This year's Muju Film Festival was held from June 5-9 in Muju-gun County, Jeollabuk-do Province. Shown is the screening of the silent black-and-white film "Girl Shy" on June 7 at Muju Wisteria Tree Field. (Muju Film Festival)
By Gil Kyuyoung
Muju-gun County, Jeollabuk-do Province, has a population of 23,000. As the greenery there thickens in summer, this quiet mountain village area is a hotbed for visitors thanks to the annual Muju Film Festival.
A saying goes that there are people who have never attended the event, but everyone who has attended has never gone just once. Many cinema aficionados this year visited this county of mountains and valleys as a temporary break from daily fatigue while watching films immersed in nature.
Running from June 5-9, the festival's 12th edition screened recent 96 films and documentaries from 21 countries, ranging from recent works from both home and abroad to documentaries. The content was as diverse and meaningful as the region's abundant nature.
Among the works were "It's Okay!" (2023) by director Kim Hye-young, a film that earned raves at the Berlin International Film Festival; "All the Long Nights" (2024) by Japanese director Sho Miyake that opened this year's Jeonju International Film Festival in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do Province; and French director Justine Triet's "Anatomy of a Fall" (2024), winner of the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
Masterpieces from around the world like these moved and amused the audience.
Director Baek Eun-ha (left) from the acting think tank Una Labo Actorology and actor Ko Minsi on June 7 hold a talk at the Muju Film Festival. (Gil Kyuyoung)
Korea.net on June 7 covered the event on its third day. As soon as its writer stepped out of the car, the fresh air of the forest filled her lungs. She entered Muju Wisteria Tree Field, designed by the late architect Jung Ki-yong.
Below the low mountain lay a wide open landscape. Visitors laid out picnic mats on the grass in a kaleidscope of colors to prepare for the festival.
As the writer leisurely strolled around the field, she saw on stage a familiar face.
Actor Ko Minsi, who played major roles in the Netflix series "Love Alarm" and "Sweet Home," was named "Next Actor" at the festival. "I met many cinema aficionados at the Muju Film Festival," she said with a smile. "It refreshingly brought back memories from the time of my acting debut."
An arts and culture center screened "Delivery" by director Jang Min-joon, a movie on the country's gap between the haves and have nots and low birth rate. Visitors before the film started could buy snacks at booths at a corner of the plaza, with scenes of mouthwatering kimchi jeon (traditional pancake), jumeokbap (rice balls), tteokbokki (spicy rice cake), cup bingsu (shaved ice dessert), coffee and craft tea.
The price range of the food was a reasonable KRW 10,000-KRW 20,000 and dishes were served in reusable plates or cups mindful of the environment. The merchandise store sold things like coffee mugs, badges, keychains and magnets, apparently targeting Gen MZ, or a demographic of millennials and Gen Z born between 1981 and 2010.
Slightly more than 60% of Muju-gun residents are senior citizens, so how did such a small town land a film festival? The event's programmer Jo Ji-hoon, who has planned the festival since its inception, had an answer in a media interview.
"At the time, 'Healing Camp' was quite popular among TV entertainment shows, and by adding healing to camping culture, we thought that the festival could emerge as a cultural trend for people to take comfort and rest to relieve their exhaustion from everyday life," he said.
The festival was launched simply with no fancy title, but unexpectedly gained high popularity and went viral among youth as a hot cinematic event.
The solo indie artist 10CM on June 7 performs at the Muju Film Festival in the town of Muju-eup in Muju-gun County, Jeollabuk-do Province. (Gil Kyuyoung)
When night descended, the performance of solo indie artist 10CM at the field livened up the atmosphere. The sweet melody that went well with early summer seemed to resonate with the audience.
After the exciting performance ended and the venue fell silent, "Girl Shy" (1924), a silent black-and-white film by directors Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor, was projected on a large screen.
Actor Harold Lloyd's comic role of a man who always stutters when in front of a woman elicited laughter from the audience and raised the forest atmosphere at night. Performances by wind instrument player Park Gi-hoon, pianist Gye Soo-jung and jazz drummer Jo Sung-joon added vivacity to the film.
The sound of grass bugs and the scent of nature in a summer forest provided an exclusive facet of the festival differentiating it from typical film festivals in a city.
Attracting 35,000 visitors this year, the event featured the coexistence of the richness of the films shown and relaxation from nature. Muju-gun has regained its tranquility and visitors have returned to daily life with the end of the festival, but this home of fireflies will again bustle with activity and shine in summer next year with cinema lovers.
