JB Life! Volume 2 (Spring 2016)
This is the second quarterly issue of JB Life, a publication meant to showcase the international residents and traditional elements of Jeonbuk Province in South Korea. The magazine is a project of the Jeollabuk-do Center for International Affairs and publishes in January, April, July, and October.
This is the second quarterly issue of JB Life, a publication meant to showcase the international residents and traditional elements of Jeonbuk Province in South Korea. The magazine is a project of the Jeollabuk-do Center for International Affairs and publishes in January, April, July, and October.
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FEATURE STORY<br />
Tips and Tricks for Tackling JIFF<br />
A Local Expat Weighs In<br />
Everyone enjoys Jeonju’s annual International Film<br />
Festival in his or her own way, but for those who<br />
haven’t attended before, choosing movies and planning<br />
one’s time at the crowded event can be a bit intimidating.<br />
We decided to ask some advice of a local expat and film industry<br />
insider, one who has attended almost ten installments<br />
of the annual festival. Dean Crawford, a U.K. native English<br />
teacher by current trade but a film buff at heart, has plenty of<br />
knowledge to offer on how to best enjoy JIFF and how it has<br />
evolved in the eyes of the attendees. Here are just a few of the<br />
questions he answered for Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong>.<br />
First, what’s your background in the movie<br />
industry?<br />
I’ve worked in films off and on since 2003, starting as a PA<br />
on shorts. However, it took a while (and another stint in Korea)<br />
before I got my break in the industry as a Production Runner<br />
on a low budget indie film called Doghouse. From there, rather<br />
than stay in one department, I continued to work in many<br />
different areas of the film industry, which I loved. My main<br />
area of “expertise” is in the production department, which is<br />
where I worked on my first Harry Potter movie as well as on<br />
festival circuit favorite A Lonely Place to Die, among others.<br />
… Most recently I was the Key Production Assistant on last<br />
year’s Avengers Age of Ultron. I’ve also worked in the video<br />
department on the final Harry Potter movie and X-Men: First<br />
Class as well as the location department of Captain America:<br />
The First Avenger, and I worked in the art department on a<br />
movie with 50 Cent. Undoubtedly a highlight.<br />
How many years have you attended the film<br />
festival, and how has it changed over the years?<br />
This year will be my 10th. 7 as a guest and the last 3 as<br />
press. My first visit was at the 4th festival in 2003. … I remember<br />
2003 being a big deal for a lot of the expat community<br />
as the downtown area transformed for the week to 10 days<br />
the festival was on. But without a doubt the Jeonju Film Festival<br />
has grown exponentially over the last decade, with people<br />
coming from all over to watch films. The festival has grown<br />
from Cinema Street downtown to needing several venues all<br />
over town to cope with the demand for screenings and other<br />
events. This just shows how popular the festival has become.<br />
What’s the best way to pick films for JIFF?<br />
Anything to look out for?<br />
Definitely – the Midnight Madness movie trilogies, which<br />
are a selection of three films playing from midnight to 6 am<br />
on the weekends. Last year it was nightmares and ghosts on<br />
social media, the year before it was cults and zombies. You<br />
can’t beat seeing a horror film with a Korean audience as they<br />
jump out of their skins! It’s also fun comparing the zombies<br />
on screen to the zombies in the aisles at 6 a.m. as students<br />
wander aimlessly, honing in on free milk and snacks. After<br />
six-plus hours in a theater, the resemblance is staggering. If<br />
you can manage to stay up all the way through, it’s a great<br />
night. The horror trilogies are always my favourite, but there<br />
have also been nights of great music documentaries, Blaxploitation<br />
movies, or a specific director – my favourite being<br />
the John Waters marathon. Some of his stuff isn’t an easy<br />
watch – yeah, I’m talking about you Pink Flamingos – but<br />
it’s a fun watch none the less. Outside of the Midnight Madness,<br />
there’s around 200 movies to choose form each year so<br />
it can be a little daunting. I suggest looking at the synopsis<br />
of each section of the festival to get a feel of what you like.<br />
Cinemafest is likely to be the most audience-friendly of all<br />
the sections, if “audience-friendly” is the correct term, while<br />
the expanded cinema section comprises more experimental<br />
and challenging films. When I’m not reviewing a movie, I try<br />
to see as many films from the Korean Cinemascape sections<br />
as possible, as it’s not often I get to see a movie in Korea with<br />
English subtitles. If all else fails, you can’t go wrong with<br />
picking one of the many films in competition or, if you’re<br />
worried about your concentration levels – choose a selection<br />
of shorts!<br />
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