Jeonju, a city in the south of South Korea known primarily for its traditional cuisine, hosted its 10th annual film festival over the same time that I had no school. So the Friday before my long weekend, I decided why not, and packed my bags for a weekend of films and food.

Without knowing much about films myself, it seemed to me that there was a large sampling of films offered, spanning multiple continents, genres, and time periods. The first one that I saw was part of a special section highlighting the films from Sri Lanka. It was titled Ponmani, and initially roused my curiosity due to its description as a new version of Romeo and Juliet. The director was also there, and within the first minute of his introduction, I realized that I was in for a treat. He kept talking about the political climate of Sri Lanka in the 1970s, and how it contributed to his artistic sway while making the movie. Once it started, it became so clear what exactly he was referring to--the film was in black and white, from the '70s, and apparently the first one created in Sri Lanka in the Tamil language. So while a landmark for its newness, it wasn't enough to keep me awake. Without realizing it, right in front of the director, oops.

There were a few other hiccups, most notably a Korean film titled The Origin of Water. I think my ability to recognize art in film must be extremely off, because I didn't particularly enjoy this one either. Oh well! In between films we allowed ourselves to feel extremely cultural by enjoying delicious coffee drinks at various shops around the area--some of the best coffee I've been able to find in Korea! What a treat!

If you want to take a look at what the film festival was like, its site is below.

http://eng.jiff.or.kr/

written by  Rachel in Korea! on May 17, 2009 from Seoul, South Korea
from the travel blog: South Korea, 2008-2009
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that sounds like a fun excursion.

written by  Mari on June 7, 2009

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