From the 17th to the 24th, Gyeongbuk Province submitted three representative works from the Gyeongbuk International AI·Metaverse Film Festival (GAMFF), which was held for the first time nationwide in June this year, to the 25th Newport Beach Film Festival held in Newport Beach, USA.
Since its inception in 1999, the Newport Beach Film Festival, now in its 25th year, is a globally prestigious international film festival attended annually by more than 50,000 film fans and industry professionals.
This year’s festival screened over 100 films including feature and short films, documentaries, and animations submitted from 19 countries worldwide, with filmmakers attending not only from Korea but also from Ireland, Australia, Canada, Spain, and Germany.
The festival showcased works that received high acclaim at the Gyeongbuk International AI·Metaverse Film Festival.
The opening film Witness (Korean title: Mokgyeokja, directed by Yang Ik-jun), the grand prize winner of the film category My Dear (directed by Kim So-hee), and the grand prize winner of the video category Lullaby (Korean title: Jajangga, directed by Sergey Kochintsev) were screened on the 18th in the ‘Korean Short Film Showcase’ section at Triangle4, receiving great responses from local audiences.
The Gyeongbuk International AI·Metaverse Film Festival, held for the first time nationwide in June this year, attracted significant attention by receiving 527 entries from 42 countries through its competition and selecting 22 award-winning works, presenting a new paradigm to the global film industry and gaining the opportunity to showcase its achievements to the world through the Newport Beach Film Festival.
Moreover, Lee Jung-woo, Director of the Meta AI Science Bureau of Gyeongbuk Province, along with Kim Jang-ho, Mayor of Gumi, participated in a reception held at the Elwood Club on the 17th, where they promoted the Gyeongbuk International AI·Metaverse Film Festival and interacted with global film industry figures such as Christoph Waltz, a two-time Academy Award winner, and Greg Schwank, co-founder and CEO of the Newport Beach Film Festival, and watched the opening film Old Guy (directed by Simon West) together with key festival personnel.
Lee Jung-woo, Director of the Meta AI Science Bureau of Gyeongbuk Province, stated at the opening ceremony, “It is an honor to introduce representative works that received high acclaim at the Gyeongbuk International AI·Metaverse Film Festival at a world-class film festival. We ask for your great interest.”
At the opening ceremony, the GAMFF promotional booth was operated as the largest Korean representative booth at the entrance of the venue, and traditional Korean desserts were provided to viewers of GAMFF’s representative works, drawing great enthusiasm.
Meanwhile, Gyeongbuk Province and Newport Beach City signed an ‘International AI·Metaverse Film Festival Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)’ in 2022, and Greg Schwank, co-founder of the Newport Beach Film Festival, and Steve Lozanski, chairman of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, have continuously engaged with the Gyeongbuk International AI·Metaverse Film Festival.
By showcasing works from the Gyeongbuk International AI·Metaverse Film Festival at this year’s Newport Beach Film Festival, Gyeongbuk Province has further solidified its leading position in the AI·Metaverse industry and plans to strengthen competitiveness by accelerating the development of the AI·Metaverse industry through global cooperation.
Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, said, “Participation in the Newport Beach Film Festival is a valuable opportunity to let the world know that Gyeongbuk Province is leading future industries through AI and Metaverse technologies,” and added, “We are very pleased that the content of the Gyeongbuk International AI·Metaverse Film Festival has once again been recognized on the global stage at this Newport Beach Film Festival.”
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