Opening Film 'Boys Afraid'
Choi Min-sik Special Exhibition 'Shiri' and 10 Other Films
(From left) Kim Young-deok, Senior Programmer; Jung Ji-young, Organizing Committee Chair; Shin Cheol, Executive Committee Chair [Photo by Yonhap News]
"Barriers between creators are breaking down. We will create a valuable film festival by providing a space for 고민 and discussion."
The Bucheon Fantastic Film Festival will lift the curtain on its twenty-seventh festival on the 29th.
On the afternoon of the 7th, Shin Cheol, the executive committee chairman, stated at the press conference for the 27th Bucheon Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) held at the Seoul-On video studio on the 2nd floor of the Dongdaemun Digital Plaza Design Lab in Euljiro, Jung-gu, Seoul, "We need to redefine the definition of film," adding, "With this in mind, we chose 'Film+' as this year's theme."
Following last year, the Bucheon Fantastic Film Festival contemplates "What is film?" It diagnoses the film industry, which is undergoing tectonic shifts as domestic popular culture such as K-series, pop, and webtoons converge, and forecasts the future.
Chairman Shin emphasized, "We should not define 'film' only as movies screened in theaters," adding, "We need to rediscover the original meaning and redefine it." He continued, "'The Harry Potter' series is considered film, but isn't it strange to say the 'Squid Game' series is not? The original definition of film is 'audio-visual storytelling,' but it is being interpreted narrowly."
He also said, "We are making various new attempts, such as awarding a series film prize for the first time to the OTT series 'Squid Game' last year." He added, "'How can we add webtoons, comics, AI (artificial intelligence), and series to film?' is our theme. While K-webtoons are emerging in the webtoon market once led by Japan, we want to consider how the Korean film industry will grow."
This year, the Bucheon Fantastic Film Festival opens on the 29th and runs for 11 days until the 9th of next month, screening at Bucheon City Hall Lawn Plaza, Eoulmadang, Fantastic Cube, Korean Manhwa Museum CGV Sopung, and Megabox Bucheon Starfield City, and is also available on the OTT platform Wavve.
It has invited 262 films from 51 countries, including 121 feature films, 110 short films, and 31 XR (extended reality) works.
The opening film is "Boy Is Afraid" (USA) directed by Ari Aster, well known to domestic audiences for "Hereditary" (2018) and "Midsommar" (2019). The closing film is "Everyone's Song" directed by Takashi Shimizu.
In the international competition section, Bucheon Choice: Feature category, films such as "Tiger Girl," which won the Critics' Week Grand Prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival, "Whale Bone" by Takamasa Oe, a former screenwriter of "Drive My Car" (2021), "Black Education" by Taiwanese actor-turned-director Jiandong, and "Disorder" by Mongolian newcomer Bardelger Biambasuren have been invited.
In the Bucheon Choice: Short category, 14 films were selected out of 802 submissions. The competition sections include Bucheon Choice, Korea Fantastic, and the Mad Max Project showcasing new works by masters.
In Korea Fantastic: Feature category, 10 films including "Her Hobby Life," "One Ten-Thousandth of a Second," and "Dokchin" have been selected, and 16 short films will meet the audience.
This year, a special exhibition dedicated to actor Choi Min-sik is prepared. Among the films personally selected by the actor, 10 films including "Shiri" (1999), "Failan" (2001), "Oldboy" (2003), and "Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time" (2012) will be screened.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bucheon City's elevation, a commemorative exhibition will screen films such as "Dragon vs. Tiger" (1973), "Workman: Final Cut" (1973), and "Andy Warhol's Frankenstein" (1973).
Through the "July Carnival," events such as parades, dance parties, and water gun fights will be held.
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