26th JIFF Unveils Korean Competition Lineup
LGBTQ+ themes and women's narratives dominate selection
The 26th Jeonju International Film Festival, set to run April 30 to May 9, 2025, has unveiled its Korean Competition selection.
Ten films — nine narrative features and one documentary — from first- and second-time directors have been selected for the Korean Competition, which has historically served as a launching pad for Korea's indie directors, with previous winners like "Kim Min-young of the Report Card" (22nd edition), "Jeong-sun" (23rd edition) and "Time to Be Strong" (25th edition) going on to gain international recognition.
Programmers Moon Seok, Moon Sung-kyung and Jeon Jin-soo noted that this year's selection process was "historically difficult" due to the wealth of excellent submissions. The festival received a record-setting 165 submissions during its three-month call for entries.
There are two dominant themes -- LGBTQ+ narratives and stories of female solidarity within nontraditional family structures -- in the works selected for competition, according to the programmers.
Park Joon-ho's "3670" follows a young gay North Korean defector who faces alienation from both the defector community and LGBTQ+ social circles. Divine Sung's "Summer's Camera" offers a hopeful coming-of-age narrative about a high school girl who experiences her first crush on a classmate.
Bang Mi-ri's "Save" features a young woman about to leave foster care who meets an older woman claims to have saved her life in the past. They journey together to recover deposit money from a scammer. Lee Eun-jung's "The Sound of Life" portrays three generations of women who lean on each other through life's ups and downs. Yun Sim-kyoung's "Sua's Home" tells the story of a 15-year-old abandoned by her adoptive parents who becomes a tennis coach for a wealthy girl and develops a connection with the girl's mother.
The programmers noted that these narratives of female solidarity may represent an evolution of women-centered storytelling that emerged following the #MeToo movement in Korea.
Meanwhile, Jung Ki-hyuk's "Drifting" and Kim Jun-seok's "All Is Well, I Love You" received special recognition for their impressive ensemble performances. "Drifting" follows a insurance call center worker on a road trip. "All Is Well, I Love You" explores the intersection of art and life through the story of a married actor couple.
Other selections include Cho Hyun-suh's "Winter Light," about a financially struggling high school boy questioning his family's situation and future, and Kim Tae-yun's "Where is My Father?," which follows a young man who uncovers unknown aspects of his father's life before leaving his hometown Jeju Island for Seoul.
Only one documentary made the cut this year: Lee Eun-hee's "Colorless, Odorless." The film uses company records and historical archives to expose the health hazards faced by semiconductor factory workers, including occupational illnesses, and the systemic issues that lead to repeated workplace accidents.
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