The 27th JEONJU International Film Festival (JEONJU IFF, Festival Co-Directors MIN Sungwook and JUNG Junho) selected director BYUN Young-joo as the Programmer of the Year for 2026.
J Special: Programmer of the Year is a unique section of the JEONJU IFF, where a filmmaker from various fields is invited to curate a selection of films that reflect their personal cinematic perspective and tastes. Since its launch at the 22nd JEONJU IFF with actress RYU Hyunkyung, followed by director YEON Sang-ho, actor and director BEK Hyunjin, director HUR Jinho, and actress LEE Jung-hyun, this section has become one of the festival’s most anticipated highlights.
 |
| △ J Special: Programmer of the Year, BYUN Young-joo |
The sixth Programmer of the Year is director BYUN Young-joo, first known to the Korean Cinema with her debut film, The Murmuring – Living as a Woman in Asia (1995), she completed a trilogy of documentaries about women who were victims of the Japanese military "comfort women" system: Habitual Sadness 2 (1997) and The Murmuring 3 – My Own Breathing (1999). She later directed the films Ardor (2002), Flying Boys (2004), and Helpless (2012), as well as the television dramas Death to Snow White (2024) and Mantis: Killer's Outing (2025), and continues to actively create new works.
BYUN Young-joo’s long-standing relationship with JEONJU IFF dates back to Local Film History (2000), a documentary she directed on Jeonju’s local film history, which was screened at the inaugural edition of the festival. Returning to JEONJU IFF after 26 years as a guest programmer, BYUN remarked that the festival has become a “rich and flavorful platform for independent and alternative cinema despite many ups and downs.” Reflecting further on the history of Jeonju, she added that JEONJU IFF “feels akin to the filmmakers of Jeonju seventy-six years ago, those who continued to dream of cinema against all odds.”
 |
△ From the left: Lawrence of Arabia (© 1962, renewed 1990 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.),
Sea of Youth, Two Days, One Night |
A total of five films have been selected by BYUN Young-joo, ranging from films that inspired her path into filmmaking to her own notable works.
Starting the lineup is David LEAN’s Lawrence of Arabia (1962). A scene in which landscape, character, and narrative converge to overwhelm the viewer in an instant. It also offers the rare pleasure of witnessing the pinnacle of performance by some of the 20th century’s greatest actors, including Peter O’TOOLE, Omar SHARIF, Anthony QUINN, and Alec GUINNESS.
Sea of Youth (1966), an early work by OGAWA Shinsuke, invites audiences to discover its deeply moving moments despite technological limitations. In her remarks on the film, BYUN noted, “Yet, even these limitations give rise to sequences that resonate deeply with the viewer.”
Next is Two Days, One Night (2014), directed by Jean-Pierre DARDENNE and Luc DARDENNE. BYUN regards the works of the DARDENNE brothers as a guiding framework for 21st-century filmmakers, both in their approach to filmmaking and in their interpretation of the world.
 |
△ From the left: Habitual Sadness 2 (Source: Korean Film Archive), Helpless |
Habitual Sadness 2 and Helpless, two works by BYUN Young-joo, will return to screen at the festival, meeting audiences again after a long time.
Habitual Sadness 2 is a film that portrays the changed relationship between the elderly victims of the Japanese military's "comfort women" system and the world through their daily lives, cherishing the will to transform sorrow, which has hardened into a habit, into hope for life.
Helpless, based on a novel by Japanese author MIYABE Miyuki, follows a man who, one month before his wedding, discovers that his fiancée has vanished, and that everything about her was fabricated. The film won Best Film at the 48th Baeksang Arts Awards, while BYUN Young-joo received Best Director.
 |
△ From the left: YOON Gaeun, SHIM Yonghwan |
BYUN Young-joo will meet the audience through J Special Class, a series of post-screening discussions where she will be joined by special guests, director YOON Gaeun and SHIM Yonghwan (History N Education Institute Director). A series of in-depth sessions will accompany each of her selected films, comprising a total of five programs, each running for 60 minutes.
Joined by BYUN Young-joo and special guests, the 27th JEONJU International Film Festival will take place over 10 days from April 29 (Wed) to May 8 (Fri), 2026, across Jeonju City.
The 27th JEONJU IFF J Special: Programmer of the Year Selection
※Listed in the alphabetical order
| Title |
Director |
| Habitual Sadness 2 |
BYUN Young-joo |
| Helpless |
BYUN Young-joo |
| Lawrence of Arabia |
David LEAN |
| Sea of Youth |
OGAWA Shinsuke |
| Two Days, One Night |
Jean-Pierre DARDENNE, Luc DARDENNE |
|
