The 21st JEONJU International Film Festival (JEONJU IFF, Festival Director LEE Joondong) announced the finalists in Korea Competition. Korean Competition is a main competition section for first and second features which were produced after January of 2019. 

This year, Korean Competition submissions rose by 20% from last year to 125 films. Through a fair process, 11 finalists were selected for the section. Fiction films Gull (KIM Mijo), Blessedness: Monsters and Specters (HONG Jiyeong), Please Don’t Save Me(JUNG Yeon-kyung), Take Me Home (HAN Jay), DUST-MAN(KIM Nakyung), Mom’s Song (SHIN Dongmin), Black Light (BAE Jongdae), Midsummer Madness (KIM Jongjae), Dispatch (LEE Taegyeom), Homeless (LIM Seunghyeun) and documentary Daldongne 33 Up (Cho Uhn) are the finalists.

Programmer MOON Seok of the JEONJU IFF said, “The 125 films submitted to the JEONJU IFF’s Korean Competition this year show the true face of Korean society today.” He added, “These films take different approaches to uncover diverse serious problems we face in the society, such as severe poverty and suffering in a polarized world, the tyranny of those in power and the weak struggling to oppose, and the discrimination and violence against women.”

One thing that is particularly noticeable is that many of this year’s selection deal with various issues related to women. Programmer MOON Seok said, “Of the 11 titles selected for Korean Competition, 6 films, which are more than half of the total, were directed by female filmmakers. This seems to be a reflection of the fact that Korean society and the film industry are gradually riding the wind of change after the Me Too movement. Even in the films directed by male filmmakers, there were many female protagonists and themes about women which support this analysis.”

With this announcement following the announcement on Korean Competition for Shorts, all Korean shorts and features at this year’s JEONJU IFF have been unveiled. The 11 Korean Competition finalists will be introduced to the audience at the 21st JEONJU International Film Festival which is starting on May 28th, where the jury will review and award the Grand Prize and the Best Acting Prize.

Meanwhile, JEONJU IFF is carefully identifying and tracking the COVID-19 situation, while preparing the safe event. “We are doing our very best to make this year’s festival that audiences and guests, as well as Jeonju citizens can enjoy safely.” Festival Director LEE Joondong said.

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