The Jeonju Film Festival returns for its 27th edition with a clear focus on cinema, discovery, and artistic variety. Opening on April 29, 2026, and running through May 8, the festival will present 237 films from 54 countries, giving audiences in Jeonju a broad look at contemporary filmmaking from Korea and around the world. This year’s opening film is Kent Jones’ My Private Artist, a 2025 American feature starring Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee.
Jeonju Film Festival Opens With a Korean Premiere
The opening ceremony is scheduled for April 29, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. at Moak Hall in the Korea Sori Culture Center in Jeonju. The ceremony will include the arrival of red-carpet guests, an opening declaration, a congratulatory performance, and the introduction of the jury. Actors Shin Hyun-joon and Go Won-hee have been named as the hosts for the ceremony.
After the formal opening, the spotlight moves to My Private Artist, which has been selected as the festival’s opening film. The film is listed as a 96-minute color fiction feature, presented in DCP format, and rated for audiences aged 12 and older. At Jeonju, it will be shown as a Korean premiere, making the festival the place where domestic audiences first encounter the work.
The film had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival before being chosen to open the 27th Jeonju International Film Festival. That path gives the title a strong international profile, but its Jeonju screening carries its own meaning: it introduces the film to Korean audiences within a festival known for valuing independent voices, diverse selections, and artist-centered programming.
Kent Jones’ My Private Artist Leads the Program
My Private Artist is directed by Kent Jones and features Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee in leading roles. The story centers on Ed Saxberger, a 70-year-old man who had once been part of New York’s art scene in his youth. Later in life, he is rediscovered by younger fans, bringing his past and present into renewed contact.
That premise makes the film a fitting opener for a festival audience. It is about art, memory, recognition, and the way an artist’s work can return to public attention in unexpected ways. With Dafoe and Lee attached to the project, the film also brings familiar international star power to an event built around a much wider cinematic landscape.
The official film information identifies My Private Artist as a 2025 production from the United States. Its selection as the opening title places it at the front of a large program that stretches across genres, countries, and perspectives. For viewers planning the festival experience, the opening film is likely to function as both a ceremonial beginning and a tone-setter for the days that follow.
A 237-Film Festival Built Around Variety
Across its 2026 edition, the Jeonju Film Festival will screen 237 films from 54 countries. That number alone gives a sense of the scale of the event, but it also points to the festival’s continuing identity as a place for range and diversity in film. The program is not built around a single national cinema or one style of filmmaking. Instead, it brings together a wide field of works for audiences willing to explore.
The closing film has been announced as Namtaeryeong, a documentary. With My Private Artist opening the festival and Namtaeryeong closing it, the 10-day event begins with an American fiction feature and ends with a documentary, underscoring the breadth of the lineup.
The festival will also include a special program connected to the late Ahn Sung-ki, as well as programming involving director Byun Young-joo. These additions give the edition another layer of interest for audiences who follow Korean cinema closely. While the opening film brings global attention through its Venice premiere history and internationally known cast, the wider festival program also keeps Korean film culture and filmmakers firmly in view.
For anyone following film festivals in Korea, the 27th Jeonju Film Festival is shaping up as a major spring event. It opens on April 29, 2026, with a Korean premiere of Kent Jones’ My Private Artist, welcomes audiences to 237 films from 54 countries, and runs through May 8 with a program designed around cinematic diversity and discovery.
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