Jeonju Dome & Red Carpet Revived by Lifting the Distancing Rules

From April 28th (Thurs.) to May 7th (Sat.), the 23rd Jeonju International Film Festival is holding the ‘Spring Film Festival’ around Jeonju Film Street. In February 2020, when the COVID-19 Pandemic swept the world, Jeonju IFF, which had been held in May annually, had to rearrange the ‘structure of holding the festival’ overall. After delaying the opening date by about a month, Jeonju IFF drastically reduced the size of the event, with only a minimum of people attending the festival centered on the competition, introducing online screening. At the time, Lee Joondong, the chairperson of the Jeonju IFF’s executive committee, explained about the ‘closed-door’ festival without audiences for the first time in history, “We’ve decided to hold a minimum-sized festival not to risk the safety of people.” Since then, Jeonju IFF had no choice but to think about the ‘format of the film festival in the Pandemic era’ at the forefront.

On March 31 this year, Jeonju IFF held the offline press conferences for the first time after the Pandemic broke, declaring the ‘Revival of Festival’ in full swing. At the press conferences held in Jeonju and Seoul, respectively, the film festival expressed its willingness to meet the audience on the spot as a genuine film festival this year. Chairperson Lee Joondong frankly expressed the difficulty of hosting the film festival during the pandemic era. "After the Berlin Film Festival was held in 2020, the COVID-19 Pandemic began globally. Right after the Berlin Festival, the first film festival held in Korea was Jeonju IFF. We had to prepare the film festival in a situation where there was no reference about the pandemic situation. However, we’ve never given up on screening films in theaters. Our goal in 2022 is to completely restore the festival's festive spirit,” declaring the full recovery of the festival.

Jeonju Dome Revived in 3 Years, around 170 Guests & 2,300 Audiences, Participating in the Opening Ceremony

After Yang 2021 

On April 18, as the government lifted all social distancing rules, ‘Recovery of the Complete Festival’ at Jeonju could gain further momentum. On April 28, the opening ceremony will be held at Jeonju Dome, which will be revived for the first time in 3 years, amid a celebration of some 2,300 spectators. Jeonju Dome, which was the venue for various cultural festivals during the opening and closing ceremony of Jeonju IFF, was closed as part of the quarantine rules during the Pandemic in 2020 and 2021. However, it is fully revived at the 23rd Jeonju International Film Festival in three years with the declaration of the ‘Return to the Complete Film Festival.’

Many domestic and foreign filmmakers will attend the red-carpet event of the festival, which starts at 6 p.m. on April 28, to enjoy the return of the ‘Spring Film Festival.’ Along with the global juries for each section, 170 domestic and foreign filmmakers, including Director Lee Changdong, the main character of the Special Presentation, and Special Programmer Yeon Sangho, will step on the red carpet and attend the opening ceremony.

Actors Jang Hyunsung and Yoo Inna will host the opening ceremony as the moderator, which will be held from 7 p.m. The opening announcement of Kim Seungsoo, the director of the organizing committee, and the introduction of juries for each competition section by Chairperson Lee Joondong will be followed by a greeting video from Director Kogonada of the opening film After Yang. The opening film, After Yang, is a film that asks the audience about life and death through the private memories of Android robots working for humans. Director Kogonada has raised the degree of his recognition around the world through Pachinko (2022), the Apple TV+ original series released recently.

Jeonju International Film Festival said, "Since the opening ceremony will be held at Jeonju Dome for the first time in 3 years, we selected the moderators with a lot of consideration. We look forward to the opening ceremony with a livelier vibe.” About 2,300 tickets for the opening ceremony have been quickly sold out, but the audiences who don’t have tickets can also watch the red-carpet event outside Jeonju Dome. Also, the film festival lifted the distance rules between seats in the theaters. As a result, Jeonju IFF has opened additional seats reserved for seat distancing before.

Meanwhile, the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) is also meeting filmmakers and audiences at the 23rd Jeonju International Film Festival for the first time in a while through the event ‘K-Movie Night JEONJU 2022.’ KOFIC will hold the ‘K-Movie Night JEONJU 2022’ at 8 p.m. on April 29 (Friday), the day after the opening ceremony, at the Hanok of the Jeonju Daesaseup Festival Center. The K-Movie Night JEONJU 2022, which will be held under the concept of standing reception at an antique hanok, will screen a video that shows the future of Korean cinema that will leap to the world while reflecting on 100 years of Korean film history. Also, congratulatory videos will be screened from Director Yeon Sangho, who participates in the festival as the Special Programmer, and Actor Gong Seungyeon, who has been appointed to a jury this year. Moreover, jazz performances and a variety of food and drinks will be provided. The event is highly meaningful in that it is the first event hosted by KOFIC since the Pandemic for filmmakers and audiences who visit the film festival, encouraging the ‘Complete Recovery of the Festival.’ 

No Seat Distancing & No Food in Theaters 

The ’Recovery of Festival’ of the 23rd Jeonju IFF is expected to set a welcome precedent for the upcoming film festivals in Korea. However, the biggest concern of the festival is still the safety of the audience. Jeonju IFF aims for the ‘Recovery of Festival’ and the ‘Coexistence of Festival & Quarantine.’ According to the government's quarantine guidelines from April 25, drinks and food in theaters are allowed, but Jeonju IFF is preparing for stronger quarantine measures. Wearing masks and disinfecting hands in theaters are a must, and eating food is banned except for drinks in theaters. In addition, it will set up its own quarantine advisory group, including a public health center with doctors specializing in lung disease, and established the quarantine plans for the festival based on the results of the advisory group meeting.

In addition to events where the audience participates in person, Jeonju IFF will also actively utilize online platforms that confirmed their efficiency during the two festivals held during the Pandemic. This year, Jeonju IFF will feature 123 overseas films and 94 Korean films. Among them, 112 films will also be screened online through the ONFIFN website, an online platform dedicated to the ‘Korean Film Festival.’ The Jeonju International Film Festival, which announced the ‘Revival of Festival,’ will be held around Jeonju Film Street until May 7. As Jeonju IFF wishes, we also hope for the revival of the ‘Safe & Complete Film Festival.’