By Xu Aiying
Video = Jeonju International Film Festival's official website

The schedule of the 27th Jeonju International Film Festival, one of Asia's top cinematic events, has been released.

To run from April 29 to May 8 in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do Province, this year's edition will screen 237 films from 54 countries -- 140 from abroad and 97 from Korea -- with 78 making their world premieres.

The opening film is "Late Fame" by American director Kent Jones. The work centers on Ed (Willem Dafoe), a former poet who lives an ordinary life as a postal worker in New York, and his experience meeting young aspiring artists passionate about a poetry collection he wrote long ago.

Closing the festival is the feature-length documentary "The Longest Night: Namtaeryeong" by Korean director Kim Hyun-ji. This work spotlights farmers and women who participated in the tractor march protests from Dec. 21-22, 2024, at Namtaeryeong Pass in Seoul after martial law was declared on Dec. 3.

"Six Weeks On" by German director Jacqueline Jansen is in the lineup of the International Competition section of this year's Jeonju International Film Festival. (Festival's organizing committee)

A combined 421 films from 70 countries were submitted for the International Competition section. They include "Six Weeks On" by German director Jacqueline Jansen, the story of a daughter who mourns the death of her mother from cancer for six weeks, and "Fantasy" by French director Isabel Pagliai, which depicts a fantasy where dreams and reality merge through a man's discovery of a woman's notebook.

The highlight of this year's Korean Competition section is acclaimed documentaries featuring diverse personal narratives and social messages.

This year's Jeonju International Film Festival features "Ahn Sung-ki's Memorable Films Yet Rarely Seen," a section showcasing the films of the late actor, including this scene from "Fair Love" (2010) (Festival's organizing committee)

The special programs include "New York Underground – The Mavericks," which sheds light on the works of underground artists in the Big Apple in the 1960s and 70s, and "Ahn Sung-ki's Memorable Films Yet Rarely Seen," a tribute to the actor who died in January.

"The Jeonju International Film Festival is a platform for creative filmmakers from around the world to communicate with audiences as a leading film festival in Asia," said Yoon Dong-uk, acting chair of the festival's organizing committee. "As a place for cultural exchange that promotes Jeonju's identity as a city of culture, we will closely listen to the voices of our viewers and develop it into a meaningful film festival."

Actor Jung Junho (center), co-director of the Jeonju International Film Festival, on March 31 speaks at a news conference held at the multiplex CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul's Yongsan-gu District to announce the lineup for this year. (Lee Jeongwoo)