The 27th Jeonju International Film Festival Opens in Splendor on the 29th… Awards the Ahn Seong-ki Honor for His Lifetime Achievement and Features a Rich Lineup

The Jeonju International Film Festival, now in its 27th year, kicks off with an opening ceremony on April 29 and begins a 10-day journey.

On this day, the opening ceremony will be hosted by actors Shin Hyun-jun and Go Won-hee, adding fresh energy. At the red carpet—the highlight of the ceremony—many acclaimed directors and actors from home and abroad will gather to light up the event. In particular, this year’s red carpet is connected to a special exhibition honoring the late actor Ahn Seong-ki, bringing together fellow filmmakers who shared a deep relationship with him. Actors from “Ghost Studio,” the partner of the special program Jeonju X Meet-Up that works alongside actors’ management agencies every year, will also step forward, creating a meaningful gathering and a place for exchange and harmony among film people like never before.

After the opening ceremony is kicked off with welcome remarks by co-chairs Min Seong-wook and Jeong Jun-ho, the Special Lifetime Achievement Award is presented. This year’s recipient is the late actor Ahn Seong-ki, selected to honor the achievements he left behind in the Korean film industry. Ahn Seong-ki’s son, Ahn Philip, attends and carries out the award presentation on his behalf. After the award ceremony, the event enters its full 10-day run through the declaration of the opening. Next, the jury members and “J Special: Programmer of the Year” are introduced; this year, director Byeon Young-ju has been selected, and she will present works shaped by her own distinct perspective, offering audiences fresh inspiration.

Then, an opening performance by Oh Ji-eun, a writer and singer who delivers emotion to the public, takes place, and the ceremony is wrapped up with the introduction of the opening film and its screening. The opening film is director Kent Jones’s 〈My Private Art〉, a work that unravels an artist’s life and anguish in a fable-like manner. Released and praised at last year’s Venice International Film Festival, director Kent Jones and actress Greta Lee plan to attend the opening ceremony in person and enjoy a special meeting with Korean audiences.