Ecstasy
of Film Festival

Pusan International Film Festival ends its 9-day run in Busan with exciting fireworks

The 11th Pusan International Film Festival closed its 9-day colorful run Oct. 20 in Busan, Korea's largest harbor.
Kim Dong-ho, chairman of the festival's Operation Committee, said the festival this year has laid a successful start for the popular film event's next 10 years.
He noted that the Asian film market, the Asian documentary network, and the Asian Film Academy held during the festival garnered a great success, predicting that the Asian Film Market will be developed enough in 3 to 4 years to be Asia's movie market, so that people won't have to go to Hollywood or Cannes to buy films.
On the plan for the festival next year, he said the scale would about the same, but he will expand the premier movie event to boost the position of the PIFF and consolidate the Asian Film Market. He went on to remark that the festival will have its own film center for stable operation of the international event as soon as possible and the shortage of the number of movie theaters that ran the films will be increased to handle more fans.
He said some 160,000 fans participated in the festival during its 9-day run filling around 71.3 percent of seats available at the movie houses that played films entered in the festival. The number of fans this year rose 3.3 percent more than those at the festival last year.
Around 1,577 journalists converged in Busan to cover the film event this year including 434 foreign reporters., displaying the festival's growing international popularity.
The festival opened at 7 p.m. Oct. 12 with a great bang at the special stage set up at the Suyong Bay with hundreds of movie stars and officials of the Busan Metropolitan City including Busan Mayor Hur Nam-shik, while colorful firecracker exploding in the skies of the Bay area. Movie stars included those from Asian countries including Hong Kong, China, Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam, among others. Among the domestic movie people were Kim Tae-hee, Chung Woo-sung, Lee Joon-ki, Lee Byung-hyun, Su-ae, Kim Su-ro, Kam Woo-sung and Uhm Jeong-hwa and veteran actresses Uhm Aeng-ran and Chang Mee-hwa. Fashion designer Andre Kim also walked on the red carpet.
Busan Mayor Hur officially declared the opening of the festival followed by a performance entitled, "Lightening Sound,"and the introduction of a panel of judges including Estvan Zabo and Moon So-ri by Chairman Kim Dong-ho of the Festival Operation Committee.
"To the Autumn,"a Korean film directed by Kim Dae-sung became the first film shown at the festival. The director said it was a great honor for him and the entire crew that the film was the first one to be shown at the festival, although he made only three firms thus far.
Director Kim said he also felt pain because of the screen quota cut in half, adding that he hopes Korea would be a model country to preserve diversification of the world and at the same uniqueness beginning with the PIFF this year. Actress King Ji-soo who appeared in the film, said she felt very happy while filming the movie and that happiness can be carried over here, too. Actress Uhm Ji-yon, who also starred in the film, said she loves the PIFF and it will grow further to truly become a global film festival.
Veteran actor Ahn Sung-ki and starlet Moon Keun-young emceed the opening ceremony with making frequent comic remarks to make audience laugh.
Director Estvan Zabo, who is chairman of the judge panel, said the requirement for New Currents is that a film must be enjoyable and surprising, expressing fresh ideas to be a good film. It shouldn't make audience sleepy, he quipped. Asked to give advises to young film directors, he said it is very difficult. But they have to learn from mistakes and try again and again to reach the stage where they communicate well with audience. "Honesty and sincerity are best ingredients for making successful films,"he said. nw

Actor Ahn Sung-ki and actress Moon Keun-young emcees at the opening of the PIFF in the evening of Oct. 20 at Suyeong Beach in Busan.

A huge crowd at a giant screen set up at Suyeong Beach on the opening day of the PIFF.