The first year of the switch to feature length films for Jeonju Digital Project has been a success as the three films are still moving on strong, travelling around the international film festival scene. It started with SHIN Yeon-shick’s The Avian Kind, the follow-up film after The Russian Novel, which went to the 36th Moscow International Film Festival’s official main competition section. Then Free Fall by GyörgyPálfi was not only invited to the Karolvy Vary International Film Festival, but won three awards including the Best Director Prize at the festival. Soon following, PARK Jung-bum’s Alive took part at the 67th Locarno International Film Festival and was awarded with the Youth Jury Award on August 16th. Also at Locarno, another Korean film was recognized. YOO Soon-mi’s Songs From the North was presented with the Opera Primi. After Locarno, both films will be handed off to Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for the City to Cityand Wavelengths sections respectively, stepping foot in the North American market.

 

In the 2014 line-up at Locarno, two more Korean titles were invited on top of Alive and Songs From the North which were A Fresh Start by JANG Woo-jin and Gyeongju by Zhang LU. Gyeongju will join the first two titles on the trip to TIFF. Korean films at Locarno have been dominating in the last few years, winning the Best Director award and Best Actress award for When Night Falls in 2012, to Best Director award for Our Sunhi last year, to the two awards presented this year.

 

The 39th TIFF spotlights an up and coming city each year through the City to City program. With Seoul as the city of choice for 2014, it is no doubt that international eyes are on Korean films.“Seoul continues to produce some of the world's most exciting auteurs, and we want the City to City spotlight to introduce our audience to the next generation,”said Cameron Bailey, the Artistic Director of the festival.