Busan International Film Festival
Busan’s Asian Film Content Market Wraps Up Amid Optimism and Post-Pandemic Concerns
The Asian Content Film Market (ACFM), the Busan International Film Festival’s industry platform, wrapped up this week with organizers and market participants voicing a mix of optimism and concern for the post-pandemic state of the movie market. The event, which was held in the city’s massive BEXCO convention center, attracted 1,059 companies and 2,185 industry […]
- By
Busan: Classic Korean Film ‘Nakdong River’ — Previously Feared Lost — Is Rediscovered and Restored
Nakdong River, by the director Jun Chang-geun, was one of just 12 Korean films produced during the Korean War — and for years it was thought to have been lost. So when staff at the Korean Film Archive recently happened upon a print of the film — miscategorized and kept in the wrong section of […]
- By
Busan: Korean Content Veterans Discuss Their Industry’s Stunning Global Growth
With Korean films and dramas continuing to find mass success among the American mainstream — Squid Game, Parasite and Extracurricular to name just a few — veterans of the Seoul entertainment world gathered at the Busan International Film Festival on Sunday to discuss how their industry achieved such milestones, as well as strategies for even […]
- By
‘The Winter Within’ Trailer: Family Drama Set Amidst the Militarism, Somber Quietude of Kashmir (Exclusive)
Kashmiri actor-turned-director Aamir Bashir returns with his first feature in 12 years in The Winter Within, a taut art house drama making its world premiere in competition at the Busan International Film Festival on Sunday. In the film’s first English-language trailer, shared exclusively with The Hollywood Reporter on the eve of the premiere, actress Zoya […]
- By
Busan: ‘Avatar 2’ Producer Jon Landau Premieres 15-Minutes of Footage in Korea
Select attendees at the Busan International Film Festival on Thursday got a sneak peek at 2022’s most anticipated movie — James Cameron’s long-gestating mega-tentpole Avatar: The Way of Water. A 15-minute showreel of exclusive footage from the Avatar sequel was shown to a large Korean audience who had paid about $5 each (7,000 Korean won) to […]
- By
Korea’s Busan Film Festival Kicks Off in Comeback Mode
The 27th Busan International Film Festival opened Wednesday night on a long overdue note of optimism with the premiere of Scent of Wind by Iranian director Hadi Mohaghegh. Festival organizers have indicated that they view the 2022 festival as a full-scale comeback edition, following two hard years of pandemic restrictions and a sequence of prior political challenges. “We […]
- By
Busan: Lars Von Trier’s ‘The Kingdom,’ K-Dramas From Netflix and Disney+ Headline Second Series Selection
The Busan International Film Festival has unveiled a selection of nine series for its On Screen section, a program launched last year that highlights innovative series created by TV producers and streaming platforms. This year’s selection, which has grown from three titles to nine, will include original series from Disney+, Netflix and TVING, the streaming […]
- By
Busan Film Festival to Open With Iran’s ‘Scent of Wind,’ Close With Kei Ishikawa’s ‘A Man’
The 27th edition of Busan International Film Festival will open with Scent of Wind by the Iranian director Hadi Mohaghegh and close with A Man by Japan’s Kei Ishikawa. Launched in 1996, Busan has long been considered Asia’s premiere film festival, famous both for launching the careers of exciting new Korean and Asian auteurs, as […]
- By
Busan Film Festival Unveils Diverse Competition Lineup
The Busan International Film Festival has unveiled its 10-film selection for New Currents, the event’s main competition section that focuses on Asian cinema. Since the festival launched in 1996, the program has been one of the region’s most important platforms for introducing emerging directors. This year, two Indian films have been selected for the section […]
- By
Busan: Disney Asia Head Luke Kang Touts Streaming Strategy, Disney+ South Korea Launch
For Luke Kang, president of the Walt Disney Company for the Asia-Pacific region, the growth opportunities for the streaming market in South Korea are clear and abundant. There’s a reason why global media and entertainment companies are keeping a keen eye on Asia — and South Korea in particular — as one of the most […]
- By
South Korea’s Busan Festival Opens With ‘Parasite’ Stars and a Spirit of Recovery
The Busan International Film Festival kicked off in South Korea’s bustling southern port city Wednesday night with the world premiere of Heaven: To the Land of Happiness from veteran director Im Sang-soo (The Housemaid). Despite a smaller scale (with theaters at 50 percent capacity) and a mask mandate for all visitors, about 1,200 audience members […]
- By
‘The Third War’ (‘La Troisième Guerre’): Film Review
Italian director Giovanni Aloi's French-language debut feature 'The Third War,' about a squad of soldiers patrolling Paris, premiered in Venice and recently played Busan.
- By