The 13th Muju Mountain Film Festival has launched a new program titled 'Director's Focus', with its first spotlight on director Uhm Tae-hwa.
Celebrating its 13th year, the Muju Mountain Film Festival has introduced 'Director's Focus', a special program dedicated to Korean film directors, aiming to support Korean cinema and present its diverse landscape to audiences.
As the first of its kind at the festival, 'Director's Focus' aims to highlight directors who are making waves in Korean cinema, both on the big screen and on OTT platforms, by focusing on their body of work and exploring current trends in Korean commercial cinema.
Uhm Tae-hwa, the first director to be featured in 'Director's Focus', made a name for himself by winning the Grand Prize unanimously at the 11th Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival with his short film 'Forest' (2012). His debut feature film 'INGtoogi: The Battle of Surpluses' (2013) was praised for its unique direction and fresh energy, and in 2016, his feature film 'Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned' was acclaimed for its exceptional visuals.
In 2023, Uhm's 'Concrete Utopia', starring Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-joon, and Park Bo-young, captured both critical and commercial success, marking him as a rising hope in Korean cinema.
The 'Director's Focus: Uhm Tae-hwa' program will include screenings of his early short films such as 'Cactus' (2003), 'Yusukja' (2010), 'A Common Story' (2010), 'Forest', and his recent collaboration with singer IU on the music video 'Love Wins All' (2024), followed by a talk cinema session. Additionally, an outdoor screening of 'Concrete Utopia' and a talk program at the Muju Wisteria Stadium will showcase Uhm Tae-hwa's cinematic world in a way that's unique to the Muju Mountain Film Festival.
With the introduction of 'Director's Focus' alongside 'Next Cineaste: Park Se-young', the Muju Mountain Film Festival expresses its deep affection for Korean cinema, stating, "The newly introduced 'Next Cineaste' and 'Director's Focus' programs are our first attempt to introduce talented Korean directors in a new light, and we hope they will receive a lot of attention from the audience."
The 13th Muju Mountain Film Festival will take place over three days, from June 6th (Friday) to June 8th (Sunday), in Muju County.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)