The 26th Bucheon International Film Festival (Bifan) opened on Thursday (July 7) with festival director Shin Chul presenting its inaugural Series Film Award to Squid Game producer Kim Ji-yeon.
Speaking to the various series and short form works in video and XR that have been proliferating of late and which Bifan also showcases, Shin said: “I believe film has to embrace these new creations and give them the name of film. Like the history of separation between North and South Korea, there is a history where – after films were made – one side went to cinema and the other went to broadcasting. They became like separated families but after the development of digital technology, realised they are entirely the same.”
On receiving the award, Kim, the founder and head of local production company Siren Pictures, quipped: “I’m Kim Ji-yeon, a filmmaker who made a series.”
“I was wondering that if Squid Game were to go to a film festival in Korea, where would be the most fitting, and I thought Bucheon would be it,” she added. “And of course, the festival was quickest to acknowledge us greatly with this award and I am so thankful.
“For the first time in such a long time [since the pandemic], there are fireworks going off and rain just pouring down, and it feels like we’ll be able to enjoy the film festival with an even more fantastic feeling.”
A downpour meant the ceremony took place under tents on the lawn of Bucheon City Hall. Earlier, the erratic weather went from mellow to pouring rain to stopping momentarily just as director and this year’s Fantastic Film School dean Brian Yuzna walked the red carpet with Korean actress Sim Hyejin, the star of seminal 90s films such as Green Fish and The Gingko Bed, who is on the Bucheon Choice: Features international jury.
Further guests included international jury head Harada Masato, directors Hiroki Ryuichi, Mattie Do and Park Ki-yong, as well as actor showcase star Sul Kyung-gu and actor Choi Min-ho (aka rapper Minho) who features in Jung Bum-shik’s New Normal, which is set to world premiere as the closing film of the festival on July 17.
The festival opened with Alex Garland’s A24 horror Men, which would usually have been screened outdoors but was shown at City Hall theatre during to its R-rated classification.
Bifan will run July 7-17, screening 268 films from 49 countries, and will hand out its awards on July 14.
No comments yet