Korea's 'International' Film Festivals Report

In 2022, not only Korea but also the film festivals around the world are reviving from the pandemic crisis. Major international film festivals in Korea, whose status is gradually increasing globally, are also announcing 'the full recovery of festivals.' At the same time, the film festivals around the world seem to be using the film industry and ecosystem changes they experienced during the last COVID-19 Pandemic as a driving force for new development. 

International Film Festivals in Korea Declare Back to Normal

On April 28, the 23rd JEONJU International Film Festival opened with the goal of restoring the pre-pandemic level of the events. 217 films from 56 countries around the world were screened, and 244 of the 472 screenings were sold out, recording a 52% selling-out rate. The total number of audiences at the festival, including special screenings and performance audiences, was about 50,000, a three-fold increase from last year. Lee Joondong, Chairperson of the JEONJU International Film Festival, said at a press conference on the settlement of accounts, "This year, our biggest goal was the full recovery of the festival. We were so much ready for the full recovery of the events, and thanks to that, we were able to open a reservation seat in accordance with quarantine guidelines and hold the film festival tailored to the endemic era, such as screenings without distancing between seats." 

The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) also opened on July 7, declaring its first full-face-to-face film festival in 3 years. According to the festival, 1,447 films were submitted this year, which is the highest ever, and 268 films from 49 countries have been selected for screenings. BIFAN abolished the 'Prohibited Zone' section and reorganized the program by adding various non-competitive sections such as 'Mad MaxX,' which introduces new genre masters' films, and 'Adrenaline Ride,' which introduces authentic horrors and hard-core films. At the press conference, Shin Chul, Chairperson of the Organizing Committee, said, "No one will think we can go back to before the Pandemic 100%. I think it's time to change, not return. BIFAN will be an evolving film festival instead of returning to past." 

The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which will open on October 5, will also be held normally for the first time in 3 years. Like other film festivals, BIFF also aims to operate the festival without any quarantine restrictions on the number of audiences or participants in the venue. According to the Busan Ilbo, Huh Moonyoung, Chairperson of the BIFF Executive Committee, said, "This year, we want to restore the complete festival at the level of 2019 before COVID-19. We will also resume various support programs that have been suspended for the past 2 years, including the Asian Cinema Fund (ACF)."

Expanding Offline Events 

The JEONJU International Film Festival and the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival continued their online screening this year, which began during the Pandemic. JEONJU joined hands with ONFIFN, an online platform exclusively for film festivals, and Bucheon has joined hands with wavve, an OTT service. However, the centerpiece of the movie screening was offline. The film festivals revived the atmosphere of the pre-pandemic film festival by significantly increasing the proportion of offline events, including movie screenings and talking sessions with audiences.

The JEONJU International Film Festival organized events to enjoy the festival with Jeonju citizens, including 'Talk in Spring' program, a talk stage where directors and actors greet each other on stage at the Jeonju Lounge, 'Street Screenings,' 'Outdoor Screenings,' 'Busking in JEONJU,' a music performance program on the streets, etc. The '100 Film 100 Posters Special Exhibition,' a flagship event at the JEONJU International Film Festival, which marks its 8th anniversary this year, was also held. It also expanded cooperation with external institutions by holding the 'Have A Nice Day X JEONJU International Film Festival' in the form of a music festival. 

The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival has launched a long-term project with Bucheon citizens' commercial district. The goal is to convey positive effects to the local economy that has been adversely affected by the Pandemic. Chairperson Shin Chul chose the Halloween in July event reinterpreted by Bucheon style as one of the pillars of the film festival that can be enjoyed with citizens. Civic participation events such as parades and water gun fights will be held at Bucheon City Hall, Central Park, Lawn Plaza, and Movie Street. 

The Busan International Film Festival will expand the events through 'BIFF in the Neighborhood,' which will screen films in each region of Busan, outside the Cinema Center. The plan is to increase contact points with citizens by introducing programs according to the different characteristics of each place. The film festival also entered 'Crowd Ticketing' for the festival's signature programs, 'Community BIFF' and 'Request Cinema: A Theater You Can Request Films.' Through the event, if a certain number of reservations is achieved, the lineup of films that the audience wants will be confirmed. In line with the recovery of the festival, the festival plans to increase the number of volunteers from 470 last year to 600 this year. 

Strengthening Industry & Technology Programs

Reflecting the increased interest in K-Content through the Pandemic, the international film festivals in Korea have stepped up markets or programs where Korean and foreign film industry officials can attend. The Asian Contents & Film Market of BIFF, which was held online for the past 2 years, will return to face-to-face events for the first time in 3 years. The market will be held in a way that booths will be set up at BEXCO as usual. Also, 'Platform Busan,' the Asian independent film industry's network program that had been suspended due to quarantine, and the BIFF Asian Film Academy (BAFA) will resume in 3 years. The Asian Cinema Fund (ACF), which discovers the talents of Asia, will also support the projects again. 

The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival has expanded the scale of awards and support for selected films and dramas of the 'NAFF Project Market' to find genre films and new creators this year. In this regard, it has newly established the 'P&I Screening' program and built a library on Shift 72, an online screening platform. Following last year, BIFAN is also running 'Bucheon Fantastic Castle,' a virtual space in Gathertown, a metaverse, to provide a venue for socializing and networking for B.I.G guests, NAFF participants, and the students at the Fantastic Film School. 

Efforts to explore technologies are also accelerating. The JEONJU International Film Festival co-hosted the JEONJU Conference, which focused on XR (Extended Reality), with the Jeonju IT & CT Industry Promotion Agency. Experts from various fields participated to talk about the possibility of combining VR and XR technologies with the existing film industry. JEONJU also screened 5 award-winning films in the Korean Competition for Shorts at the 22nd JEONJU International Film Festival on CGV World Map within the metaverse platform ZEPETO this year. 

The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival introduced various media works and technology statuses at 'Beyond Reality,' which marks its 7th anniversary this year. In addition to XR films we can enjoy without machines, the festival also presented the works selected and produced in the creative manpower training program, which is jointly organized by Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival and Unity Korea, and the works using projection mappings similar to the form of performances. 

The Aftermath of the Pandemic in Movies

What is the trend of the screenings? In an interview with Cine 21, Chun Jinsu, a programmer of the JEONJU International Film Festival, said, "In the international competition section, Asian films such as China and Japan have improved their completeness while European films deal with illegal immigration issues and their fresh perspectives quite stood out. Also, the 'progress of female directors' was notable." Moon Seok, a programmer of the JEONJU International Film Festival, said, "The number of shorts in the Korean competition has increased a lot. And a lot of movies dealt with intimate themes such as family and love. It is believed to be the result of environmental limitations due to the Pandemic. I think the situation will change again next year," referring to the trend of Korean films. 

Kim Youngdeok, a programmer of BIFAN, said, "A lot of Asian films dealt with inner fear. Also, there are lots of films about cell phones and Social Media. At the same time, there is also a tendency to crave the recovery of relations after COVID-19." Park Jinhyung, a programmer of BIFAN, added, "I feel more changes in the movie distribution environment than the Pandemic. In this trend, I can see that European films tend to create new stories with a mixture of genres." 

In the middle of such trends, BIFAN newly established the 'Series Film Award' and presented the first award to Squid Game, suggesting the need to redefine what a movie is. The festival also opened the 'Korean Fantastic: Series Killer' section, which screens series movies or dramas. Shin Chul, Chairperson of the Bucheon Executive Committee, said, "Various forms of visual storytelling are being created. In an era where time and space constraints have disappeared, various types of videos such as YouTube and TikTok as well as series streamed on OTT like Squid Game should be accepted as movies."