From struggling families to forgotten cinemas and voices rising in protest, this year’s Jeonju International Film Festival ended with a powerful reminder.
Some of the world’s most important stories are often the ones hidden from public view.
The 27th edition of the festival wrapped up on Friday after a successful 10-day run, drawing film lovers from around the world with its bold focus on independent and alternative cinema.
Held under the slogan “Beyond the Frame,” the festival screened 237 films from 54 countries and recorded an impressive 82.1 percent seat occupancy rate, with hundreds of screenings selling out completely.
This year’s festival strongly focused on people living on the edges of society, those dealing with loss, loneliness, uncertainty and social pressure.
Many films explored disappearing spaces, broken relationships and the quiet struggles faced by ordinary people.
The festival closed with the documentary The Longest Night, “Namtaeryeong” by director Kim Hyun-ji.
The film looks at the aftermath of South Korea’s martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024, and follows protesters who gathered in southern Seoul later that month.
“I discovered hope in the way different people faced each other and accepted their differences at Namtaeryeong, which is why I chose this subject,” Kim said during a press conference on the closing day.
The festival’s top awards also reflected its focus on emotional and social realities.
The International Competition Grand Prize went to the Argentine film The Night Is Fading Away, directed by Ezequiel Salinas and Ramiro Sonzini.
The movie tells the touching story of a projectionist secretly living inside a fading municipal cinema while trying to save it from permanent closure.
In the Korean Competition, director Lee Seon-yeon won the Grand Prize for “The Summer That Slipped Away”, a heartfelt story about a family surviving in a van while working temporary mobile phone sales jobs.
Another standout winner was Touch, taken by director “Tae Ji-won”, which explored the emotional struggles of teenagers who dropped out of school.
Beyond the competition, the festival also celebrated cinema history through special programs honoring underground New York films from the 1960s and 70s and paying tribute to veteran South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki.
“Maintaining an identity for 27 years is impossible without sacrifice,” Jung Jun-ho, co-director of the festival, said Friday.
“We hope people can truly feel what an independent and art film festival is through JIFF. We will continue to improve and evolve to remain a beloved event,” said the co-director of the festival.
The festival ended on a hopeful note, with organizers promising to keep supporting bold storytelling and independent cinema that reflects real-life struggles and unheard voices.
As audiences packed theaters throughout the 10-day event, this year’s Jeonju International Film Festival once again proved that powerful stories do not need big budgets to leave a lasting impact.
