Join Korea's First AI and Metaverse Film Festival... Lee Jangho, Jang Cheolsoo, Jung Taewoo, and Singer Lyn to Attend

On- and Offline Screenings from Gumi

Opening Ceremony Broadcast via 'Gaemp World'

The first AI and Metaverse film festival in Korea, the "2024 Gyeongsangbuk-do International AI·Metaverse Film Festival (GAMFF)," will make its grand opening on the 15th at the lawn plaza of Geumosan Provincial Park in Gumi.

With the theme "Movie In the other Universe," this festival will be held for two days from the 15th to the 16th. It will kick off with a spectacular opening ceremony on a special stage at Geumosan Provincial Park in Gumi City, followed by screenings of contest winners and various special invited works from Korea and abroad, both online and offline.

Poster announcing the AI Metaverse Film Festival.

The opening ceremony will feature a red carpet event attended by renowned film directors such as Lee Jangho, Yang Yunho, and Jang Cheolsoo, as well as promotional ambassadors like actors Jung Taewoo and Seo Jisoo, along with other film professionals from Korea and overseas. The event will include a VR drawing performance as the main show, and celebratory performances by popular singers such as Lyn and Norazo, making it a glamorous film festival.

Attendees will include Gregg Schwenk, chairman of the Newport Beach Film Festival in the United States; Altynbek Maksutov, Minister of Culture of the Kyrgyz Republic and chairman of the Kyrgyzstan Smartphone Film Festival; Mint, CEO of the renowned Thai film company M Flow, along with lead actors and production staff from the Thai box-office hit "Teen Tem Jai." Together, they will celebrate the launch of the new film festival and strengthen international exchange and cooperation in the film industry.

The opening ceremony will also be broadcast live through "GAMFF World," the film festival's metaverse platform. Developed by Gyeongbuk Province, GAMFF World embodies the significance of Korea's first AI·Metaverse film festival by allowing anyone to freely participate in the festival in a virtual space.

Set in a futuristic city symbolizing AI and the metaverse, the platform features special cinemas reflecting the characteristics of Gyeongbuk, such as Hanok and Hahoetal, national pavilions representing the United States, Kyrgyzstan, and Canada, and the futuristic GAMFF Hall themed on space. These diverse concepts make it easy to view contest-winning and specially invited films from Korea and abroad.

Additionally, to enable various interactions with the audience, the platform offers online conference spaces, mini-games, and other content. Major events such as the GAMFF Forum and the opening ceremony will be live-streamed so that users can experience the excitement of the festival without visiting in person.

GAMFF WORLD, a web-based metaverse platform, can be accessed directly via PC or mobile without any special software installation, and will be open to the public from the 3rd.

In the AI·Metaverse film and video contest held in March, 527 works from 42 countries including the United States, China, and India were submitted, receiving an enthusiastic response both domestically and internationally and signaling the success of the festival to be held in June.

Lim Youngha, chairman of the GAMFF Organizing Committee, who is preparing for the festival, said, "Through the contest, we were able to gauge the high level of public interest in this film festival in advance," and added, "We will do our best in the final preparations so that Korea's first international AI·Metaverse film festival can be successfully established and become a representative film festival not only for Gyeongbuk but for all of Korea."

In March, GAMFF formed its organizing committee with Lim Youngha, chairman of Daekyung Technology Co., as chairman, along with film director Yang Yunho, cartoonist Lee Hyunse, and Kim Jaeha, president of the Metaverse Society, as well as top domestic authorities in business, film arts, and technology. They are preparing Korea's first international AI·Metaverse film festival without a hitch.

This film festival will feature a variety of programs, starting with the GAMFF Forum under the theme "Harmony of Art and Technology, Expansion of New Creation and International Exchange," as well as a welcome reception, red carpet, opening ceremony, film screenings, and side events.

Audiences can watch films for free, including "Witness" by director Yang Yunho, "79:1" by director Jang Cheolsoo, the invited Kyrgyzstan film "Road to Eden," as well as special invited works from domestic and international directors and contest winners, through both online and offline screens such as the multiplex theater Lotte Cinema Premium Gumi Central, Gumi Media Center, and the festival's metaverse platform (GAMFF WORLD).

During the screenings, there will be various participatory events, including GV (Guest Visit) sessions where film critics like Yang Kyungmi and Dr. So Heejung will host discussions with directors such as Lee Jangho, Jang Cheolsoo, and Kwon Hansle, allowing filmmakers and general audiences to converse about the films. There will also be global cinema visit certification through the online platform, prize events for guessing the winning works, and more, offering audiences memorable and unique experiences at the festival.

Lee Cheolwoo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, said, "This film festival is significant as it combines the latest technologies of AI and the metaverse with film to create a new space for creativity and expand international exchange," and called for much interest and support for this first-of-its-kind festival in Korea.