Grand Prize

Cool Cats: Two Jazz Legends from Copenhagen

Director: Janus Køster-Rasmussen

Denmark | 2015 | 83min | DCP | Color+B&W | Documentary

This documentary tells the story of two jazz legends who had to move to Copenhagen, a then peripheral jazz city, from the jazz epicenter of America. In the mid-1960s, outstanding saxophonists Ben Webster and Dexter Gordon left America due to political turmoil and long-standing alcohol and heroin addiction. They settled in Copenhagen, where they were embraced by fans who loved their music. However, the charm of the small, fairy-tale-like Copenhagen eventually became a threat to their music and lives.

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  • Janus Køster-Rasmussen
  • Born in 1972 in Copenhagen, he studied literature and rhetoric and contributed music criticism to two major Danish daily newspapers. Over the past decade, he has created documentaries on various topics including politics, culture, music, history, and sports for Danish national television. *Cool Cats* is his directorial debut.

Jury Special Prize

Punk Musician and the Great East Japan Earthquake | *Mother, I've Pretty Much Forgotten Your Face*

Director: Michiro Endo

Japan | 2015 | 102min | DCP | Color | Documentary

Michiro Endo, former leader of the legendary punk band *The Stalin*, decides to make a documentary. The subject of the film is something he knows best—himself. Born in Nihonmatsu, Fukushima, Endo embarked on a solo national tour for his 60th birthday in 2011, which was interrupted by the Great East Japan Earthquake. While performing in various locations, he talks about his complexes as a country boy, his thoughts on Fukushima, the aftermath of the disaster, his family's experiences during World War II, and the symbolism of Hiroshima.

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  • Michiro Endo
  • Born in Fukushima in 1950, Michiro Endo formed the punk band *The Stalin* in 1980 and performed for five years. After the band disbanded, he began his solo career with acoustic guitar in 1993. In 2011, he directed his first film, *Punk Musician and the Great East Japan Earthquake*, while also launching the 'Project Fukushima!' to aid in disaster recovery.
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  • Pen-ek Ratanaruang
  • President of Jury, Director | Thailand
  • Pen-ek Ratanaruang is a Thai director and screenwriter known for his art film *Last Life in the Universe*. He is part of the ‘new wave’ of Thai directors, along with Wisit Sasanatieng and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. His debut film *Fun Bar Karaoke* (2007) premiered at Berlin, and his third film *Monrak Transistor* was shown at the Directors’ Fortnight at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.
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  • Rona Tee
  • Producer | Malaysia
  • Rona Tee is a film producer active across Asia, working with numerous international film festivals. She runs the production company Paper Heart and has produced films across the continent. Rona also serves as the Executive Director of the CinemAsia Film Festival in the Netherlands and has been a jury member for several festivals, including Berlin, Cannes, and Rotterdam.
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  • Benjamin Illos
  • Programmer | France
  • Benjamin Illos is a programmer for the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes Film Festival. He studied literature at the Sorbonne University in Paris and has worked in film production, promotion, and scriptwriting with director Pierre Lishien for over a decade. The Directors' Fortnight aims to discover independent experimental films and popular period dramas.
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  • Ahn Soo-hyun
  • Producer | Korea
  • Ahn Soo-hyun began her career in 1994 with film marketing for *Gumiho* and later produced several films such as *4-Person Table* (2003), *Three, Monsters* (2004), *You're My Destiny* (2005), *The Thieves* (2012), and *Assassination* (2015). She co-founded Capers Film in 2007 and has been an active producer working on both artistic and commercially successful films.
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  • Dalparan (Kang Ki-young)
  • Music Director | Korea
  • Dalparan (Kang Ki-young) is a film composer, DJ, music producer, and a member of the 'Peach Project.' Starting as the bassist for the rock band Sinawe in 1987, he later joined bands such as H2O, Bibi Band, and Bibilong Stocking. In 1997, he changed his name to Dalparan and began his work in electronic music and film scoring. Since 1997, he has composed music for over 30 films, including *Bad Movie* directed by Jang Sun-woo, *A Point*, *Sweet Life*, *The Good, The Bad, The Weird*, *The Front Line*, *The Thieves*, *Assassination*, and *The Wailing*.

2016 Jecheon Film Music Award Winners

The Jecheon Film Music Award, presented annually to individuals who have made significant contributions to Korean film music, has been awarded to a total of 10 film composers since the 2nd Jecheon International Music Film Festival in 2006. The award has been given to composers such as the late Shin Byeong-ha, the late Choi Chang-kwon, the late Jeon Jeong-geun, the late Jeong Seong-jo, Kim Su-chul, Kang Geun-sik, Cho Seong-woo, Lee Dong-jun, Cho Young-wook, and Lee Byeong-woo. Since the 9th Jecheon International Music Film Festival in 2013, a special performance by the awardee has been showcased at the opening ceremony, adding further significance to the award.

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  • Han Jae-kwon
  • Music Director | Korea
  • Music Director Han Jae-kwon graduated from Hanyang University with a degree in composition and then completed a Master's degree in Sound Engineering at the Berlin Institute of Technology in Germany. He is currently the CEO of Moon Studio and teaches at universities such as Dongguk University, Sangmyung University, and Chugye University for the Arts.