The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has confirmed its main strategic pivot for its upcoming 30th anniversary, transitioning from a non-competitive showcase to a contest format in a bid to cement its place as a powerhouse within the Asian movie panorama.
Set to unspool Sept. 17-26, BIFF’s new aggressive part will characteristic some 14 Asian movies vying for 5 prestigious awards: the grand prize, finest director, particular jury prize, finest actor/actress and inventive contribution. In a notable break with custom, the grand prize winner will display screen because the pageant’s closing movie, moderately than a individually chosen title.
“After concluding the 29th edition last year, we mentioned that the 30th festival would move from a non-competitive to a competitive format,” mentioned Park Kwang-su, chair of the organizing committee, throughout Tuesday’s hybrid press convention held each in Busan and on-line.
The milestone anniversary represents what Park known as “a meaningful occasion to reflect on the journey of growth alongside Asian cinema over the past 30 years and to present a vision for the next 30 years.”
“We are aiming to discover and introduce the excellence and diversity of Asian cinema more actively and contribute to further elevating the status of Asian films in the global film industry,” Park added.
Acclaimed Thai auteur Apichatpong Weerasethakul has been tapped to design the trophies for the awards, together with a brand new Busan Award that may acknowledge excellent Asian cinema.
The pageant’s transformation extends to its management crew. Jung Han-seok, who has been appointed as the new festival director, started his tenure on March 21. “We plan to organize various programs and forums to diagnose the crisis facing Korean films and collectively seek practical solutions,” he mentioned through the press occasion, including that the pageant would prioritize viewers engagement by securing high-profile works and company.
The programming division can be seeing a altering of the guard, with Karen Park getting into the function of program director following Nam Dong-chul’s departure for private causes.
Veteran filmmaker Min Kyu-dong (“Memento Mori”) will helm oversee of each the opening and shutting ceremonies, promising a extra dynamic presentation for the landmark version.
The restructuring can even have an effect on BIFF’s current program sections. The New Currents and Jiseok strands, beforehand serving because the pageant’s awards platforms, will probably be built-in into the brand new competitors part. Meanwhile, the Korean Cinema Today Vision strand will increase into two sections — Vision-Asia and Vision-Korea.
