Jeonju film fest opens with digital omnibus

The 10th Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) kicks off its nine-day run today in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province with "Short! Short! Short! 2009," a digital omnibus film created by 10 up-and-coming Korean directors.

The opener "Short! Short! Short! 2009" illustrates the festival`s identity as a key venue for experimental filmmakers in Asia by providing a humorous yet thought-provoking glimpse into today`s Korean society and its obsession with money.



Under the slogan of "Freedom, Independence and Communication," the festival has expanded its lineup to 200 movies from 42 countries in a bid to strengthen its position as the country`s second biggest film festival after Busan.

Reflecting the festival`s popularity, about 40 percent of tickets have been sold as of Tuesday according to JIFF organizers. The tickets for the opening film sold out in just two minutes. Although many of popular films have sold out, organizers said visitors could get tickets at 15 JIFF-affiliated theaters in Jeonju because 15 percent of tickets are reserved for offline purchase.

A pre-opening performance was held in the square in front of the Jeonju City Hall yesterday, featuring singers Girls Generation.

Actors Kim Tae-woo and Lee Tae-ran will host the opening ceremony, which takes place at the Sori Arts Center at 6:30 p.m. About 2,000 audience members are expected to attend the show featuring the opening speech of JIFF chief organizer Song Ha-jin and congratulatory music performances.

Drawing attention is the Jeonju Three Digital Shorts Project, a key programs aimed at nurturing talented filmmakers. This year, Korea`s Hong Sang-soo, Japan`s Naomi Kawase and the Philippines` Lav Diaz have each contributed a 30-minute short film.

"West of the Tracks" in the New Directors Discovered by JIFF section is also getting attention because of its exhausting runtime time of nine hours and 11 minutes. Director Wang Bing followed foundry employees in an industrial city of Shenyang province for two years, meticulously portraying the inevitable decline of an obsolete manufacturing industry.

"Surreal Random MMS Texts for a Mother, a Sister, and a Wife Who Longs for You: Landscape with Fingers" is disappointingly short - 15 minutes - in consideration of its long title. However, it`s one of a new breed of cutting-edge films produced by mobile handsets. Director Christopher Gozum of the Philippines lays bare the reality of immigrant workers, defying the limited scope of a mobile phone camera.

Horror movie fans, meanwhile, may well be excited about JIFF this year because it presents "Embodiment of Evil," a hair-raising fare directed by Jose Mojica Marins. The film centers upon Coffin Joe, described as "the most deliciously evil villain in film history," who gets released from prison after 40 years of isolation. Coffin Joe`s revenge drama neatly puts together all the horror film elements - murder, sex, torture, amputation, cannibalism, supernaturalism. The final installment of the Coffin Joe trilogy, the film received the X-treme Award at the Festival de Cine de Sitges 2008.

The Jeonju film festival will close on May 8 with "Machan," directed by Uberto Pasolini, known as a producer of "The Full Monty" (1997). This neo-realistic comedy involves 23 people in a slum town of Sri Lanka, who set out to become a national handball team as a ploy to get visas to Europe.

For further information, visit its homepage at jiff.or.kr or call (063)-288-5433.

By Yang Sung-jin



(insight@heraldm.com)