The 12th Pusan International Film Festival will kick off tomorrow in the southeastern port city, featuring 274 films from 64 countries with its focus placed on rediscovering and promoting Asian cinema.
"PIFF is widely regarded as Asia's most important film festival, and I personally feel the impact on a daily basis", festival director Kim Dong-ho told The Korea Herald in an interview on Monday.
Kim, who spearheaded PIFF from the beginning, is credited with propelling the fledgling festival into a premier event where innovative Asian films are screened, appraised and marketed to the global film market. Kim puts forwards director Lee Chang-dong's "Peppermint Candy" as an example of the festival's influence. Featured as the opening film for the PIFF in 1999, the film gained wide recognition among major film critics, distributors and production officials. The exposure at the festival later brought international acclaim to director Lee and his thought-provoking tale.
Kim finds himself constantly flying around the world. This year, he has been invited to 17 film festivals across the globe, and, more importantly, PIFF often represents Asian film festivals in many international film-related meetings, Kim said.
"Through PIFF and related film market events, a number of film industry people around the world come to Busan and sign deals to import as many as 100 high-quality Asian films each year", Kim said.
About 2,000 international guests and visitors, including 500 journalists, are expected to join the 12th PIFF this year. Expectations are high that more deals will be completed than ever.
Last year the festival organizers set up the Asia Film Market, a marketplace for filmmakers and distributors. This time about 800 buyers are expected to attend the market to discover new films for their local markets.
"In the past decade, PIFF started with pre-production support and then moved to nurture Asian filmmakers through academy programs, and the Asia Film Market itself indicates that Busan offers a total film market system, which is a defining characteristic compared with other film festivals in Asia", Kim said.
The theme of the festival this year is "Beyond Frame", symbolizing the importance of breaking down barriers and walls that divide the world's film industry. Reflecting the elevated stature of the festival, the number of world premieres reached 66 and international premieres (formal introductions outside of films' home countries) are numbered at 26.
About 180,000 visitors, including 20,000 from abroad -- chiefly Japan -- are expected to hit Busan during the festival period. Busan city officials estimate that PIFF generates about 60 billion won ($65.6 million) each year.
To increase accessibility, organizers have overhauled the ticketing system, allowing movie fans outside Busan to purchase tickets online via Naver.com or GS25 convenience stores. Moviegoers can select their own seats and pay the fees real time.
The nine-day event opens with Feng Xiaogang's "Assembly" and close with "Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone", a Japanimation by Hideaki Anno, Kazuya Tsurumaki, and Masayuki.
"Assembly", to be screened as a world premiere at PIFF, is the latest film from Feng who gained nation-wide fame in China after making such films as "The Banquet", "A World Without Thieves", and "A Sigh".
The closing film, "Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone" is a big-screen adaptation of the 1995 TV animation series, "Neon Genesis Evangelion" that won die-hard fans and enjoys long-standing popularity.
Gala Presentation, a newly-added section this year, screens new works by master artists and the year's most talked-about films. This year, the section will feature latest works by Lee Myung-se, Royston Tan and Hou Hsiao Hsien. There will be one screening per day during the festival period, making the section "a festival within a festival"
Flash Forward, a new world cinema section, gives exposure to young filmmakers who stand out in the industry. This year, Kriv Stenders's "Boxing Day", Serge Bozon's "France", and Michael Kang's "West 32nd" will be featured along with eight other innovative films by young directors.
The Korean Cinema Retrospective section will be devoted to Kim Seung-ho, a famous actor in the 1950s and 1960s, and seven Korean films which the office of Cultural Heritage Administration designated as "National Assets".
Festival director Kim said several factors combined will come as a great appeal for tourists and festival participants. For a start, the Haeundae beach, the key venue where various festival events are set to take place, is "a stunning beauty", even when compared to venues at other famous international film festivals, Kim said. In addition, numerous young and enthusiastic volunteers help run the festival smoothly. Finally, there is plenty of great food in Busan. "So come and join the PIFF, for there's a beautiful beach, and beautiful films to watch", Kim said.
By Yang Sung-jin
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