'Into the Sea of Cinema' Busan Film Festival Opens... 224 Films Including Opening Film 'Jeon,ran' Screened

Held around Busan Cinema Center until the 11th
Actors Kang Dong-won, BTS RM to Heat Up the Event

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The 29th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) will open its curtain with an opening ceremony at 7 p.m. on the 2nd at the outdoor theater of the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae, Busan.

Actors Park Bo-young and Ahn Jae-hong will host the event. A total of 224 films from 63 countries will be screened in 26 theaters across 5 cinemas. The opening film is the Netflix movie "Jung, Ran," produced and written by director Park Chan-wook and starring actors Kang Dong-won and Park Jung-min. This is the first time in 29 years that BIFF has selected an online streaming service (OTT) work as the opening film.

This year, films such as "Anora" directed by Sean Baker, winner of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, "Emilia Perez" directed by Jacques Audiard, which won the Jury Prize and whose female lead won Best Actress, and "The Room Next Door" directed by Pedro Almod?var, winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, will be screened in Busan. The closing film is the French, Singaporean, and Japanese co-production "Soul Journey."

The Asian Filmmaker of the Year award goes to Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Kurosawa will present two new films, "The Path of the Snake" and "Cloud." The inaugural recipient of the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award was Tony Leung Chiu-wai, and last year's recipient was Chow Yun-fat. A special program features "The Cheerful Melancholy of the Cineaste" by Portuguese director Miguel Gomes, and a masterclass will be held where attendees can hear from Hong Kong New Wave pioneer director Ann Hui.

Actor Matsushige Yutaka, well known in Korea for "Kodoku no Gourmet" (The Solitary Gourmet), will also visit Busan. His starring and directorial debut film, "The Solitary Gourmet: The Movie," will be screened for audiences.

Additionally, during the Busan International Film Festival, Microsoft (MS) from the United States will hold an artificial intelligence (AI) conference, and directors Jang Hang-jun, Choi Dong-hoon, Lee Joon-ik, and actors Ahn Jae-hong and Lee Joon-gi will meet with citizens across Busan. A retrospective of actor Lee Sun-kyun, who passed away last December, will also be held.