April 25-30, Theme: 'Cinema & Reality'
Opening Ceremony at Cinema Center Sky Theater on 25th, Guest of Honor Italy
Busan City will host the ‘41st Busan International Short Film Festival,’ marking the start of the 2024 film festival season for ‘UNESCO Creative City of Film, Busan.’
The festival will be held for six days from April 25 to 30 at the Busan Cinema Center and BNK Busan Bank Art Cinema Motungi Theater.
Sponsored by the city and organized by the Busan International Short Film Festival, this event is the ‘largest international short film festival in Korea,’ having started in 1980 and celebrating its 41st edition this year.
This year’s theme, ‘Cinema & Reality,’ aims to showcase short films that express reality in its rawest form, highlighting the unique characteristics and strengths of short films, including traditional 3D films, experimental films, and interactive films that capture reality.
During the festival, a total of 136 films from 43 countries will be screened, including 39 international competition films and 20 Korean competition films, selected from 3,682 submissions from 116 countries.
For the first time since the festival’s inception, the opening films are not invited works but selected from the international and domestic competition entries, featuring three films representing the guest country, Asia, and Korea.
These are ▲ the guest country Italy’s film ‘Diving,’ ▲ the Asian film ‘Really Swear,’ and ▲ the Korean film ‘My Mother’s Story,’ which will be unveiled at the opening ceremony held at 7 p.m. on April 25 at the Sky Theater of the Busan Cinema Center.
The opening Korean film of the 41st Busan International Short Film Festival, As a pre-opening performance, the festival will present a ‘Drone Drawing Performance Concert’ that creates the official poster of the Busan International Short Film Festival using drones, accompanied by bandoneon music, followed by the opening performance featuring Italian pianist Giuseppina Torre’s ‘Cine Concert.’
Notably, this year marks the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Italy, with Italy selected as the guest country. Under the slogan ‘Tiamo! Italy!,’ a variety of Italian short films will be screened.
The guest country program is a flagship program of the Busan International Short Film Festival, selecting one country each year to deeply and broadly introduce that country’s short films.
In addition to the guest country program, the festival will showcase short films from around the world through various programs such as Korea, Asia, Prism, and Special Screenings, and operate diverse new media-related programs including new media cinema workshops and new media experience booths.
Following last year, the festival will again hold a special exhibition at La Cinematheque Francaise, the world’s sacred place for filmmakers located in Paris, France, marking the first Korean film festival to do so and serving as a key gateway to introduce excellent Korean short films overseas.
Moreover, in 2023, the festival was the only Asian film festival selected on the ‘Festivals Worth the Entry Fee’ list by the American film magazine MovieMaker, solidifying its status in the global film industry.
The closing ceremony, held at 7 p.m. on April 30, will announce the winners of 12 awards across four categories, including the Best Film awards in each section.
The festival is the first in Korea to receive official Academy recognition, and films winning the Best Film awards in the international and Korean competition sections are automatically recommended as nominees for the Academy Awards in the Short Live Action and Short Animation categories.
Shim Jae-min, Director of the Culture and Sports Bureau of Busan City, said, “Under the theme ‘Cinema & Reality,’ we hope everyone enjoys the excellent films from around the world that capture reality in various cinematic forms during the six days of the Busan International Short Film Festival.”
For detailed information about the festival, including screening titles and schedules, please visit the official website of the Busan International Short Film Festival. Tickets can be purchased online at the Busan Cinema Center website or on-site.
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