Renowned South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho heads the jury at the Edinburgh
International Film Festival (EIFF) that runs from 19 to 30 June 2013.
Joon-Ho’s first English movie Snowpiercer is due later this year. The director came to
international attention with his first feature Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000). He won
Best Director at the San Sebastian Film Festival for Memories of Murder (2003) while
The Host (2006) and Mother (2009) received a lot of critical acclaim when they
premiered in the Director’s Fortnight and Un Certain Regard sections at Cannes.
Joining him on the jury is actress Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) and film critic
Siobhan Synnot who is chief film writer for Scotland on Sunday and is an award-
winning writer and broadcaster who regularly contributes to the BBC and STV,
commenting on films and arts issues.
The trio will choose the winner of the Award for Best Film in the International
Competition from a selection of films that highlight filmmaking from outside the UK
that is imaginative, innovative and deserving of wider recognition. Last year’s winner
was Here, Then by first-time director Mao Mao.
This year EIFF also features two country focuses, showcasing work from Korea and
Sweden. The Focuses offer festival audiences the opportunity to see UK premieres of
the best recent work from those two countries.
EIFF artistic director Chris Fujiwara says: “It’s a huge honour for our festival to have
Bong Joon-ho, one of the greatest filmmakers, as the chair of the jury of our
International Feature Film Competition. We’re also honoured and delighted that he
will be joined by Natalie Dormer, a brilliant and prolific performer, and Siobhan
Synnot, one of Scotland’s leading voices for film culture.’
The Focus on Korea is supported by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and
Tourism, the Korean Film Council and the Korean Cultural Centre UK, while the Focus
on Sweden is supported by the Swedish Film Institute.
The EIFF launches its full programme on Wednesday 29 May 2013.
