Pusan International Film Festival Archive
usan International Film Festival
2 -10 October 2008
The Countdown has started......
The official poster for the 13th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF).
Although
October is a long way away to think about for many, it will come very
quickly and before you know it, it has arrived. Since I think Pusan
(aka Busan) is such a great festival, and that I promised to keep you
informed, it is only right that I give you information regarding Pusan
as soon as I can.
Well, as you can see the dates have been
confirmed and the official poster was launched in earlier on in the
year (above). Looks mighty impressive!
A Bird's eye view of Hyandai beach - the home of PIFF
The programme is much the same as last year and the following list is of the programmes included in this years festival (from PIFF website)
Gala Presentation
Gala Presentation screens master's new or the year's most-talked-about films, or world/international premieres.
A Window on Asian Cinema
A
Showcase of brand new and/or representative films by the talented Asian
filmmakers with their diverse point of views and style. A Window on
Asian Cinema witnesses the changes in the recent trend of Asian cinema
and serves an output for newly discovered Asian films.
New Currents
The
only international competition section featuring the first or the
second feature films by the future leading director of Asian cinema.
New Currents section demonstrates eye-opening accomplishments of
high-spirited Asian independent filmmakers.
Korean Cinema Today
Selected
Korean feature films are shown in two sub-section: Panorama and Vision.
These two spectrum will recognize the current production trend of
Korean cinema and anticipate its future.
Korean Cinema Retrospective
Re-shedding
on the history of Korean cinema by spotlighting the films by a certain
notable director or a significant subject matter.
World Cinema
This
year's World Cinema section introduces many of new and
much-talked-about films outside Asia. This section has grown
satisfactorily in number and diversity. This section quick-delivers
commercially and aesthetically important films from various non-Asian
countries.
Wide Angle
Wide
Angle section has been the grand outlet for short films, animations,
documentaries, and experimental works from all corners of the world.
The projects supported by the Asian Network of Documentary (AND) have
come to completion and they will world or international premiere
through Wide Angle section this year.
Open Cinema
A
collection of new films, combining both art and mass popularity, along
with internationally acclaimed works, are shown at the unique outdoor
screening venue. The audience will have a unique experience watching
the films in autumn breeze at an open-air theater on the beach.
Flash Forward
Newly
conceived section last year, Flash Forward is set to discover
yet-surfaced cineastes and create buzz among the young film generation.
This section is an eclectic collection of first or second films of
world¡?s up-and-coming filmmakers from various countries.
Midnight Passion
‘Midnight
Passion’ is to introduce current Horror, Science Fiction and Cult Films
from around the world. Selected for their crowd-pleasing factor rather
than critical, non-Hollywoodian commercial films from all over the
world will meet the audience.
Special Programs in Focus
A retrospective and/or a special showcase of films of a certain figure or a theme.
For
me and many other Korean fans, the most important programmes to take
note of are Korean cinema today and Korean cinema retrospective and of
course Wide angle, which features alot of independent work from Korea's
up and coming directors. Deadlines for submitting short films into this
programme is 30 June 2008 and for documentaries is 31 July 2008. So if you want to submit a short film, you better hurry! More info can be found here
Source: PIFF website
As the Pusan film festival ends the Chinese Korean Film festival has begun.
Pusan ended yesterday, so perhaps I can now determine what exactly has happened to The King and The Clown -
all of CJ Entertainment seemed to have vacated their Seoul office and
hit the Pusan streets. Well, you can hardly blaime them....
The
media coverage of this years festival has been extensive to say the
least. Variety have even published a daily magazine on the festival -
Darcy must have been very busy!
Generally speaking it was a
successful festival but there wasn't has much buying going on one might
have expected, particuarly from the Japanese. "It was better than we
expected for an opening market. Things we were missing here were just
that the Japanese buyers whom we expected to be biggest did not really
move," said Park Kwang-su, director of the Asian Film Market. Although
Korean films are booming domestically, internationally they are
struggeling, which is essentially down to the decline of Korean film in
Japan. That said in other parts of the world, like here in the UK,
other parts of Europe and even other parts of Asia, like Singapore,
Korean films are becoming increasingly popular. But nevertheless, this
will be a disappointment.
From what I can tell, although 15
Korean films were SOLD, none of which went to a UK distributor, but
this needs some clarification. Most of the buyers came from Asia, which
includes Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. France and Germany
were the only buyers from Europe.
