European Film Promotion (EFP) has unveiled the list of titles it will support at this year’s Busan International Film Festival (Oct 1-10) in South Korea.
It marks the 18th year that EFP has supported cultural exchange between European filmmakers and Korean audiences as well as helping European films find their way onto Asia’s screens.
EFP’s programme, Opening Doors, is backed by the Creative Europe – Media Programme of the European Union and participating EFP member organisations.
A total of 13 mostly young European film artists will travel to Busan with the support of EFP to present their titles at the Asian film showcase.
Several of the films have already been recognised this year on the film festival circuit.
Babai, the feature debut of Kosovo-born, Germany-based filmmaker Visar Morina won best director at Karlovy Vary in July. The film tells a father-and-son-story of unwanted economic migrants.
Adriano Valerio’s debut film, Banat, about two lovers who have to bridge the gap between Italy and Romania, has been selected for Venice’s Critics’ Week and will compete for the Flash Forward Audience Award at BIFF.
Pavle Vučković’s debut, Panama, which screened at Cannes, centres on the influence of social media on a young man’s relationship. The Serbian film will be released in South Korea following BIFF.
Swedish teen drama, Flocking, by Beata Gårdeler mixes crime, mob mentality and internet revenge. The film was awarded the top prize in the Generation 14plus section of this year’s Berlinale.
Grozny Blues by Nicola Bellucci from Switzerland was introduced in Locarno and follows a few people around the war-torn Chechnyan capital of Grozny.
Dalibor Matanic’s drama, The High Sun, screened at Cannes at Un Certain Regard, looks back at a cruel ethnic war in former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Croatian actor Goran Marković will introduce the film to BIFF audiences.
Woodlands-based fantasy horror The Hallow is the feature debut of British visual artist and pop promo director Corin Hardy.
Irish film Viva, by Paddy Breathnach, is set in Cuba and focuses on 18 year-old Jesus, who struggles to find his true identity.
Asian Film Market
At the Asian Film Market, alongside Unifrance films, EFP is inviting European sales companies to take part in an enlarged Umbrella Booth from Oct 3-6.
Regularly attending companies, such as TrustNordisk from Denmark, WestEnd Films from the UK and Wide from France, have already registered with EFP, while some new companies will come on board as well, according to the organisation.
The following film artists will be presenting their films in Busan with the support of their respective EFP member organisations:
Grozny Blues (Switzerland)
Nicola Bellucci (director)
EFP member organisation: Swiss Films
Viva (Ireland)
Paddy Breathnach (director)
EFP member organisation: Irish Film Board
Cafard (Belgium, France, Netherlands)
Jan Bultheel (director)
EFP member organisation: Flanders Image
11 Minutes (Poland, Ireland)
Paulina Chapko (actress)
EFP member organisation: Polish Film Institute
Horizon (Iceland)
Fridrik Thór Fridriksson (director)
EFP member organisation: Icelandic Film Centre
Flocking (Sweden)
Beata Gårdeler (director)
EFP member organisation: Swedish Film Institute
The Hallow (UK)
Corin Hardy (director)
EFP member organisation: British Council
Summer Camp (Spain, USA)
Alberto Marini (director)
EFP member organisation: ICAA, Spain
The High Sun (Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia)
Goran Marković (actor)
EFP member organisation: Croatian Audiovisual Centre
Babai (Kosovo, Macedonia, Germany, France)
Visar Morina (director)
EFP member organisation: Kosova Cinematography Center, German Films
Raven The Little Rascal 2 (Germany)
Ute von Münchow-Pohl (director)
EFP member organisation: German Films
The Weather Inside (Germany)
Isabelle Stever (director)
EFP member organisation: German Films
Banat (Italy, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania)*
Adriano Valerio (director)
EFP member organisation: Istituto Luce Cinecittà
Panama (Serbia)
Pavle Vučković (director)
EFP member organisation: Film Center Serbia
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