Announcement of the 14 Jury Members for Competition Sections and the NETPAC Award
- Composed of leading figures from Korea and abroad, including directors, actors, film festival programmers, and producers!
- Jury members will evaluate the International Competition, Korean Competition, Korean Competition for Shorts, and the NETPAC Award!
- Winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on May 6 (Tue)!
The JEONJU International Film Festival (JEONJU IFF, Festival Co-Directors Min Sungwook and Jung Junho) unveiled fourteen juries from the film industry in Korea and abroad.
▶ International Competition Jury
▲ From the left: Montse TRIOLA, Michelle CAREY, Iván FUND, KIM Chohee, KIM Euisung
Out of 662 films submitted from 86 countries, 10 were selected for the International Competition, which features debut or sophomore feature-length works by emerging directors.
Montse Triola, a producer and performer known for her work on Story of My Death (2013, Golden Leopard, Locarno), La Mort de Louis XIV (2016), Liberté (2019, Special Jury Prize, Cannes), Pacifiction (2022), and Afternoons of Solitude (2024, Golden Seashell, San Sebastian).
Michelle Carey, a programmer at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, advisor for the New York Film Festival and the Los Angeles Festival of Movies (LAFM), co-founder of The Red Balloon Alliance, and a mentor at Berlinale Talent Press.
Iván Fund, director of The Message (2025), which won the Silver Bear Jury Prize at Berlinale 2025 and will be screened in the World Cinema section.
Kim Chohee, producer of more than ten independent films and director of acclaimed works such as Lucky Chan-sil (2020) and Back to the Hong Kong (2022).
Kim Euisung, an actor renowned for his sharp charisma in films like Architecture 101 (2012), Assassination (2015), Inside Men (2015), Train to Busan (2016), and 12.12: The Day (2023), as well as in TV series such as Mr. Sunshine (2018), Taxi Driver (2021), and The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call (2025).
▶ Korean Competition Jury
▲ From the left: Damien MANIVEL, KWAK Sin-ae, Curtis WOLOSCHUK
Damien Manivel, a director and producer, received the Best Director award at the 2019 Locarno International Film Festival for Isadora’s Children (2019), co-produced by the JEONJU Cinema Project. He also produced Atsushi Hirai’s Return to Toyama (2020) and Oyu (2023), and co-produced Igarashi Kohei’s Super Happy Forever (2024).
Kwak Sin-ae, CEO of CINE FOREST Inc. and a veteran producer, is a founding member of the film magazine KINO and has worked across various roles including planning, publicity, marketing, and production. Starting with Happy End (1999), she went on to produce Parasite (2019), which won Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards.
Curtis Woloschuk, a programmer at the Vancouver International Film Festival, plays a key role in articulating VIFF’s artistic vision through curation, program development, and community engagement.
▶ Korean Competition for Shorts Jury
▲ From the left: Émilie POIRIER, BYUN Seungmin, LEE Sul
Émilie Poirier, a programmer at the Montreal Festival du Nouveau Cinéma (FNC) since 2017, now serves as Head of Short Film and Feature Film Programming. She is also a member of the Directors’ Fortnight selection committee for the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, and works as an independent curator, moderator, and writer. From 2021 to 2023, she served on the preselection committee at the Busan International Short Film Festival.
Byun Seungmin, founder and CEO of Climax Studio, has led the Seoul-based company since its establishment in 2018. Climax Studio has produced over 21 films and series that have achieved both critical and commercial success internationally. Byun collaborates with a wide range of talent—from emerging voices to established names—to maximize creative potential.
Lee Sul, an actor active in both film and television, made her screen debut in Herstory (2018), followed by roles in My Punch-Drunk Boxer (2019), Days of Green (2020), Waiting for Rain (2021), The Cursed: Dead Man’s Prey (2021), A Tour Guide (2023), Nocturnal (2025), and Somebody (2025). Her notable television credits include After the Rain (2018), Less than Evil (2018), The Devil’s Call (2019), D.P. (2021), D.P. 2 (2023), and Man and Woman (2024). She won the 2018 MBC Best New Actress Award for Less than Evil and received the Actor Award in the Korean Competition at the 24th JEONJU IFF for A Tour Guide.
