Festival's "Beyond the Frame" edition features 78 world premieres and a tribute to the late Ahn Sung-ki

The 27th Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) runs April 29 to May 8, presenting 237 films from 54 countries under this year's slogan, "Beyond the Frame." The program comprises 97 Korean titles and 140 international films, with 78 world premieres. The edition draws particular attention for its closing film selection: a documentary capturing the political upheaval that followed South Korea's short-lived martial law declaration of December 2024.

The festival opens with Late Fame (USA, 2025), directed by Kent Jones and starring Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee. The film premiered in Venice's Horizons section before screening at New York, Thessaloniki, Rotterdam, and Glasgow. Programmers describe it as a fable-like work that strips away the vanity and fear lurking beneath the surface of artistic life. Jones is known for the documentary Hitchcock/Truffaut (2015) and the drama Diane (2018), the latter of which previously screened at Jeonju.

Closing the festival is the world premiere of The Longest Night: Namtaeryeong (2026), a documentary by Kim Hyun-ji. Kim's debut, A Man Who Heals the City (2023), established her as a significant voice in Korean documentary filmmaking. Her new film centers on the night in December 2024 when young women in their 20s and 30s gathered spontaneously at the Namtaeryeong pass in Seoul, standing alongside farmers in a tense standoff between the Jeon Bong-jun Struggle Corps and police. Programmer Moon Seok described the film as a lively and energetic work that captures how one night's experience transformed the people who were there.

The International Competition selected 10 titles from 421 submissions across 70 countries, all receiving their Asian premieres. All are from directors with fewer than three features, consistent with JIFF's commitment to emerging talent. Highlights include Walter Thompson-Hernandez's If I Go Will They Miss Me (USA, Sundance premiere), Chronovisor (Jack Auen and Kevin Walker, Rotterdam premiere), and Ankur Hooda's The Calf Doll (India, CPH:Dox premiere).

The Korean Competition presents 10 world premieres from first- and second-time filmmakers. This year's selection sees a notable rise in documentary titles, with four included in the section. Among the competition titles are INSOMNIA (So Sung-seop), Water Deer (Yoo So-young), and Cruel Optimism (Shin Mok-ya).

Special programs add considerable depth to this year's edition. A retrospective of New York underground cinema from the 1960s and 70s brings Robert Downey Sr.'s Greaser's Palace and Putney Swope to Korean audiences for the first time. The Back to Hong Kong: Cinema + Avant-garde section, developed in partnership with M+, Hong Kong's global museum of contemporary visual culture, presents seven titles largely unseen in mainstream Hong Kong film history, most in 4K restoration. The festival also dedicates a special focus to the late actor Ahn Sung-ki, titled "Special Focus: Ahn Sung-ki's Memorable Films Yet Rarely Seen," presenting seven works that showcase his range across both mainstream and independent Korean cinema. Ahn, one of Korea's most prolific and beloved actors, passed away in January 2026.

JIFF occupies a distinct place in the Korean festival landscape. Where the Busan International Film Festival functions as the industry's primary networking hub for Asian cinema, Jeonju has consistently positioned itself as a curatorial platform for independent, experimental, and alternative filmmaking. The slogan "Beyond the Frame" and the decision to close with a politically charged documentary are expressions of this ongoing commitment.

The closing film choice is particularly significant in the current moment. The Longest Night: Namtaeryeong marks one of the first major festival platforms to directly engage with the December 2024 martial law crisis as cinematic subject matter, signaling that Korean documentary filmmaking is already beginning to process this chapter of the country's recent history.

For international industry professionals, JIFF's International Competition remains a reliable early window for emerging global talent. The Jeonju Cinema Project (JCP), the festival's feature film financing and production program, and the Jeonju Project Market offer concrete entry points for co-production partners and independent producers. With 78 world premieres on the slate, the festival continues to serve as a destination for programmers and distributors seeking new titles ahead of the fall festival season.

Sources

• Kookmin Ilbo, "237 Independent and Art Films from 54 Countries Under the Banner of 'We Always Cross the Line'", 2026.04.01

• Munhwa Ilbo, "Jeonju is a Hidden 'Film Gem'... We Will Show JIFF's Identity", 2026.04.01

• Screen Daily, "Jeonju film festival 2026 to open with 'Late Fame', unveils competition lineup", 2026.04.01

• The Korea Herald, "Jeonju IFF taps Kent Jones' 'Late Fame' as opening night pick; martial law doc to close", 2026.04.01