Local Koreanpicture, Save TheGreen Planet took multiple honours at the closing ceremony of the 7thPuchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan) this weekend.

The film, a first- feature directedby Jang Jun-Hwan, won the Best of Puchon award for bestfeature and also the Citizen's Choice public prize. Save The Green Planet is a dark fantasyabout a simple man who kidnaps a businessman believing him to be an alien. Whatfollows is an ineffectual police investigation, while the kidnapper and his haplessgirlfriend conduct a considerably more relentless and sometimes brutal interrogation.Baek Yoon-Sik won the bestactor prize as the "alien".

RobotStories, an omnibus piece about love death and the place of robots insociety, won Greg Pak of the US the best director prize and his film'sleading lady Wai Ching-Horecognition as the best actress.

British director Ian Clark, gave a emotional speech when he accepted with genuinesurprise the Citizens' Choice award for best short. He was even more surprisedand tearful when he was called back on stage when his film Def was also named winner of the $5,000 Grand Prize for best short.

The festival again played to packedand enthusiastic audiences and to meet public demand was extended a day afterthe first official closing ceremony on Friday night - which was crowned by thepremiere of Cube-director Vincenzo Natali's Cypher. That didnot stop several thank-you speeches being used to include references to theneed to maintain Korea's "Screen Quota" system in the face of US diplomatic pressure.

The secondclosing ceremony on Saturday wrapped with the world premiere of Korean directorYoon Jae-Yaen's WishingStairs, the third film of a horror series set in a girls' high school.

7th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan 2003)

Puchon Choice - Feature Films

Save The Green Planet Dir: Jang Jun-Hwan (Korea)

Jury's Choice

They're Watching Us Dir: Norberto Lopez (Spain)

Best Director

Greg Pak (US) for Robot Stories

Best Actor

Baek Yoon-Sik in Save The Green Planet

Best Actress

Wai Ching Ho in Robot Stories

Citizens' Choice (public prize)

Save The Green Planet

Puchon Choice - Short Films

Grand Prize

Def Dir: Ian Clark (UK)

PRUGIO Award - Jury prize for short film

United We Stand Dir: Hans Petter Moland (Norway)

Citizens' Choice (public prize) for short film

Def Dir: Ian Clark (UK)