Jecheon film fest to greet summer with movies, live tunes

This year marks the 11th anniversary of the Jecheon International Music & Film Festival, a partially competitive festival that offers a balance of movie screenings and outdoor concerts.

The festival will open with the film “Try to Remember” from Korean director Kim Dae-hyun, and screen a total of 101 films from 25 countries. The competitive section “World Music Film Today” will have seven films from abroad in competition.

“We usually try to balance scripted films and documentaries, but this year we have six scripted films and just one documentary,” said programmer Jeon Jin-soo at a press conference at the Conrad Hotel in Seoul, Tuesday.

Jeon also commented on the absence of Korean films in the competitive lineup saying, “Personally, I think that Korean music films have not reached the level of music films abroad. It’s hard to find a good balance between quality music and directing.”

Other film programs include “Cine Symphony,” “Music in Sight,” “Korean Music Film Now,” “Family Fest” and the “Special Focus on Ballet Films.”

The JIMFF also has a three-part outdoor music program that allows attendees to enjoy live music in addition to the music onscreen.

The first is the three-night “One Summer Night,” which has a set of musical performances following a film screening at the Cheongpung Lakeside Stage. The three nights are each themed “Starry Night,” “Mellow Night,” and “Party Night,” with Lee Seung-hwan, Jung Yup and DJ DOC, respectively, headlining.

The second is the four-night Uirim Summer Night, formerly the JIMFF Stage, taking place at the Uirimji Stage. The four nights for the Uirim Summer Night are themed “King of Blues,” “Rock, Tango and Film Music,” “2015 JIMMFesta -- The Final” and “Hall of Fame, Second Project: Kim Jung Ho, ‘White Butterfly.’”

The JIMMFesta is the festival’s annual competition for street musicians, and this year the final round of the contest will be performed before the screening of “From Austin to Boston.”

Hur Jin-ho, the chairman of the JIMFF executive committee, said the live music is what sets the JIMFF apart.

“You can watch movies during the day, and go to live performances at night. It’s the pride of the JIMFF,” he said.

The 11th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival will take place from Aug. 13-18 in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province.



By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)