[PIFF in Pictures] Wrapping up a nine-day film fiesta, officials say it was their best showing ever
Todd Thacker (internews)
As the 9th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) completes its 262 film, 63 nation cinematic celebration Friday, the consensus among staff and moviegoers is that 2004 is their most successful effort to date.
Over 166,000 tickets were sold, 84.8 percent of the total 195,900 seats, solidifying the reputation of Asia's largest film event and outdoing last years ticket sales by 1.8 percent. Over 900 foreign guests attended the festival and the Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP), a film-marketing showcase that kicked off PIFF's first three days.
"The Scarlet Letter" will close PIFF Friday night at the 5,000-seat Yachting Center, near Haeundae Beach.
Over the past nine days, audiences have marveled at a wide-ranging selection of new and established directors, alongwith close to 100 world and Asian premieres.
In the "New Currents: Asian Cinema's Intrepid Challenge" section, the only competitive event, Korea's Lee Yun Ki took the directorial grand prize Friday for "This Charming Girl", a psychological tale involving a reclusive postal work and a writer. Special mention was given to Ho Yuhang of Malaysia for "Sanctuary".
The section jury was composed of 10 eminent directors, including Germany's Dito Tsintsadze, Thailand's Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Fruit Chan, from Hong Kong.
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