MovieMaker Magazine Gives Thumbs Up to Indie-Focused JIFF
MovieMaker Magazine included the
Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) in its recent ‘The 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World’ feature. The unranked list from the influential filmmaking publication, known as the world’s leading independent filmmaking magazine, also included famous events such as the Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland, South by Southwest (SXSW) and Fantastic Fest, both based in Austin, Texas, the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and Sheffield Doc/Fest.
A selection committee including filmmakers, festival programmers and journalists described the festival’s program as “always interesting, a mix of Asian indies, Korean premieres, experimental films and rarities from all over the world.” One panelist called the event “unforgettable” and described the “delightful curiosities” associated with the festival.
The Jeonju International Film Festival spotlights independent cinema from Korea and around the world. In recent years, the festival has begun financing feature-length independent works from important filmmakers, called Jeonju Cinema Projects. Among this year’s crop was
KIM Dae-hwan’s
The First Lap, which picked up the Best Emerging Director from the Locarno International Film Festival this month.
This year’s JIFF gave its top prize to Davi Pretto’s
Rifle and its Best Korean Film award to
LIM Tea-gue’s
The Seeds of Violence. In 2018, the 19th edition of the festival will take place from May 3rd to 12th.