Volunteer workers spice up Jeonju film fest

By Shin Hae-in
JEONJU, South Korea, May 1 (Yonhap) -- Thousands from in and out of the country
flocked to this small southwestern city Friday, as the Jeonju International Film
Festival (JIFF) greeted its second day on Labor Day. But despite the unfamiliar
streets, few people looked lost.

"Just walk down this road and ask anyone clad in a yellow T-shirt if you get lost
again. They'll tell you where to go."
Broad smiles matching their bright yellow outfits, young volunteer workers stood
as close as every few meters apart, directing visitors to theaters, restaurants,
service centers and toilets.
"I love movies and I love the city. It feels great to be helping out in some
way," said 23-year-old Yoon Ji-sun, an English literature major at Jeonju's
Chonbuk National University. "This will also look good on my resume once I begin
job searching next year."
The JIFF organizing committee picked 500 volunteer workers this year, the largest
number since the festival was established in 2000. More than twice the designated
number had applied for the position, organizers said, with young students looking
for some fun and experience at the same time.
"Of course, they are of great help. I'm so bad with locations that I'd easily be
walking in circles without these people," said Laura Jarvis, who introduced
herself as a film critic from Manchester, Britain. "There are so many of them
too."
Another volunteer worker Kim Dong-yoon said helping out foreigners was one of the
most exciting parts of the job.
"It feels great to be seeing more foreign visitors this year," he said, adding he
had also taken the job during last year's JIFF. "I can almost always tell which
country the visitors are from by the way they dress and how they approach the
volunteer workers. It's such a fun job."
Marking its 10th anniversary this year, the Jeonju film fete is looking to see
the largest number of visitors this year. Up to 3,000 people from in and out of
the country had attended the opening event Thursday, according to organizers, and
tickets for about 150 films have already been sold out. About 15 percent of the
tickets for each film have been set aside for on-the-spot purchases.
Various films from all over the globe, including "Momma's Man," "La Rabbia Di
Pasolini," "Tang Poetry" and "The ESP Couple" were screened Friday, an outdoor
concert by South Korea's Kim Chang-wan Band and the outdoor screening of "Shut Up
& Sing" spicing up the festive aura.
Held each year in the city of Jeonju, about 240 kilometers south of Seoul, JIFF
is especially noted for highlighting undiscovered films from non-Western regions
and supporting independent filmmakers. This year's event will run through May 8,
featuring 200 films from 42 countries.
The winner of the Woosuk Award, JIFF's top prize for international feature films
and documentaries with a running time of more than 60 minutes, will receive
$10,000. Winners of the Korean feature film competition and shorts competition
will be given 10 million won and 5 million won, respectively.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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