War epic “Uprising” to open Busan film festival
Pedestrians walk past a sign for the 29th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan on Oct. 2, 2024. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)
SEOUL, South Korea — A Netflix period war drama produced by South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook will open Asia’s largest film festival Wednesday, Oct. 2, the first time a streaming title has kicked off the event.
Why streaming?
The decision to open this year’s edition with a major streaming title, however, has sparked criticism within South Korea’s cinema community, as BIFF has long been dedicated to supporting emerging talents in Asia as well as small-scale, independent films.
“I find it disappointing that a streaming title was selected as the opening film,” Kay Heeyoung Kim, who owns film studio K-Dragon, told AFP.
“The challenges confronting the theatre-based physical film market and filmmakers can be partly attributed to the streaming platforms.”
This year’s edition also comes as organizers still grapple with the fallout from former festival director Huh Moon-yung, who resigned last year amid accusations of sexual misconduct. The director position remains vacant.
The South Korean government’s budget for supporting film festivals including BIFF was also slashed by half this year.
Despite those setbacks, this year’s 29th edition is presenting about 15 more films than last year, organizers said, with 86 world premieres.
Award winners
BIFF will posthumously honor South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, screening six of the actor’s film and television works including “Parasite,” “Our Sunhi” (2013) and a portion of TV series “My Mister” (2018).
Best known globally for his starring role in Bong Joon-ho’s 2019 Oscar-winner “Parasite,” Lee was found dead in an apparent suicide last year after a two-month investigation into suspected drug use, sparking public outrage over what many perceived as an excessive police interrogation.
Meanwhile, filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa, best known for his contributions to the Japanese horror genre, will receive the festival’s Asian Filmmaker of the Year award, joining the ranks of previous winners such as Hong Kong legends Tony Leung and Chow Yun Fat.
The Japanese filmmaker is showcasing two new films at BIFF this year: the violent thriller “Cloud” and “Serpent’s Path,” a French-language remake of his 1998 film of the same name.
Other notable world premieres include “RM: Right People, Wrong Place,” a documentary on K-pop sensation BTS member RM and the making of his second solo album.
Chung, Yu Chieh, a 39-year-old visitor from Taiwan, said she was excited about South Korean director Hur Jin-ho’s latest film, “A Normal Family” — a psychological thriller featuring two upper-class couples seemingly leading perfect lives.
Featuring some of the most celebrated veteran performers in South Korea – including actress Kim Hee-ae and actor Jang Dong-gun – the film is one of the most anticipated homegrown films to be featured at BIFF this year.
“I believe (the festival) will be very special,” she told AFP.
BIFF’s industry platform, the Asian Contents and Film Market, will host a conference focused on the integration of AI in content production — a current hot-button issue in Hollywood.
Companies including South Korea’s CJ ENM, Chinese VOD service iQIYI and Microsoft will take part.
