Jeonju Intl. Film Fest kicks off 26th edition with 224 films
The Jeonju International Film Festival, South Korea's premier platform for indie and art house cinema, kicks off Wednesday featuring 224 films from 57 countries.
The 26th edition of the annual festival will begin its 10-day run with an opening ceremony at 6:30 p.m. at the Sori Arts Center in Jeonju, located about 190 kilometers south of Seoul.
Following the ceremony, the Romanian film "Kontinental '25," directed and written by Radu Jude, will open the festival, JIFF said.
The comedy-drama film depicts the moral crisis a bailiff suffers after a homeless man she tries to evict commits suicide. It won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival in February.
JIFF will conclude with the Korean documentary film "In the Land of Machines," directed by Kim Ok-young. The film follows the lives of three migrant workers from Nepal employed in South Korea.
Throughout the festival, 224 movies will be screened across Jeonju. Among them, 80 films will have their global premieres at the festival.
A special section focusing on democracy will feature six films that examine political upheaval around the world, offering reflections on South Korea's recent political crisis following impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law.
The "J Special: Programmer of the Year" section, now in its fifth year, features actress Lee Jung-hyun. She has selected three films to present: Park Chan-wook's "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance," Hirokazu Koreeda's "Nobody Knows" and the Dardenne brothers' "L'Enfant." JIFF will also screen works featuring the actress, including her debut movie, "A Petal" (1996). (Yonhap)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
20 hours ago
- Korea Herald
MBC's decision to broadcast Disney+'s 'Big Bet' met with internal dissent
After airing 'Moving' in January, TV network increasingly looks to fill slots with content from streaming services MBC, one of South Korea's leading television networks, is facing mounting backlash from its own producers following the decision to broadcast Disney+ Korea's hit original series "Big Bet," beginning in July. The series, which stars veteran actors Choi Min-sik and Son Suk-ku, originally ran on Disney+ for two seasons between 2022 and 2023. MBC has confirmed that "Big Bet" season 1 will air Fridays and Saturdays at 10 p.m. throughout July, while season 2 will move to a regular Sunday night slot starting in August. The series will retain its original 19+ rating, though MBC said some edits would be needed to meet broadcast review standards. MBC said the broadcast of "Big Bet" reflects its ongoing effort to offer strategic curation of carefully selected, proven programs, adding that it aimed to broaden viewers' content choices. However, the move has triggered significant internal dissent. A total of 53 producers and production staff from MBC's drama division recently issued a joint statement condemning the decision. Via the statement, the producers criticized the management's push to delay its upcoming series — "Judge Lee Han-young" — originally slated for the same time slot as "Big Bet." 'The seriousness of the matter is heightened by the fact that the originally planned drama production was postponed to next year, in order to artificially create a budget surplus for this year,' the statement said. As a result of MBC's decision to air "Big Bet," "Judge Lee Han-young," an adaptation of a popular Naver webtoon, has been pushed back to early 2026. The drama, which features a cast including Ji Sung, Won Jin-ah and Park Hee-soon, follows a judge who, after his unjust demise, returns to the past to deliver righteous judgments. The statement accused MBC of bypassing producers in making the programming decision, and warned of a potential fallout with the series' cast. "Due to the management's decision to schedule 'Big Bet,' 'Judge Lee Han-young' now requires renegotiation with its lead actors,' it read. The producers are demanding a full reconsideration of the "Big Bet" rollout, the restoration of decision-making authority to drama teams, and reforms to what they call profit-centered management practices. Meanwhile, this is not the first time MBC has broadcast content from streaming services to fill its drama slots. In January, the network aired the Disney+ blockbuster "Moving," broadcasting two episodes every Sunday. The strategy reflects an emerging trend in Korean broadcasting, where legacy networks are increasingly looking to partner with streaming platforms to mitigate soaring content production costs and appeal to broader demographics. The shift comes amid growing financial strain across Korea's terrestrial broadcasters. KBS has reported a cumulative net loss of 14.1 billion won ($10,228,768) over the past three years, while SBS posted an operating loss of 19.2 billion won in 2024 -- its first deficit since 2016 -- and MBC's operating profit plunged from 56.6 billion won in 2022 to 6.6 billion won last year.
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Korea Herald
'Hi-Five' tops weekend box office, edging out 'Mission: Impossible 8'
South Korean action comedy "Hi-Five" seized the top spot at the local weekend box office, unseating the latest "Mission: Impossible" installment, data showed Monday. According to the Korean Film Council, the comedy movie, directed by Kang Hyeong-cheol, drew approximately 380,000 moviegoers from Friday to Sunday. Premiering Friday, the movie follows five ordinary people whose lives take a dramatic turn after receiving organ transplants. "Hi-Five" ended the reign of "Mission: Impossible -- The Final Reckoning," Tom Cruise's eighth installment of the popular action franchise, which had held the No. 1 position since its local theatrical debut May 17. It has attracted a cumulative audience of 2.47 million to date. During the weekend, the film attracted about 371,000 moviegoers. Coming in third was "Big Deal," starring Lee Je-hoon and Yoo Hae-jin, which sold 131,000 tickets over the weekend. Inspired by a real-life story, the film revolves around two men entangled in a merger case during the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
5 days ago
- Korea Herald
BTS' J-Hope to drop new digital single next month
J-Hope of K-pop supergroup BTS will release a new digital single next month, his agency said Thursday. The song titled "Killin' It Girl (feat. GloRilla)" will drop June 13 at 1 p.m., according to BigHit Music. The agency described it as a hip-hop song that candidly captures the thrill of falling in love. It features rising American rapper GloRilla, known for her bold rap style and powerful energy. Her full-length album "Glorious," released last year, peaked at No. 5 on the US Billboard 200 chart. J-Hope will give the first live performance of the song during the two-night anchor concert for his "Hope on the Stage" world tour in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul, on June 13-14, according to the agency. (Yonhap)