The opening film Traces of Love
by Kim Dae-seung (Blood Rain, which is incedently being released on
DVD on Monday in the UK), which premiered at Pusan recieved mixed
reviews. Some comparred into Oliver Stone's World Trade Centre because
the narrative follows Hyun-woo (Yoo Ji-tae - Oldboy) who takes a
journey his lover writes in her diary before she was killed when
Seoul's Sampoong Department Store collapsed in 1995, which left over
500 dead and 930 injured. But one or two critics have stressed it is
far too sentimnetal and if you go and see it, take a box of tissues. It
also stars Uhm Ji-won and Kim Ji-soo.
As the title above
suggests, there is a Chinese Korean film festival, which began
yesterday (friday) and ends tomorrow (Sun). CJ Chinese film festival
was held in Seoul and Pusan last month, so natuarally in return we see
Korean films taking the trip to Bejjing and Shanghai
The Chinese
are in for a real treat because there is a very strong selection of
films. From romance and comedy to drama and tragedy, the Koreans are
not holding back. The films are as follows; My
Boss, My Teacher, The Big Scene, You’re My Sunshine, All for Love, A
Moment to Remember, My Brother, Arahan, Memories of Murder,
Classis, and The Warrior.
But they are restricted with Chinese strong censorship regulations, so inevitably there will be no screenings of The King and The Clown or Momento Mori, which both have subtle homeosexual tones.
Sources: Yonhap (English) KBS (English)
Saturday 21 October 8:43am
Pusan International FIlm Festival kicks off next week (October 12 - 20 2006)
It
is that time of year again when Asia's biggest film festival begins
firing its guns from a city, which is located at the southern point of
South Korea, Pusan.
I have copied this article from my news column, but because of the sheer scale of this festival, I have devoted a whole page for it. I know it is not in the UK, but it provides a great insight into what to expect over the next 12 or so months.
Unlike
alot of festivals, the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) is
focussed on promoting new directors though prgrammes like the PPP
(Pusan Production Plan). As a result of this, directors such as Kim
ki-duk have been able to hit the international scene.
It
attracts production and particuarly, distribution companies from all
over the world, including our very own Tartan Films who pay Pusan a
visit every year.
As it is an international film festival, it
is by no means 'Korean', though they are obvioulsly the hosts. It
screens films from all over the world and this year is only the 4th
time that the opening film has been a Korean feature; Trace by Bungee jumping of their own director, Kim Dae-seong. The film stars Yoo Ji-tae (Oldboy, Into The Mirror and Women is a future of Man) and television star Kim Ji-soo.
The
11th PIFF will present 245 films from 60 countries, including 64 world
premieres, 20 international premieres and 71 Asian premieres.
Some of the Korean films on show are The City of Violence, A Dirty Carnival, Bloody Tie, The Host, Dasepo Naughty Girl, Family Ties, King and the Clown, and Like a Virgin. I am hoping Tartan will pick up A Dirty Carnival and The City of Violence, which
adhere to the kind of Korean film that has gained alot of popularity in
the UK. That said, we need some more unusual Korean films, such as LIke a Virgin or Family Ties.
"Three
films, in total, were selected for the ‘Special Premiere’. PARK
Ki-Hyung`s Gangster High is a powerful new piece that shows his
unwavering commitment to examining the nightmarish interiors of youth
psyche even though his film world first began with a horror film and
now to an action film. LEE Jeong-beom’s Cruel Winter Blues, on the
other hand, mixes the gangster genre with family melodrama, with a
consummate skill unusual in a new director. This section also offers
the joy of viewing, for the first time, IM Sang-soo’s The President`s
Last Bang in its complete form. The film provoked both anger and dismay
when it was screened with a part of it missing." Sourced from PIFF
I find the fact that they are screening the film The President Last Bang in
its entirety quite interesting because not all that long ago they said
there were no plans to screen it in full. But perhaps they caved into
some pressure - who knows, but it is good news for those who can get
there to see it!
As the festival unfolds, I will endevour to try
and let you know the latest news from Busan, but it can be difficult
when I am stuck here in London.
Screen International
usually do a very comprehensive feature on the festival in the week
prior to its launch, which will be this week, so keep a look out. From
my point of view, it is the best magazine/journal in English that you
can find that touches on Korean cinema and when they do special
features on events like these, they ususally expand it to explore the
whole territory, so it's defineltly worth a read.
Festival website and source: PIFF