S. Korean film festival finalizes lineup

By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, March 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Jeonju International Film Festival
(JIFF) has completed its lineup, event organizers said Tuesday, expanding the
fest's global reach as it marks its 10 year anniversary this year.
Opening with "Short! Short! Short! 2009," a digital omnibus film created by 10 up
and coming South Korean directors, the event will feature 200 films from 42
countries from April 30 through May 8.
Held each year in the city of Jeonju, about 240 kilometers south of Seoul, JIFF
has grown into one of the most important film festivals in Asia and is especially
noted for highlighting undiscovered films from non-Western regions and supporting
independent filmmakers.
"We are proud to say that the festival has been growing continuously while
maintaining its focus on independent and art films," JIFF chief organizer Song
Ha-jin told a press conference in Seoul Tuesday. "Laugh, cry and, most
importantly, enjoy."
South Korea's Hong Sang-soo, Japan's Naomi Kawase and the Philippines' Lav Diaz
have each contributed a 30-minute short film to this year's "The Jeonju Three
Digital Shorts Project," which has helped spotlight emerging directors over the
past decade.
The digital shorts project is considered JIFF's core program, providing 50
million won (US$36,820) to each of the three directors chosen annually to produce
short digital pieces to be premiered at the event.
The project has caught the attention of international movie critics, with two
JIFF-commissioned films, "Expectations" and "Memories," receiving awards at the
2008 Dubai International Film Festival and the 2007 Locarno International Film
Festival, respectively.
Commemorating its 10th anniversary, JIFF has also prepared retrospective programs.
The "New Directors" section will feature eight films by directors who debuted
through the festival, including South Korean Ryoo Seung-wan's "Die Bad" and "Hazy
Life" by Japan's Yamashita Nobuhiro.
The "Audiences' Choice" section will screen five films chosen by JIFF audiences,
including "Yoshino's Barber Shop," a quirky, yet touching feature by Japan's
Naoko Ogigami and "Veer Zarra" by Bollywood director Yash Chopra, winner of the
JIFF Audience Award in 2006.
In the "Discovery: Sri Lankan Cinema" section, six features by master filmmaker
Dharmasena Pathiraja, and two each by Prasanna Vithanage and Asoka Handagama,
influential contemporary Sri Lankan filmmakers, will be screened. The three will
be attending the event to meet audiences and participate in various seminars,
organizers said.
"While they have remained somewhat hidden to local film fans, Sri Lankan cinema
has been gradually and noticeably developing its own cinematic world," said Yoo
Un-sung, JIFF programmer. "It remains one of our greatest tasks to discover
unknown gems across the world by introducing unfamiliar but aesthetic films."
The event will also have a retrospective screening of acclaimed Polish auteur
Jerzy Skolimowski, who recently released "Four Nights with Anna," earning
plaudits from international critics after a 17 year absence.
Considered one of the most authentic filmmakers in the history of European
cinema, Skolimowski remains widely unknown to Korean film buffs. Nine of his 22
films will be screened during the event.
Winner of the Woosuk Award, JIFF's top prize for feature films and documentaries
with a running time of more than 60 minutes, will receive $10,000.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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