Looking Back at Pusan Int'l Film Festival

By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter

The last 10 years was a significant period for the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF). After starting as a humble event in a small Asian country, it has grown to be the largest film festival in Asia, reflecting the increasing influence of the region's movie industry.

The number of films screened, the number of guests, and the number of visitors to the festival have greatly increased year after year, along with the festival's heightened position.

At the first PIFF held in 1996, 170 films from 27 countries were presented for the nation's first international film festival. A total of 224 guests from 27 countries, mainly Asian nations, also visited the maiden event.

Nampo-dong area was the only venue screening films at that time, except the outdoor theater at Suyongman Yacht Harbor.

The number of screened films soon surpassed the 200 mark at the third festival in 1998 with 211 films from 41 countries. The number of guests also tripled, with 659 guests from 25 countries gathering in Pusan.

The Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP) also started that year to help film projects of Korea and Asia meet foreign investments, creating a new Asian film market.

The number of guests hiked to 3,017 from 39 countries at the fifth PIFF in 2000, and the number of visitors from home and abroad was more than 181,000. The PPP also got on track, with 450 filmmakers from 22 countries promoting their projects.

The sixth festival invited films from 60 countries, more than double the number of countries at the first festival. New Director Focus (NDIF) was also organized, introducing a forum for Korea's new directors to present their production proposals and meet investments.

At the seventh event in 2002, the number of guests reached 5,318 from 35 countries. Asia's many international film festivals had benchmarked PIFF, and festival directors of other famous festivals, such as Cannes and Berlin, visited Pusan.

The number of screened films was 243 from 61 countries at the eighth PIFF in 2003. More theaters in Haeundae were provided for the festival.

It was also the year that seven North Korean movies were screened in South Korea, which had been considered as a taboo in interchanges between the two Koreas.

The number of films shown marked 264 from 63 countries at the ninth festival last year, and the number of guests was 5,638 from 50 countries.

"Master Class" was first introduced, so that famous film masters could give lectures to audience about their careers and perspectives on film. Greek director Theo Angelopoulos and Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien hosted the classes.

During PPP, producers screened their films to potential buyers at the PPP screening, successfully drawing the eager attention of foreign buyers.

This year, at the 10th festival, a total of 307 films from 73 countries await audiences, along with a variety of events and concerts celebrating PIFF's successful 10 years.