Fantastic Movies to Return for PiFan

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
Unusual and macabre movies from all over the world are coming to South Korea to satisfy those who seek the bold, the provocative and the simply bizarre.

Aiming to "defy any restraint by the existing authority", the eighth Puchon International Fantastic Festival (PiFan) will screen a wide range of alternative films in the genre of science fiction, fantasy, and horror from July 15 to 22.

With a wealth of short movies this year, the film festival will screen 261 films from 32 countries in Puchon, Kyonggi province, well known as a center for films and the animation industry.

"This year's festival is more meaningful", said Creta D. Kim, programmer for PiFan, during an interview with The Korea Times. "We have successfully passed through the transitional period to find and build the festival's personality, and now we will focus on developing our event as it is".

Since its inception in 1997, the festival has gradually attracted maniac fans who do not want to miss the rare opportunity to see films that are mostly unavailable domestically. Growing popularity led to the opening and closing ceremonies of last year's festival selling out in less than two hours.

Becoming one of three major film festivals in the nation, along with Chonju and Pusan, it was decided the event should officially provide a film market called "B&B" where filmmakers can meet local and international distributors to promote their movies.

PiFan consists of four main sections along with Korean Cinema Retrospective and the Special Programs. The festival will also present various other events including Cine-Rock Night, a rendezvous of cinema and rock concert and one of the most popular events, and overnight screenings called Dead by Dawn.

The main criteria for selecting movies for the festival lie not in a movie's genre of but in its message. Movies should be first "fun and creative" in their message and style, making the festival unique and different, Kim said.

The opening film "King of the Ants", directed by Stuart Gordon, is a story about an ordinary boy who decides to end his boring life and become a killer. Local horror movie "Punshinsaba" will be premiered at the festival as the closing film.

Puchon Choice, the festival's official competition section consisting of 10 feature and eight short movies, aims to identify the important elements of fantastic films, such as creativity and popularity. The selection includes feature movies like "Gagamboy" (2003), which revolves around a boy who happens to become a "Philippines' spiderman", and "the Taste of Tea" (2003) by Katsuhito Ishii, along with short films such as "Finger Print" (2004) by Cho Gyu-oak and "Pornographic Apathetic" (2003) by T. Arthur Cottam.

To examine new trends in fantastic movies in terms of their subject and style, the World Fantastic Cinema section will introduce various genres of movies such as fiction, horror, romance, comedy, and drama. The Japanese animation "Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence" (2004) will been seen by local audiences for the first time.

The main characteristic of short films will be well illustrated in the Fantastic Short Films section, which will collect all the movies that can amuse, entertain, shock or horrify audiences in a comparatively short running time. 61 short movies filled with wit and fun will be screened, including the bizarre Japanese police series "Cop Festival" and the digital omnibus project "Twentidentity".

In an attempt to provide films for children as well as adults, the family section will consist of various feature movies and animations. In the section of Korean Cinema Retrospective, PiFan will present a restored version of "Chunmong (An Empty Dream)" by Yu Hyun-mok, a pioneer of local experimental films in the 1960s.

Special programs are also ready to meet the fans in other categories such as Pioneers of Japanese Animation, Shaw Brothers Retrospective II, Celebrating 30 years of Troma Studios, and Jorg Buttgereit, along with Film as a Subversive Art: Amos Vogel and Cinema16. Some movies screening in each category will be more thoroughly examined through various Q&A sessions with moviemakers and semi-seminars on movies such as "Mega Talk" and "Midnight Talk".

The Eighth Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival
When: July 15 to 22

Where: Puchon, Kyonggi Province

How much: 4,000 to 10,000 won

Info: Call (032) 322-9225 or visit the www.pifan.com