[News] Expectations for the Pusan International Film Festival

[News] Expectations for the Pusan International Film Festival.
Cr. - http://english.kbs.co.kr/

This year's Pusan International Film festival opened in Korea's southern port city of Busan on Thursday evening. The festive mood is tangible in the port city, where the largest cinema event in Asia will continue through October 15th.

The Pusan International Film festival was inaugurated 15 years ago to help ease the concentration of film culture in the capital area and develop the southern port city as a hub of culture and arts. The purpose of the festival is to promote and extend the stature of Korean films in the international film market, and present a new vision of Asian films through exchanges and support among Asian film makers.

Toward that end, the annual film festival seeks meeting open discussions and international exchanges. This year's festival will feature a total of 308 works from 67 different countries around the world, 47 fewer films compared to the previous year. But, this year's festival boasts a record 103 world premieres and 52 works making their international debuts. All these figures demonstrate the growing stature of the film festival.

The festival's success can be attributed to the fact that it brings something new every year to cineastes who wait anxiously for the festival's autumn opening. This year, films are shown under 11 categories in five major theaters and art houses, including "A Window on Asian Cinema" and "Korean Cinema Today", where one can gain an insight into the latest trends of Asian films. In particular, the "online screening system" has been introduced, through which one can see, purchase and negotiate the production of films online.

In addition, this year's festival plans to broaden its visibility worldwide by holding, for example, a meeting of directors of 25 international film festivals, including Cannes, Tokyo and Venice films festivals. Embassies in Korea and film promotion organizations of 15 countries, including Japan, France, Russia, Spain, Australia and New Zealand will also hold colorful reception events to promote their respective films.

The international film festival is held for the local government to promote the local tourism industry, develop the nation's film industry and expand the diversity of social culture. In other words, the festival is focused on invigorating the regional economy through the development of the film industry and promoting the Hallyu or Korean wave through diverse film exchanges.

In this sense, an international film festival is not a festival for members of the movie industry only. It is a growth industry that creates huge economic benefits and invigorates the overall tourism industry, involving tourist attractions, cultural relics, restaurants, accommodation and amusement facilities.

It is hoped that the Pusan International Film Festival will facilitate the intended economic benefits and promote the image of Korean culture throughout the world.



The Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) :

The Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) was launched in 1996 and was the first film festival to ever take place in Korea. It is currently Korea’s largest film festival and is known as one of the most dynamic film festivals in the world, making it “the” film festival in Asia.

As a result, Busan has become known as a city of arts and culture, and these days has been attracting considerable international attention. PIFF has served to introduce many international producers and distributors to Korean films and Korean culture. Audiences of the festival are exposed to the work of emerging filmmakers as well as movies from established masters of the craft, and the festival has provided great opportunities for Asian filmmakers.

Busan will continue to focus its energies on PIFF in order to make the city a landmark destination for cinema fans. The festival will serve as a platform for film investors and sponsors, in order to further develop both the Korean and the Asian movie industries.

Period
10.07.2010 ~ 10.15.2010

Address
Busan-si Haeundae-gu

Location
Cinemas in Haeundae, Nampo-dong PIFF plaza, Haeundae PIFF viliage
Telephone
- Korea Travel Phone +82--1330
(Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
- For more info +82-1688-3010
(Korean, English)
Sponsors / Management
PIFF Organizing Committee /

Programs
* Movie Theatres: about 37 screens in the Haeundae and Nampo-dong areas
* Movies: approximately 300 movies from 60 countries
* Audience figures: approximately 10,000 people from 55 countries

Program Details
Gala Presentation, A Window on Asian Cinema, New Currents, World Cinema, Korean Cinema Today, Korean Cinema Retrospective, Wide Angle, Open Cinema, Flash Forward, Special Programs in Focus, Midnight Passion

Homepage
http://www.piff.org/ (Korean, English)
Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF 2010 – Proyecciones