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Jeonju International Film Fest opens 26th edition with 224 films

Published: 30 Apr. 2025, 12:34

A red carpet image from the 25th Jeonju International Film Festival in 2024 [JIFF]

The Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF), Korea's premier platform for indie and art house cinema, kicks off Wednesday, featuring 224 films from 57 countries.

The 26th edition of the annual festival will begin its 10-day run with an opening ceremony at 6:30 p.m. at the Sori Arts Center in Jeonju, located about 190 kilometers south of Seoul.

Following the ceremony, the Romanian film "Kontinental '25," directed and written by Radu Jude, will open the festival, JIFF said.

The comedy-drama film depicts the moral crisis a bailiff suffers after a homeless man she tries to evict commits suicide. It won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival in February.

JIFF will conclude with the Korean documentary film "In the Land of Machines," directed by Kim Ok-young. The film follows the lives of three migrant workers from Nepal employed in Korea.

Posters for the 26th edition of the Jeonju International Film Festival [JIFF]

Throughout the festival, 224 movies will be screened across Jeonju. Among them, 80 films will have their global premieres at the festival.

A special section focusing on democracy will feature six films that examine political upheaval around the world, offering reflections on Korea's recent political crisis following the brief imposition of martial law by now-ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol.

A still from "Kontinental ’25," the opening film for the 26th edition of the Jeonju International Film Festival [JIFF]

The "J Special: Programmer of the Year" section, now in its fifth year, features actress Lee Jung-hyun. She has selected three films to present: Park Chan-wook's "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance," Hirokazu Koreeda's "Nobody Knows" and the Dardenne brothers' "L'Enfant." JIFF will also screen works featuring the actress, including her debut movie, "A Petal" (1996).

Yonhap