▶ NETPAC Award Jury
▲ From the left: Bobby Sarma BARUAH, KIM Youngjo, PARK Kwansu
For the NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) Award—presented by a worldwide organization that promotes greater understanding and appreciation of Asian films and filmmakers—three jury members will participate:
Bobby Sarma Baruah, a two-time National Award-winning filmmaker, producer, and screenwriter, explores socio-cultural themes rooted in Assam and Northeast India. She holds a Ph.D. from Gauhati University. Her acclaimed works include Adomya (2014), Sonar Baran Pakhi (2016), Mishing (2018), Sikaisal (2022), and Rador Pakhi (2024).
Kim Youngjo, founder of the independent film production company Monday Morning, is the director of My Family Portrait (2007), Still and All (2015), and Jiseok (2022).
Park Kwansu, founder of Kirin Productions, works at the intersection of film and performance, as well as between commercial and art cinema. His diverse portfolio includes Marianne and Margaret (2017), Kokdu: A Story of Guardian Angels (2018), An Old Lady (2019), Wonderland (2024), Ms. Apocalypse (2024), performances based on classic Korean films such as Crossroads of Youth, and the Netflix series Persona (2019).
The winners selected by the 14-member jury will be announced at the 26th JEONJU IFF Awards Ceremony on May 6 (Tue). This year’s festival will showcase 224 films from 57 countries, taking place from April 30 (Wed) to May 9 (Fri) throughout Jeonju.
The 26th JEONJU International Film Festival Awards
International Competition
Grand Prize
Given to one film selected by the International Competition Jury with a cash prize of KRW 20 million and a trophy
Best Picture Prize
(Sponsored by NH Nonghyup)
Given to one film selected by the International Competition Jury with a cash prize of KRW 10 million and a trophy
Special Jury Prize
Given to one film selected by the International Competition Jury with a cash prize of KRW 10 million and a trophy
Korean Competition
Grand Prize
(Sponsored by FUJIFILM ELECTRONIC IMAGING KOREA)
Given to one film selected by the Korean Competition Jury with a cash prize of KRW 15 million and a trophy
NONGSHIM SHINRAMYUN Award
Given to one film selected by the Korean Competition Jury with a cash prize of KRW 5 million and a trophy
Distribution Support Prize
(Sponsored by JIWON)
Given to one film selected by the Korean Competition Jury with a cash prize of KRW 5 million and a trophy
Best Actor Prize
Given to two actors starring in films selected by the Korean Competition Jury with a cash prize of KRW 5 million and a trophy, respectively
CGV Award
Selected and given by CGV to one film with a cash prize of KRW 10 million and a trophy, respectively
Watcha’s Pick
Selected and given by Watcha to one film with a cash prize of KRW 5 million and a trophy
Korean Competition for Shorts
Grand Prize
(Sponsored by FUJIFILM ELECTRONIC IMAGING KOREA)
Given to one film selected by the Korean Competition for Shorts Jury with a cash prize of KRW 5 million and a trophy
Best Director Prize
(Sponsored by Kyobo Life Insurance)
Given to one film selected by the Korean Competition for Shorts Jury with a cash prize of KRW 3 million and a trophy
Special Jury Prize
Given to one film selected by the Korean Competition for Shorts Jury with a cash prize of KRW 2 million and a trophy
Special Award
NETPAC Award
Given by the Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema (NETPAC) to one Asian film selected by the NETPAC Jury with an award and a trophy
Documentary Award
(Sponsored by Jin Motors)
Given to one Korean feature documentary film selected by the JEONJU IFF with a cash prize of KRW 10 million and a trophy
Cineteca Nacional México Award
Selected and given by Cineteca Nacional de México to one Korean feature film with release support at the Cineteca Nacional de México and a trophy
J Vision Award
Given to one film from Local Cinema selected by the JEONJU IFF with a cash prize of KRW 1 million and a trophy
WITHBOM Award
Given to one film from the WITHBOM(Barrier-free) version selection chosen by audience vote with a cash prize of KRW 500,000 and a trophy
