Pusan International Film Festival Archive

As the Pusan film festival ends the Chinese Korean Film festival has begun.


Pusan ended yesterday, so perhaps I can now determine what exactly has happened to The King and The Clown - all of CJ Entertainment seemed to have vacated their Seoul office and hit the Pusan streets. Well, you can hardly blaime them....

The media coverage of this years festival has been extensive to say the least. Variety have even published a daily magazine on the festival - Darcy must have been very busy!

Generally speaking it was a successful festival but there wasn't has much buying going on one might have expected, particuarly from the Japanese. "It was better than we expected for an opening market. Things we were missing here were just that the Japanese buyers whom we expected to be biggest did not really move," said Park Kwang-su, director of the Asian Film Market. Although Korean films are booming domestically, internationally they are struggeling, which is essentially down to the decline of Korean film in Japan. That said in other parts of the world, like here in the UK, other parts of Europe and even other parts of Asia, like Singapore, Korean films are becoming increasingly popular. But nevertheless, this will be a disappointment.

From what I can tell, although 15 Korean films were SOLD, none of which went to a UK distributor, but this needs some clarification. Most of the buyers came from Asia, which includes Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and  Malaysia. France and Germany were the only buyers from Europe.

The opening film Traces of Love by  Kim Dae-seung (Blood Rain, which is incedently being released on DVD on Monday in the UK), which premiered at Pusan recieved mixed reviews. Some comparred into Oliver Stone's World Trade Centre because the narrative follows Hyun-woo (Yoo Ji-tae - Oldboy) who takes a journey his lover writes in her diary before she was killed when Seoul's Sampoong Department Store collapsed in 1995, which left over 500 dead and 930 injured.  But one or two critics have stressed it is far too sentimnetal and if you go and see it, take a box of tissues. It also stars Uhm Ji-won and Kim Ji-soo.

As the title above suggests, there is a Chinese Korean film festival, which began yesterday  (friday) and ends tomorrow (Sun). CJ Chinese film festival was held in Seoul and Pusan last month, so natuarally in return we see Korean films taking the trip to Bejjing and Shanghai

The Chinese are in for a real treat because there is a very strong selection of films. From romance and comedy to drama and tragedy, the Koreans are not holding back. The films are as follows; My Boss, My Teacher, The Big Scene, You’re My Sunshine, All for Love, A Moment to Remember,  My Brother,  Arahan,  Memories of Murder,  Classis, and The Warrior.

But they are restricted with Chinese strong censorship regulations, so inevitably there will be no screenings of The King and The Clown or Momento Mori, which both have subtle homeosexual tones.


Sources: Yonhap (English) KBS (English)


Saturday 21 October 8:43am

Pusan International FIlm Festival kicks off next week (October 12 - 20 2006)

It is that time of year again when Asia's biggest film festival begins firing its guns from a city, which is located at the  southern point of South Korea, Pusan.

I have copied this article from my news column, but because of the sheer scale of this festival, I have devoted a whole page for it. I know it is not in the UK, but it provides a great insight into what to expect over the next 12 or so months.

Unlike alot of festivals, the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) is focussed on promoting new directors though prgrammes like the PPP (Pusan Production Plan). As a result of this, directors such as Kim ki-duk have been able to hit the international scene.

It attracts production and particuarly, distribution companies from all over the world, including our very own Tartan Films who pay Pusan a visit every year.

As it is an international film festival, it is by no means 'Korean', though they are obvioulsly the hosts. It screens films from all over the world and this year is only the 4th time that the opening film has been a Korean feature;  Trace by Bungee jumping of their own director,  Kim Dae-seong. The film stars  Yoo Ji-tae (Oldboy, Into The Mirror and Women is a future of Man) and television star Kim Ji-soo.

The 11th PIFF  will present 245 films from 60 countries, including 64 world premieres, 20 international premieres and 71 Asian premieres.

Some of the Korean films on show are  The City of Violence, A Dirty Carnival,  Bloody Tie, The Host, Dasepo Naughty Girl, Family Ties, King and the Clown, and Like a Virgin. I am hoping Tartan will pick up A Dirty Carnival and The City of Violence, which adhere to the kind of Korean film that has gained alot of popularity in the UK. That said, we need some more unusual Korean films, such as LIke a Virgin or Family Ties.


"Three films, in total, were selected for the ‘Special Premiere’. PARK Ki-Hyung`s Gangster High is a powerful new piece that shows his unwavering commitment to examining the nightmarish interiors of youth psyche even though his film world first began with a horror film and now to an action film. LEE Jeong-beom’s Cruel Winter Blues, on the other hand, mixes the gangster genre with family melodrama, with a consummate skill unusual in a new director. This section also offers the joy of viewing, for the first time, IM Sang-soo’s The President`s Last Bang in its complete form. The film provoked both anger and dismay when it was screened with a part of it missing." Sourced from PIFF

I find the fact that they are screening the film The President Last Bang in its entirety quite interesting because not all that long ago they said there were no plans to screen it in full. But perhaps they caved into some pressure - who knows, but it is good news for those who can get there to see it!

As the festival unfolds, I will endevour to try and let you know the latest news from Busan, but it can be difficult when I am stuck here in London.

Screen International usually do a very comprehensive feature on the festival in the week prior to its launch, which will be this week, so keep a look out. From my point of view, it is the best magazine/journal in English that you can find that touches on Korean cinema and when they do special features on events like these, they ususally expand it to explore the whole territory, so it's defineltly worth a read.

Festival website and source: PIFF