The International Competition section of Jecheon International Music & Film Festival presents feature films that explore diverse cinematic approaches united by the common language of music, regardless of nationality or genre. This year, eight works will be presented to audiences.
Amit Dutta's animation Rhythm of a Flower portrays the inner world of an aging musician with concise, beautiful imagery and contemplative music, elevating it to a dignified musical journey. The film The Life Apart, directed by acclaimed Italian filmmaker Marco Tullio Giordana, tells the story of a girl healing and growing through music as she overcomes the despair etched on her body, brought to life through splendid piano melodies. Shosh Shlam's Left Behind gently reveals the inner voice of a lonely boy based on deep trust between the subject and the camera. Songs Within, directed by Katalin Gödrös, invites us to listen to a woman's voice that refuses to be silenced despite the era's oppression. Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards' One to One: John & Yoko reconstruct the love and artistic intersection of John Lennon and Ono Yoko through unreleased recordings and footage. Emmanuel Courcol's The Marching Band warmly depicts two brothers, once strangers, becoming a true family through their shared passion for music. Prodigies, by father-and-son directors Frédéric and Valentin Potier, dramatizes the inspiring true story of twin pianists who turn despair into hope and pain into harmony despite genetic challenges. Finally, DJ Ahmet, directed by Georgi M. Unkovski, portrays the struggle of two teenagers in remote North Macedonia resisting tradition and oppression through electronic music and K-pop dance.
Though these eight films come from different languages and cultures, they all express, resist, comfort, connect, and love through the universal power of music.