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| Director Park Chan-wook (left) and Maggie Kang. Sports Chosun DB provides photos = Netflix |
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The Busan International Film Festival, which marks its 30th anniversary this year, has announced a new start as a competitive film festival, signaling a hotter festival than ever.
The 30th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), Asia's largest film festival, will be held for 10 days from the 17th to the 26th around the Film Center in Haeundae-gu, Busan. The total number of official screenings was 241, up 17 from last year. Including the screenings of Community Beef, a related program, the total number of screenings is 328.
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| Official poster of the 30th Busan International Film Festival. Photo courtesy = Busan International Film Festival |
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The Busan International Film Festival plans to make a new leap into a competitive film festival from this year and further solidify its status as Asia's leading film festival. Invited to the competition are: 「Ruomu's Twilight」 (director Zhang Riyul, China),"Spy Star" (director Mukti Jayasundara, Sri Lanka),"The Wild Age" (director Bigan, China and France),"Travel and Days" (director Miyake Shaw, Japan),"Left-handed Girl" (director Tsai Wu-ching, Taiwan, France, the United States, and the United Kingdom),"Let go of the cat" (director Daisuke Shigaya, Japan)," under another name" (director Lee Jae-han, Korea),"Another Birth" (director Iz, 'Road to Erase' (Director Yoo Jae-in, Korea), 'Chungchung' (Director Han Chang-rok, Korea), 'Unauthorized' (Director Hasan Nazer, Iran, United Kingdom).
Chairman Park Kwang-soo said, `Films that participated in the competition section of 14 films will hold a press conference. We will work hard to realize the identity of the festival called 'Vision of Asian Films' in a realistic way.'"Some of the films that participated in the competition have already won awards at leading overseas film festivals, while others will be unveiled for the first time at the Busan International Film Festival." All will be re-evaluated from the perspective of Asians, and some of the judges are not Asian" he said.
The opening and closing ceremonies will be directed by director Mingyu-dong of 'Girls' Ghost Story Second Story', 'Her Story' and 'Fagua'. Director Mingyu-dong plans to melt the symbolism of the 30th episode and the important theme of the transition to a competitive film festival. Lee Byung-hun will host the opening ceremony alone and Su-hyun will host the closing ceremony alone.
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| Lee Sung-min, Park Hee-soon, Son Ye-jin, Park Chan-wook, Lee Byung-hun, Yeom Hye-ran (from left) Photo=CJ ENM |
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Director Park Chan-wook's new film 'There is nothing we can do about it' is selected to mark the strong start of the festival. 'There's nothing I can do about itAfter Mansu, an office worker whose life was satisfactory, was suddenly fired, it tells the story of preparing for his own war to re-employment to protect his family, starring Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, and Cha Seung-won.
Regarding the reason for the selection of the opening film, the Busan International Film Festival Executive Committee said, `The answer to the 5,000-odd audience who will be visiting the opening ceremony is what they would like to see the most,' `As a result of focusing on the works that will bring the most vivid life to the Korean film industry right now.'
Director Park Chan-wook and other supporting actors will attend official schedules such as press conferences at the opening ceremony and open outdoor talks. In addition, Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin will meet closely with fans at Actors House to tell honest and in-depth stories about their performances and works.
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| Movie 'Great Flood','Boss','People Upstairs','Crayon','Project Y'Still. Photo courtesy = Netflix, Hive Media Corp., Mindmark, BY4M Studio, Fan Entertainment, Film Company Dojung, PlusM Entertainment |
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A total of five films were invited to today's special premier section of Korean films, one of the representative programs of the Busan International Film Festival. The movie starring Kim Da-mi and Park Hae-soo will be released for the first time in the world, and the movie "The Boss" (director Kim Byung-woo) and the director and actor Jungwoo Ha will also visit Busan with a new movie "The People Upstairs" that will bring a strong smile to the theaters this Chuseok. The movie "Crayon Shin-chan", which depicts the story after the movie "Wind", will also make its debut. 'Crayon Shin-chan' is the first director Jung-woo, who is also the original author of 'Wind', co-directed by Oh Sung-ho, who won a triple crown at the 26th Busan International Film Festival with 'That Winter, I'. The film starring Han So-hee and Jeon Jong-seo 'Project Y' (director Lee Hwan) will also be unveiled at the Busan International Film Festival.
The World Cinema section will officially invite the Korean-American director Andrew Ahn and Yoon Yeo-jung to the wedding reception, which will be screened for the first time in Korea. 'Marriage Wedding reception' is a comedy film about a grandmother appearing in a fake wedding plan of two same-sex couples, a modern remake of Ian's 1993 work of the same name. Director Andrew An added a perspective suitable for the times while keeping the sensibility of the original work alive, and included Korean elements.
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| 'You killed it','Dear X','Turbul','Romantic Anonymous' still. Photo courtesy = Netflix, TVing, Walt Disney Company Korea |
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You can also see a variety of works on-screen, a section that presents the drama series in advance. Drawing attention is focusing on the deep friendship and solidarity between Jeon Son-i and Lee Yoo-mi, 'You killed' (director Lee Jung-rim), and Kim Yu-jung and Kim Young-dae's doom melodrama suspense 'Dear X' (director Lee Eung-bok and Park So-hyun). Ro Woon, Shin Ye-eun, Park Seo-ham, Park Ji-hwan, etc. 'Takryu' (director Choo Chang-min), Oguri??The Korean-Japanese collaborative drama 'Romantic Anonymous' (director Tsukikawa Shaw) by Han Hyo-joo will also convey a deep afterthought to the audience.
The ultra-luxury foreign guest lineup also draws attention. Italy's representative director Marco Velocchio, French actor Juliette Binoche, documentary master Gianfranco Rossi, Sergei Loznica, and Japanese film industry leader Lee Sang-il will also visit Busan. Guillermo del Toro, the legendary Hollywood master, visits Korea with 'Frankenstein' Mila Jovovich, Hollywood's leading action woman, introduces her new work 'Protector' to the audience. In addition, Japan's Kazunari Ninomiya, Hong Kong's Yang Ga-hui, and Taiwan's secretary and Heo Kwang-han confirmed their attendance.
Lastly, the special program Carte Blanche will feature director Bong Joon-ho, director Maggie Kang, actor Kang Dong-won, novelist Eun Hee-kyung, and journalist Son Seok-hee as guests, creating a global craze with `K-pop Demon Hunters.'
antahn22@sportschosun.com
