23rd Jeonju International Film Festival – Korean Competition

By Asian Film Festival on April 12, 2022 • ( Leave a comment )

We take a look at the nine films that will compete at the Korean Competition of the Jeonju International Film Festival, which will take place from April 28 – May 7, 2022.

– Korean Competition –

**Archaeology of Love** by Lee Wanmin – Korea, France | 2022 – 168 minutes | World Premiere

Young-sil and Insik become lovers eight hours after meeting. Insik is certain that Young-sil is a free spirit. Anxious Insik makes Young-sil promise that their love will be forever, whatever happens. Young-sil tries to keep the promise, even after their breakup. 8 years later, Young-sil likes Woodo, but is unable to do anything. (JIFF 2022)

Trailer:

**Drown** by Lim Sangsu – Korea | 2021 – 101 minutes | Asian Premiere

Dowoo is running a motel with an elderly mother with dementia. One day, his mother goes missing. Winter is deepening, Dowoo suffers from a nightmare because he has not found his mother. Then one day, a young man named Hoseung, who looks like a questionable man, stays in the motel for a long time. Looking somewhat dangerous, Hoseung roams around Dowoo and watches him. (JIFF 2022)

Trailer:

**Havana** by Hong Yongho – Korea | 2022 – 101 minutes | Word Premiere

Jung-min, a rookie lawyer, becomes Yoona’s public attorney, as she is accused of murdering her husband. Against a nasty prosecutor, a mysterious judge, and all the suspicions surrounding the defendant, Jung-min seeks to unravel the truth behind the conspiracies of the case. (JIFF 2022)

Trailer:

**Jeong-sun** by Jeong Ji-hye – Korea | 2021 – 105 minutes | World Premiere

Jeong-sun as her name lives an uncluttered life with modest behavior even though working at a food factory. Young-soo, a factory colleague, approaches her. As they get closer, they enjoy their secret relationship, and he takes candid shots in beds with his mobile camera. One day, she gets inappropriate stares from others. (JIFF 2022)

Trailer:

**Missing Yoon** by Kim Jinhwa – Korea | 2021 – 108 minutes | World Premiere

Attention seeker YouTuber Jang Ha-Da is trying to get popular again. One day, legendary singer Yoon Si-Nae disappears. So, Jang Ha-Da uses her mother, an imitation singer Yoon Si-Nae, as a live broadcasting material and gets enthusiastic responses from subscribers. Meanwhile, Yoon Si-Nae, who is despairing after losing the dream stage, decides to leave in search of Yoon Si-Nae with fellow imitation singer Un Si-Nae. And Jang Ha-Da secretly set up a live broadcast. (JIFF 2022)

Trailer:

**Mother and Daughter** by Kim Jung-eun – Korea | 2022 – 118 minutes | World Premiere

Gyeong-ah works as a caregiver and lives alone. The only one she can rely on is her daughter, Yeon-su, but it’s hard to see her after she moved out on her own. Meanwhile, Yeon-su, who is suffering from her ex-boyfriend, Sang-hyun, argues with him again and visits her mother’s house. After Yeon-su left, Gyeong-ah receives a shocking message from a stranger. (JIFF 2022)

Trailer:

**Saving a Dragonfly** by Hong Daye – Korea | 2022 – 80 minutes | World Premiere

In my high school senior year, I began filming me and my friends as we studied hard to get into a good university. As time goes by, I become a university student, but still feel the same anxiety I felt like a high school student. One day, I get a call from my high school friend saying she is not doing well. I try to help her, but it doesn’t go well. I decide to write a letter to her. (JIFF 2022)

**The Hill of Secrets** by Lee Ji-eun – Korea | 2022 – 122 minutes | Asian Premiere

A coming-of-age story of Myung-eun, a 12-year-old girl with emotional sensitivity who gains a deeper understanding of herself and her family through the power of writing. (JIFF 2022)

Trailer:

**When I Sleep** by Choi Jungmoon – Korea | 2022 – 116 minutes | World Premiere

Suna, Jisu, and Bomi, who contain different stories, get into a car accident on a last-minute trip to visit the graveyard of Jisu’s parents. The three spend the night in an unfamiliar place and learn about each other’s secrets. (JIFF 2022)

For more information, please visit: https://eng.jeonjufest.kr/

About the festival:
Launched in 2000, Jeonju IFF is now recognized as Mecca of independent film festival of Asia and the widest window of avant-garde cinema around the world. While you can find latest waves of Korean independent scene in Korean Film Competition, International Competition introduces new talents across the world and showing the potential of new cinematic aesthetics. A number of new, rising filmmakers have been introduced to the world stage by Jeonju IFF and it resulted in that the awardees of Jeonju IFF have been critically acclaimed by international film festivals scene. The directors with the Grand Prize include Suwa Nobuhiro, Apichatpong Weerasrtakul, LiuJia-yin , Denis Cote, YING Liang, Matías Piñeiro and Sherad Anthony Sanchez.