Busan International Film Festival has an expanded programme and a new audience award for documentaries, even in the face of funding cuts and ongoing challenges.
With a storied history of almost 30 years, Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has earned a reputation as one of Asia’s leading film festivals, playing an instrumental role in the development and promotion of Korean and Asian cinema. However, it has been beset by various woes over the past decade, from government interference in the screening of a documentary about the Sewol ferry sinking in 2014 and the sudden death of co-founder Kim Jiseok in 2017, to the more recent Covid pandemic, harassment scandals and an ongoing leadership crisis alongside budget cuts.
The national government subsidy from the Korean Film Council (Kofic) has been reduced significantly by 50% from last year. “There were some years with a slight cut, but this is the first time it’s halved,” says BIFF’s co-interim festival director Pak Dosin. “BIFF has to work harder through self-financing to secure more sponsorships to supplement the budget.”
But the festival soldiers on remarkably well into its 29th edition, which runs from October 2-11, with an expanded official selection comprising 244 films from 63 countries (including 86 world premieres and 13 international premieres), up by 8% on 2023. To cope with the increase in screenings, the Kofic Theater joins as an additional venue, bringing the total screening locations to seven, which also includes Busan Cinema Center, CGV Centum City and Lotte Cinema Centum City.
OTT opener
While it has long been lauded as a launchpad for emerging filmmakers, BIFF has also embraced mainstream commercial films and the streaming era. Opening the festival this year is Netflix feature Uprising, a Korean period action drama that teams director Kim Sang-man with Decision To Leave filmmaker Park Chan-wook as co-producer and writer, and an A-list cast that includes Gang Dong-won, Park Jeongmin and Cha Seung-won.
“We have selected many films from Netflix before, but it’s the first Netflix film to ever open the festival,” explains Pak. “It doesn’t mean that we will have more films from OTT platforms for the opening. Just that we’re not going to exclude Netflix or any other OTT films.”
Pak joined BIFF as a short-term contract employee in 2001 and has moved up to hold various senior positions, including head of the programme department, head of the PR department and head of the Jiseok Film Institute. As part of the ongoing management reshuffle, Park Kwang-su was appointed the new chairperson and Ellen YD Kim the new market director for the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM) earlier this year. But the festival was unable to find a suitable candidate for festival director, a position that has been vacant since the resignation of Huh Moonyung in June last year.
As such, Pak was promoted to become the co-interim festival director along with Kang Seung-ah, taking on additional responsibility alongside his work as a programmer in charge of English-speaking regions that includes the Midnight Passion section. Programming director Nam Dong-chul, who was acting festival director for the last edition of BIFF, continues to oversee the programming team, working alongside seven programmers including Park Sungho, Karen Park, Kang Sowon and Park Sunyoung.
“This is just temporary,” says Pak, referring to the vacancy. “It may not be easy, but we will start looking for the right candidate after this edition of BIFF and will make an appointment by March.”
Funding remains a key challenge. “We need to secure the budget for our 30th anniversary next year,” he says. “We have to work with the Busan Metropolitan Government even more closely since our budget depends heavily on their funding. There is a lot of work to be done to increase our private sponsorship at the same time.”
Securing its screening venues is also key. “Many movie theatres are closing down in Korea,” he adds. “We will have to work with filmmakers to figure out what we can do with the decreasing number of theatres.”
To further promote documentary films and to increase audience participation, BIFF is launching a new audience award for the competitive non-fiction section of Wide Angle. Some nine feature-length documentaries from Korea and Asia will make their world premieres in this competition. Pan Zhiqi’s international premiere Ms Hu’s Garden, which won best documentary at Shanghai International Film Festival in June, will also compete in Wide Angle.
This new audience award comes with a cash prize of $7,500 (krw10m) and complements BIFF’s two existing audience awards in New Currents (the competitive section for first and second Asian features) and Flash Forward (for first or second non-Asian features).
Backing cinema
Since its inception in 1996, BIFF has shown unwavering commitment to Asian cinema. It has established various industry, funding and educational programmes such as ACFM, Asian Project Market (APM), Asian Cinema Fund (ACF) and Busan Asian Film School (BAFA).
It has also created events with audiences in mind, including open talks, masterclasses from world renowned filmmakers and the Actors’ House, which allows audiences to meet and communicate with filmmakers, actors and even industry executives.
“It might sound like a cliché but I want the guests and audiences to remember BIFF as a fun place to be,” says Pak. “A place where they can enjoy films, food and events, and meet people during their stay.”
As BIFF takes place soon after Venice and Toronto, it is well positioned to host the Asian premieres of a large crop of new titles from the two festivals. These include Don’t Cry, Butterfly, the grand prize winner at Venice Critics’ Week, directed by Duong Dieu Linh; Crocodile Tears by Tumpal Tampubolon, which played Toronto’s Centrepiece strand; and Sue Kim’s documentary The Last Of The Sea Women from TIFF Docs.
Notable filmmakers in attendance include Japan’s Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who receives BIFF’s Asian filmmaker of the year award, while exiled Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof heads the jury of the New Currents competition. Portuguese filmmaker Miguel Gomes sees a special programme exploring his work (see sidebar, right); Chinese director Jia Zhangke will attend for the gala presentation of his Cannes title Caught By The Tides; and Singapore director Eric Khoo will support his closing film Spirit World.
Festival highlights Special programmes
Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has curated a trio of special programmes in focus, showcasing the work of Portuguese director Miguel Gomes, late Korean star Lee Sun-kyun and a string of teen films from across Asia.
Special programme ‘Miguel Gomes, a Filmmaker of Joyful Melancholy’, will present eight features by the film critic-turned-director, ranging from 2004 debut feature The Face You Deserve to his latest Grand Tour, winner of the best director prize at Cannes and Portugal’s submission for the best international feature category at the Oscars.
‘In Memory of Lee Sun-Kyun’ will pay tribute to the life and career of the Korean actor who died last year. Six of his memorable works will be screened from his vast filmography, including 2009’s Paju directed by Park Chan-ok and 2013’s Our Sunhi by Hong Sangsoo, alongside Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite from 2019, winner of four Oscars and the Palme d’Or at Cannes. Lee will be posthumously honoured with the Korean Cinema Award at the opening ceremony.
‘Teen Spirit, Teen Movie’ is a thematic showcase of nine Asian films with teenage narratives, including the world premiere of Chuang Ching-shen’s The Uniform from Taiwan and the international premiere of Zhang Xuyu’s Fishbone from China. There are also award winners from Sundance, Venice and Cannes, including Girls Will Be Girls, City Of Wind and Tiger Stripes.
“The initial idea was to compile a programme that covers the history of Taiwanese youth films, which were loved by the Koreans,” says Park Sunyoung, who programmed the section. “They were excited by Someday Or One Day and its male lead Greg Hsu when it was released in early 2023.”
While Japan and Taiwan are viewed as powerhouses of youth films, Park and her team noticed there is a growing number of coming-of-age titles from across Asia. “It is important to acknowledge that notable films are also being produced in India, Malaysia, Mongolia and China, which will enable us to capture a meaningful trend in Asian cinema,” says Park.
She believes certain aspects of society can be interpreted more accurately through the eyes of a teenager. “Raising questions about aspirations, identity, sexual autonomy and financial independence can serve as significant references in understanding the time and place in which the films were made,” says Park.
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