27th Jeonju International Film Festival Honors: ‘The Night Is Fading Away’ & ‘Summer We Let Slip Away’ Take Top Prizes

The 27th Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF), a festival for independent and alternative cinema from around the world, concludes its eight-day journey by announcing the winners in major categories. This year, the festival simultaneously showcased the strength of Argentine cinema and the rising momentum of South Korea’s emerging independent film scene.

■ International Competition Best Film: ‘The Night Is Fading Away,’ Depicting the Disappearance of a Movie Theater and a Community

According to the Jeonju International Film Festival Organizing Committee on the 6th, the International Competition Best Film went to ‘The Night Is Fading Away,’ co-directed by Ezequiel Salinas and Ramiro Soncini. Set against the backdrop of Córdoba, Argentina, the film chronicles people’s struggles as they protect a movie theater facing closure and forge a new community.

The jury praised the director(s) for capturing with fine detail the attitudes of characters who respond to the vanishing of a physical space—a movie theater. The Best Film winners were awarded a prize of 20 million won and a trophy.

■ Korean Competition Best Film: Director Lee Sun-yeon’s ‘Summer We Let Slip Away’… “A Graceful Measure of Time”

The Korean Competition Best Film, an opportunity to glimpse the future of South Korean independent film, was awarded to Director Lee Sun-yeon’s ‘Summer We Let Slip Away.’ The jury, including Director Pascal Boudet, presented the prize of 15 million won and a trophy, along with high praise, calling it “a work that gracefully gauges the passing time.”

In addition, the Best Korean Short Film in the Korean Short Competition went to ‘Touch, Tuck’ by Director Tae-ji-won, demonstrating the power of short-form cinema.

■ Award Status by Major Category In this awards ceremony, a total of 19 categories saw a wide range of films and film people take the spotlight.

• Jury Special Award: ‘The Visitor’ (International Competition, Vytautas Kartkus), ‘Revival’ (Korean Competition, Kim Myeon-woo)

• Actor Award: Ki Jin-woo (‘A Night I Can’t Sleep’), Yeo Dae-hyun (‘What It Means to Have Spent the Same Season’)

• CGV Award: ‘What It Means to Have Spent the Same Season’ (Director Ko Seung-hyeon, 2-time winner)

• Documentary Award: ‘Revival’ (Director Kim Myeon-woo)

• Fujifilm Korea Award: ‘The Time of Non-Contact’ (Director Moon Jeong-hyeon)

■ Looking Ahead to Next Year with ‘Namtaeryeong’

Kicking off last month on the 29th, the 27th Jeonju International Film Festival welcomed audiences by presenting 236 films from 54 countries in theater districts across Jeonju. In particular, this year produced a variety of talking points, including the presentation of a special award to the late actor An Sung-ki and issues related to the 20th anniversary of ‘Bigbang.’

The festival will conclude in style this coming 8th, with a screening of the documentary ‘Namtaeryeong: The Longest Night: Namtaeryeong’ by Director Kim Hyun-ji, which records the scenes of a farmers’ protest that took place on the Namtaeryeong Pass in southern Seoul at the end of 2024.