Real fun begins at midnight for devotees at Jeonju film fete

By Shin Hae-in
JEONJU, South Korea, May 4 (Yonhap) -- For Alex Bradley, a day at an ongoing film
festival in this regional South Korean city begin no earlier than 5 p.m.

Spending nights in theatres watching rare movies and mornings discussing them
with his buddies, it is no wonder this self-described film addict from Australia
begins his day so late.
"I wake up at around 2 p.m., grab a bite to eat, hang around the hotel room for a
while taking as much rest as I need, and hit the theaters early evening," he
said. "I've been to the festival three times before, and this pattern suits me
the best. Other movies, I might be able to see them back home, but these midnight
films are really rare and phenomenal."
As the Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) lapses into its fifth day
Monday, film buffs like Bradley have found a unique gem in the event's "Midnight
Obsession" program, which screens three movies for five to six hours from
midnight under various themes.
The program, considered a core event for fanatics willing to stay up all night,
runs for three days from Saturday at the cultural center in Jeonju's Chonbuk
National University. "Pregnant and elderly viewers may be disturbed by particular
scenes," session organizers warn on the leaflet, as many of the selected films
are noted for their boldness or morbidity.
The first night's screening on Saturday featured Julio Bressane's "The Rat Herb,"
Jose Mojica Marins' "Embodiment of Evil" and Jean-Claude Brisseau's "A
L'aventure" under the theme "Madness and Desire." The following night, the
features were "I Sell the Dead," "Kill" and "On War," under the theme "Illusion."
On Monday, the third and the last midnight screening, three films will be shown
by Japan's Tanaka Noboru, the master filmmaker of Nikkatsu Roman Porno, known for
his bold portrayal of human desires.
Despite the off-hours time allotment and the heavy rainfall, Saturday's session
drew more than 1,000 viewers from in and out of the country.
"I may sleep through most of the films, but I just love the atmosphere," said Lim
Su-jin from Seoul, who attended the first midnight screening. "I think the
midnight sessions are the essence of JIFF and something that people should not
miss out on."
Jung Hyun-woo, a 23-year-old Jeonju localite, said he loved the "aura."
"I am excited about the fact that so many people are willing to stay up all night
watching these gory movies," he said. "I feel like all of us are close friends or
something."
JIFF, held each year in the city of Jeonju, about 240 km south of Seoul, has
evolved into one of the most important film festivals in Asia, noted especially
for its efforts to discover hidden films from non-Western regions. This year's
event will run through Friday, 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. Winners will be
announced on the final day of the event.
hayney@yna.co.kr
(END)