- A total of 38 Korean cinema films, including 20 feature films and 18 short films, will be screened, the highest number ever.
- Eye-catching documentaries with diverse subjects, as well as bold and experimental works, are featured.
- From actor-turned-directors to mid-career directors returning to the Jeonju International Film Festival, a total lineup.

The Jeonju International Film Festival (Co-executive directors Min Sung-wook and Jung Joon-ho) has announced the selected Korean cinema films.

The 26th Jeonju International Film Festival's Korean Cinema section will feature a total of 38 films (20 feature films and 18 short films), the highest number ever, with fierce competition for entry. Overall, high-quality works have been selected for the festival, making it a standout event. Quantitatively, it also set a record, with 114 non-competition feature film submissions from November last year to January this year, an increase of 26 films compared to the 88 submissions last year.

The Korean Cinema section at the Jeonju International Film Festival consists of films without genre distinctions, composed of works that are Korea premieres (first screenings in Korea) or have higher premiere conditions, allowing audiences to observe the flow of independent art films in Korea. Films that have passed through the Korean Cinema section in previous years, such as "Voices" (2024), "The Song of Chosun Women Workers" (2024), and "After Summer" (2024), have proven their artistic merit at various film festivals and theaters.

This year, the Korean Cinema section features six documentaries with even more diverse subjects than usual. In commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Korean independence, two documentaries address the historical issue between Korea and Japan. Director Im Heung-soon's "Memory Shower Sea" depicts the painful history of the slaughter of Koreans by the Japanese during the Gangdong Earthquake using the clothes of Kim Dong-il, a descendant of an anti-Japanese activist and a contact person during the Jeju 4.3 Incident. Director Kim Ihyang's "The Foreigner's Vegetable Garden" delves deeply into the identity of Koreans living in Japan.

Films like director Kim Hwa-yong's "Where Did All the Birds That Lived in the House Go?" which questions humanity's attitude towards animals and minorities, director Yoon Han-seok's "Pink Moon" which tells the story of Korean feminist artist Yoon Seok-nam, and director Seo Han-sol's "Heart to Heart" about a developmental disability orchestra, will also meet audiences with their diverse documentary subjects.

The LGBTQ theme, which showed strength in the Korean competition and Korean short film competition, also stands out in Korean cinema. Director Kim Il-ran, who has been active in the LGBTQ rights group "Yeonbunhongchima" for 20 years, highlights the lives of Eddie and Alice, who were born male but chose to live as women, in the new documentary "Eddie Alice."

In the realm of feature films, director Kim Jo-kwang-soo's melodramatic drama "Tell Me I Dreamed" and director Kim Dae-hwan's "There's No Choice But Secrets," which reveals the secrets held by family members, also incorporate LGBTQ themes.

Director Lee Hee-joon, who presented "Byunghoon's Day" at the 19th Jeonju International Film Festival Korean Short Film Competition, presents his first feature film "Rectangles, Triangles," while actress Moon Hye-in, who gained recognition through independent films like "Insert" (2024) and "The Fifth Thirst" (2022), presents her first feature film "Samhee: The Adventure of 3 Joys." Actress Lee Jung-hyun, this year's programmer at the Jeonju International Film Festival, presents her first short film "Let's Play with Flowers," among other works by actor-directors.

"Sea Tiger," which depicts the life of Kim Kwan-hong, a former diver during the Sewol ferry disaster, is the latest work by director Jung Yoon-chul, known for films like "Marathon" (2005) and "The Spy Gone North" (2017). The documentary "Hello, Halbuji" by director Shim Hyung-jun and "Clear" by director Park Kyung-geun, which won awards at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2014, featuring singer and actress Kim Poo-reum, explore the importance of the environment.

Returning directors who have been regulars at the Jeonju International Film Festival also bring their latest works. Director Ko Bong-soo's distinctive humor and bittersweet emotions shine in "Gyulre Gyulre," while director Choi Chang-hwan returns to Jeonju with "Layover Hotel," a story about people who spend a day at a layover hotel due to an unexpected plane crash. After an eight-year hiatus, director Kim Dae-hwan returns with his new film "There's No Choice But Secrets," and director Shin Dong-min, who won the Jeonju International Film Festival Korean Competition Award twice, meets the audience again this year with the new short film "Dogs in the Sun."

New and experimental films that show bold and daring attempts are also eagerly awaited, such as director Baek Jong-gwan's latest work "Trials and Initiation," director Park Se-young's "Please Move to That Corner," which won the Special Jury Prize at the Korean Short Film Competition last year with "Spider" (2024), and director Park Kyung-geun's "The End of Baekhyunjin Village," which won an award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2014 with the Jeonju Cinema Project-supported film "Dream of Iron." Works by emerging directors like director Cha Jung-yoon's feature film debut "House of Encounter" and director Han Ji-soo's "Manhole" are also worth noting.

A wide spectrum of Korean cinema films can be enjoyed at the 26th Jeonju International Film Festival. The 26th Jeonju International Film Festival is scheduled to take place from April 30th to May 9th, 2025, in various locations in Jeonju, including Jeonju Cinema Street.