Jeonju International Film Festival kicks off April 28th

The 12th Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) will be held for 9 days from April 28th to May 6th, running under the theme of ‘Freedom, Independence, and Communication.’

During the festival, a total of 190 films hailing from 38 different countries (including Korea, Portual, Mexcio, and Iran) will be screened. The 131 feature films (with a running time of 60min or more) and 59 short films will be divided into six different categories: ‘Competition,’ ‘JIFF Project,’ ‘Cinemascape,’ ‘Stranger than Cinema,’ ‘Cinemafest,’ and ‘Focus On.’

The film festival will open with ‘Nader and Simin: A Separation’ (by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi), a film that won the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. The plotline follows the characters from different families as their lives intertwine and they are each met with different ethical and psychological dilemmas. The festival will close with the movie named the winner of the Korean Feature Films Competition.

This year’s festival highlights a greater number of documentary films than in the previous years. A total of 24 (12 international, 12 domestic) documentaries will be screened in the ‘International Competition’ section and a selection of films and documentaries will make their appearance in the ‘Cinemascape’ category, providing commentary on worldwide cinema trends.

In the ‘Stranger than Cinema’ category, an array of interesting experimental films will be introduced including ‘K.364: A Journey by Train,’ (a film from the U.K. narrating Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante K.364) and ‘The Nine Muses’ (a U.K. film exploring the history of mass migration to post-war Britain using Greek mythology as a narrative reference). Other special programs will be running as well, including the ‘Jeonju Project Market’ (featuring unique and promising film projects) and the ‘Phone Film Festival,’ (exploring the diverse methods of film-making using mobile phone devices).

Visa and MasterCard cardholders, as well as residents of Korea, may make reservations online at the official JIFF website. Tickets may also be purchased onsite from the box offices before and during the festival. The official festival screening schedule will be announced on the JIFF webpage on April 5th.

More info

☞ Festival Period & Venue
April 28 – May 6, 2011 / Sori Arts Center of Jeollabuk-do (130435), Cinema District in Gosa-dong and surrounding areas

☞ Ticket Reservation Dates & Location


Opening / Closing Ceremony: April 12 (from 2pm) & May 5
General Screenings: April 14 (from 10am) - May 5
** Reservations may be made at JIFF official webpage: http://jiff.or.kr/index.asp (Korean, English)


Pre-festival Box Office: April 14 – April 28 (11am–7pm)
** Location: Cafe ZIP&JIFF (located in the Cinema District of Gosa-dong)
Festival Box Office: April 29 – May 6 (9:30am – 30min. before last screening of the day)
** Location: Cafe ZIP&JIFF, Dongjin Parking Lot, Culture Square, Jeonbuk Univ. main gate

☞ Reservation Inquiries: jiff_ticket@jiff.or.kr
☞ 1330 tt call center: +82-63-1330 (Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese)
☞ Inquiries: +82-63-288-5433 (Korean, English)
☞ Related Column: Jeonju: Hanok and Bibimbap Aplenty in Korea's Cultural Heartland
Link:http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FU/FU_EN_15.jsp?cid=1252993