Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
Jecheon music film festival to offer unique cinematic blend
Filmmaker Jang Hang-jun, left, who serves as executive director of the 22nd Jecheon International Music & Film Festival, poses with actor Ahn Jae-hong, an ambassador of the festival, during a press conference in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
By Baek Byung-yeul
The 22nd Jecheon International Music & Film Festival (JIMFF) is set to offer a unique cultural experience next month as Asia's sole international film festival dedicated to music, featuring its largest lineup to date with 189 films from 45 countries.
The annual festival will run for six days from Sept. 3-8 in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province.
To broaden its scope, the festival will divide its competition section into two tracks — one dedicated to music-focused films to strengthen its core identity, and another for general feature films to expand cinematic diversity.
Under the new system, the event will present the International Music Film Competition for music-focused works, while the new International Competition welcomes films of any genre or subject.
"The reorganization aims to sharpen our identity in music, while expanding artistic diversity," festival programmer Cho Myung-jin said during a press conference in Seoul, Thursday.
As part of its identity as a music-focused festival, JIMFF is also placing a strong spotlight on domestic film scoring through its Music Insight competition.
Seven Korean feature films have been named finalists for the award, including "The Square," Park Chan-wook's "No Other Choice," "The People Upstairs," "Manok," "The King of Kings," "Hi-Five" and "3670."
The festival will open with "Congo Boy," directed by Congolese musician and filmmaker Rafiki Fariala, which premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
Filmmaker Jang Hang-jun returns as executive director for the second consecutive year. He expressed deep enthusiasm for the festival and its star-studded guest lineup, which includes acclaimed directors Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook as well as veteran journalist Sohn Suk-hee.
"When I asked directors Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook to join us in Jecheon, they both pleasantly agreed," Jang said. "It is a great honor, as their presence will elevate the prestige of our festival."
In addition to the main competitions, JIMFF will feature four special retrospective sections. These include a program dedicated to Zhao Jiping, the recipient of the Jecheon Film Music Award, as well as a section featuring films driven solely by music without dialogue.
Actor Ahn Jae-hong has been appointed as the official ambassador for this year's festival.
"I feel deeply honored to serve as an ambassador for such a prestigious film festival," Ahn said. "A variety of special films and performances are prepared, so I hope visitors fully enjoy the festival."