The 18th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival (JIMFF), billed as Asia's largest music film festival, held its official press conference on July 14 to introduce the entire program, including the Opening Film and main events.
THe festival will be held for six days from Aug. 11 to 16 in Jecheon in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea.
Hosted by journalist Jang Sung-ran, the press conference was attended by Kim Chang-gyu, chairperson of the Organizing Committee; Festival Director Cho Sungwoo, and Programmer Maeng Soojin.
"At this press conference, we would like to introduce this year's edition of the film festival and announce our commitment to a successful festival by working on every detail until the opening day. The festival will be well prepared for Jecheon citizens and music and film lovers who have supported our film festival for 18 years," said Kim Chang-gyu.
He added, "This year, the opening and closing ceremonies will be held in front of the Uirimji History Museum, a historic place where the citizens of Jecheon come to rest. We are proud to use Jecheon Airfield, which has been reopened to the public, as the official venue for the festival for the first time. The festival will make you forget the sultry heat with various music films and diversified programs that offer rare opportunities."
According Cho Sungwoo, "Starting this year, JIMFF has set out to consolidate its position as both a film festival and a carnival of music film, and we are planning and developing new programs to become the largest music film festival not only in Asia but in the whole world."
New programs this year include the JIMFF OST Market, established to discover and support the debut of talented new film musicians, and Films in Live, JIMFF's most dedicated music program where audiences can enjoy the first Korean original film concerts accompanied by a live orchestra on the Uirimji Stage and Airfield Stage.
Maeng Soojin said 140 films from 39 countries were selected this year including the Opening Film “Sonata” (directed by Bartosz Blaschke), the “Official Competition” section, the newly introduced “Dynamics” section; “All About Korean Music Film,” the long-term archival project for Korean music films; and the “Remembering the Artist Bang Jun-seok” section, where JIMFF will hold memorial screenings for the artist who passed away this year.
In addition, music director Cho Young-wuk was named Curator of the Year. There will be a special concert by Justin Hurwitz, composer of “La La Land,”