Busan International Film Festival opens with 'Vara'

Poster of the 18th Busan International Film Festival

The program for the 18thBusan International Film Festivalwas unveiled recently. The ten-day festival will open with Vara: A Blessing by Bhutanese director Khyentse Norbu and close with Korean directorKim Dong-hyun's The Dinner.

The opening film Vara: A Blessing by director Khyentse Norbu (photo courtesy of BIFF organizing committee)

Vara: A Blessing tells a story of love, self-sacrifice, and a woman's strength in adversity. The story, set in rural India, is about a young woman named Lila, who falls in love with Shyam, a low-caste village boy hoping to be a sculptor.

The Dinner starts as the story of an ordinary family but a series of misfortunes leads them to a tragic state. It is the recipient of the 2011 Asian Cinema Fund script development fund.

The festival will take place on 35 screens at seven movie theaters inBusanfrom October 3 to October 12.

A total of 301 films from 70 countries will be shown. There will be 95 world premiers that are presented to audiences for the first time and 42 international premiers that are shown for the first time outside their home countries.

The closing film The Dinner by directorKim Dong-hyun(photo courtesy of BIFF organizing committee)

The Gala Presentation program that introduces recent works by renowned directors or sensational projects will show off six films: Ana Arabia by Israeli director Amos Gitai, Nagima by Kazakhstani director Zhanna Issabayeva,Snowpiercerby Korean directorBong Joon-ho, The X by Korean director Kim Jee-woon, Kadal by Indian director Mani Ratnam, and Unforgiven by Zainichi Korean directorLee Sang-il.

An experimental work, Ana Arabia was filmed in only one take. The film contains a message of peaceful coexistence between Jews and Muslims.

Snowpiercerwas already released in Korea in August but it is included in the program. "It will be the first time forSnowpiercerto be shown at a major film festival", said Nam Dong-chul, a BIFF programmer. "Since it will be reedited for screening in North America, if you want to see the full version, you will have to see it in Busan".

Unforgiven by Japanese directorLee Sang-il(photo courtesy of BIFF organizing committee)

The Korean Cinema Today program will includeKim Ki-duk's Moebius, which was invited to the ongoing 70th Venice Film Festival's noncompeting section as well asHong Sang-soo'sOur Sunhi, which won Hong the Leopard Award for Best Director at the 66th Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland.Nobody's Daughter Haewonby Hong is also included in the program. For Moebius, the festival will show a version reedited with three minutes cut for general screening.

There are also several special programs -- Unknown New Wave Central Asian cinema and Rogues, Rebels and Romantics: A season of Irish cinema -- focusing on films produced in former Soviet countries and works by Irish filmmakers.

There is also the Korean Cinema Retrospective introducing over 70 films by Korea's master directorIm Kwon-taek.

For the Asian Film Market, a total of 142 institutions from 27 countries will set up promotional booths at BEXCO. Book to Film, a venue for publishers or copyright holders looking to sell original printed work copyrights and producers seeking to purchase them, will include webcomics and graphic novels as well this year.

(From left) BIFF Director Jay Jeon, Festival Director Lee Yong-kwan, Executive ProgrammerKim Ji-seok(photo courtesy of BIFF organizing committee)

Speaking of what differentiates this year's event, Festival Director Lee Yong-kwan told journalists on September 3, "We will present a lot of works by young Asian directors. It will be an opportunity to show the identity of the Busan International Film Festival this year".

Iranian director Rakhshan Bani-E'temad will lead theJuryfor the New Currents section, BIFF's competition category.

Korean actressKang Soo-yeonand Hong Kong actor Aaron Kwok will moderate the opening ceremony. Among the major guests are Japanese actor Ken Watanabe, Taiwanese director Tsai Ming Liang, Chinese director Jia Zhangke, Artistic Director Charles Tesson of Critic's Week at the Cannes International Film Festival, Irish director Jim Sheridan, and Japanese directorsLee Sang-il, Aoyama Shinji, and Kore-eda Hirokazu.

By Limb Jae-un
Korea.net Staff Writer
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