th anniversary this year, lasted for 3 days during the festival. The number of industry badge issuers to attend the event was 331 persons, which increased by 43% compared to the last year, and the number of business meeting participants and participating films also increased. 

The Jeonju International Film Festival willingly embraced the advantages of online film festivals they experienced through the pandemic over the past two years. Among the 217 films screened, 112 films (69 overseas films and 43 Korean films) were screened online through ONFIFN, an online platform exclusively dedicated to the film festival. At the same time, it was well received by many audiences by providing live broadcasts and replays of the events such as the opening ceremony, Master Classes, and Jeonju TALK-TALK. 

Especially, the festival this year expanded its scope to the metaverse. For 7 days from May 6th (Fri) to 12th (Thu), ZEPETO, the global metaverse platform, is screening 5 short films that won the Korean Competition last year. Not only Korean audiences but also overseas audiences can watch the films awarded at the Jeonju International Film Festival now. If you access ZEPETO and visit CGV World Map, you can watch the films at any time free of charge.

The Number of the Audience Recovered to 87% Compared to Before COVID-19, a Meaningful Result 

The number of offline audiences who visited the Jeonju International Film Festival for 10 days was 47,171, while the number of online audiences was 7,417. Compared to the Jeonju IFF in 2019, before COVID-19, the number of the audience compared to the number of seats recovered to about 87%. This is a significant result of the Jeonju International Film Festival, which declared the possibility of getting back to shape to the film industry, which had been dampened by COVID-19.

With the end of the 23rd Jeonju International Film Festival, Jeonju Dome disappears. Instead, ‘Jeonju Independent Film House’ will be built on the same site. ‘Jeonju Independent Film House’ is expected to become the cradle of independent films where the production, education, and screening of independent films take place in one place. It is expected to become the symbol of the Korean independent film industry, which contains the spirit of the Jeonju International Film Festival, which has introduced alternative trends and independent and experimental films at the forefront for the past 23 years.