hankyoreh

By Song Ho-jin

With the end of summer, the waters off Busan are once again set to swarm with film fans. The 16th installment of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), Asia's largest, is taking place in Haeundae from Oct. 6 to 14. The 307 films screened come from 70 countries, ranging from low-budget 3D to grand prize winners at previous international film festivals. Online tickets (not including on-site sales) for the opener, director Song Il-gon’s “Always” (starring So Ji-sup and Han Hyo-joo), sold out in seven seconds flat. Fans who hoped to see a fabulous opening screening at the Outdoor Theatre opened for the event on Aug. 29 will likely be groaning at the injustice of it all.

Some of the films being introduced prior to their official premieres are “Punch,” starring Kim Yoon-suk and Yu A-in, which festival organizers predicted would be particularly popular for its lighthearted approach to multicultural issues, and “Today,” starring Song Hye-kyo, which is more than six years in the making for director Lee Jeong-hyang, whose previous films include “Art Museum by the Zoo” and “The Way Home.” Made for the low budget of 150 million won ($127,011), Yeon Sang-ho’s violent thriller “The King of Pigs” is hotly anticipated by the animation community when it premieres in the second half of the year.

Other films strongly recommended by the organizers are director Park Hong-min’s “A Fish,” a 3D film about a professor looking for his shaman wife and a detective agency employee searching for his own wife that was made for under 100 million won, and Park Yeong-cheol’s “The Passion of a Man Called Choe Che-u,” a historical drama made for 70 million won.

Also on offer are a 3D rerelease of Bong Joon-ho’s “The Host”; “The Peach Tree,” helmed by actress Gu Hye-seon; “Amen,” the road movie shot by director Kim Ki-duk after “Arirang”; and “Bobby,” starring Lee Chun-hee and Kim Sae-ron. The last of these is a highly anticipated work that delves into the reality of a South Korea that sends its children overseas for adoption. Also drawing interest from audiences is “The Kick,” a taekwondo action film that will be shown at the Midnight Passion, where viewers can watch an all-night marathon of films.

Also coming to Busan are a number of prize-winners at other international festivals and works by famous overseas directors. “The Lady,” by “The Professional” director Luc Besson, tells the story of Aung San Suu Kyi, a living symbol of the democracy struggle in Myanmar. Besson will be paying his first visit to South Korea.

A flock of films is also coming in from Cannes. These include this year’s Palme d’Or winner, “Tree of Life,” along with Grand Prix winner “The Kid with a Bike” by Belgium’s Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, and “Melancholia,” a Lars von Trier film that won Kirsten Dunst acting honors. Also coming over are submissions for competition at Cannes this year such as “Habemus Papam” and “About Kevin.”

The Russian film “Faust,” a Golden Lion winner at this year’s Venice International Film Festival, and “Sleeping Sickness,” which netted Ulrich Koehler directing honors at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, will also provide a video textbook of current international film trends.

Known among South Koreans for “Love Letter,” Japanese director Shunji Iwai comes bearing “Vampire,” about a blood-sucking serial killer who gradually succumbs to torment while sucking the blood of suicidal people.

Some of the films bring to the screen vivid images of a global village facing revolution, conflict, and illegal migration. “Terraferma,” about a Sicilian fishing family that hides refugees who have fled from a Libyan prison, has been praised for its trenchant treatment of the illegal migration issue. The Egyptian omnibus “18 Days” captures the revolution that brought down the Mubarak dictatorship through ten short films. Other words presenting a picture of the international community include “A Bottle in the Gaza Sea,” about the Israeli-Palestine conflict; “Money and Honey,” a documentary that follows the life a female migrant worker in Taiwan for over ten years; and “This Is Not a Film,” a record of the daily life of Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who was sentenced to seven years in prison and barred from outside activity for twenty years for being critical of his country’s government.

The Outdoor Theatre boasts the country’s largest screen (24mx13m) at the farther distance from the projector (60m). Measuring 163m by 62m and weighing 4,000 tons, the building’s roof is being pushed for a Guinness listing. Visitors will also have the urge to put themselves in the nightscape of the “Hall of Film,” which sparkles with 120 thousand LED lights. The scuttlebutt from the organizers is that the landscape from the outdoor bridge linking the nine-story, four-theater Cinemountain and the four-story BIFF Hill is not to be missed.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]