Chungmuro Film Fest Falls Below Int'l Standards

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

The 3rd Chungmuro International Film Festival in Seoul (CHIFFS), ongoing in Jung-gu through Sept. 1, exemplifies problems associated with the influx of regional film festivals.

Until the end of October, Korea will be hosting ― virtually nonstop ― 12 film festivals including three new ones. Sept. 6 and 7 are the only two festival-free days.

Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) film programmer Kim Ji-seok pointed out that the biggest problem with having such a large number of film events in such a short time frame is that most lack a defining character.

Seoul, home to almost one-fourth of the South Korean population, had previously lacked a representative cinema event. CHIFFS, launched in 2007 in Chungmuro, in past decades was the Korean equivalent of Hollywood.

Today, the film studios and production companies are gone, and the area is just another block filled with print shops in downtown Seoul.

Nevertheless, Chungmuro is still the spiritual heartland of local cinema, and CHIFFS was initially launched with a promising objective ― to look back to a bygone era through old movies.

Many film buffs relished the idea of seeing classic films on the big screen, including those that were never released here.

But last year, CHIFFS started shifting its focus from showcasing classic cinema to introducing a competitive section for contemporary films and emphasizing, like any other given film festival, the number of premieres.

This year's lineup of 214 films from 40 countries includes a retrospective of Shin Seong-il and Marilyn Monroe flicks, as well as a batch of old American Westerns, but otherwise the volume of classic masterpieces is slim.

Some believe that it is because director Kim Hong-joon ("Jungle Story"), who, as festival programmer, is credited with the growth of the Pusan (Busan) International Film Festival and Puchon (Bucheon) International Film Festival, is no longer collaborating with CHIFFS.

CHIFFS is losing its color by trying to straddle both retrospectives and premieres. Kim Jung, a film studies major, is attending CHIFFS for the third year.

"I am very disappointed with the lineup this year, and I don't know why it's trying to do so many things", he said.

Another concern is that the "international" festival's level of organization often falls below international standards.

Even taking into account that the event is very young, only in its third year, the same problems are reoccurring

Instructions in English are difficult to find, both verbally and on paper. A shuttle bus service between the scattered festival screening venues, which span all the way to Myeong-dong and Dongdaemun, is inefficient.

Lax screening regulations give way to distractions such as food consumption and the use of cell phones hardly seen at other international film events in the country.

Moreover, many moviegoers complained about being charged 1,000 won for exchanging or reimbursing tickets.

Korea's first domestic film festival PIFF, launched in 1996, has since grown into Asia's largest cinema event.

Others followed, including the Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF), featuring independent and art house cinema, and PiFan, which showcases the latest in the fantastic genre.

Today, the Korean Film Council sponsors, at least in part, 46 film festivals.

Of the innumerable events, only six receive funding of roughly 1 billion won from the culture ministry. The others, including CHIFFS, are funded by regional governing bodies or private organizations.

Film critic Hwang Yeong-mi, who has participated in the culture ministry's annual performance evaluation of domestic film fests, said that among cultural events film festivals yield the greatest effects in a short-term period. It is an effective way to transform a region's image, and for that reason many regional governments are supporting one of its own.

In CHIFFS' two previous editions the entire block between the Chungmuro Station and Euljiro 3-ga intersections was sealed off to make way for various activities and performances, though inviting much criticism.

In 2007, booths invited festival goers to try period costumes and special effects make-up and take photographs before a backdrop adorned by scenes from a movie, and bands performed famous film scores throughout the day.

But last year, a so-called art market featured shanty crafts and handmade jewelry, while an outdoor stage featured performances and even a costume fashion show.

This year, only half of the four-lane, one-way street is being blocked off, and there is only a ticket booth, a flea market for clothing and a mural featured as a photo backdrop.

Jung-gu poured in billions of won to provide the space. But the participation rate remains extremely low, and only red T-shirt-clad CHIFFS volunteers could be seen.

"At least they're not holding music performances, which are really noisy", said Bae Jin-a, who works at a local convenience store.

"But I don't understand why they have to set up the ticket booths on the street if there is one in front of each movie theater. No one comes here anyway".

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