Im Kwon-taek is one of South Korea's most renowned film directors. In an active and prolific career, his films have won many domestic and international film festival awards, as well as considerable box-office success, and helped bring international attention to the Korean film industry. As of spring 2015, he has directed 102 films.
The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), formerly the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festival, held from 13 to 21 September 1996, was also the first international film festival in Korea.
Jeonju International Film Festival is an Asian film festival. It was launched in 2000 as a non-competitive film festival with partial competition. It introduces independent and experimental films to focus on the alternative course of contemporary film art.
Always is a 2011 South Korean romantic action drama film directed by Song Il-gon and stars So Ji-sub and Han Hyo-joo in the lead roles. The film is about a romance between an ex-boxer, who has closed his heart to the world, and a telemarketer, who remains spirited despite slowly going blind.
The Weight is a 2012 South Korean film about a hunchback mortician and his transgender stepsister.
Jiseul (Korean: 지슬) is a 2012 South Korean war drama film written and directed by Jeju Island native O Muel. The film is shot in black and white with the entire cast composed of local actors speaking their natural dialect. "Jiseul" means "potato" in Jeju dialect. O said he picked it as the title of his film because "potatoes are considered a staple food in many countries, often symbolizing survival and hope." Set during the Jeju Uprising on the island in 1948, O said the film does not focus on the large-scale struggle, but on a forgotten true story about a group of villagers who hid in a cave for 60 days to escape from a military attack. They hid underground for months, cold and numb, far too close for comfort—just like the potatoes to which the title refers.
The 18th Busan International Film Festival was held from October 3 to October 12, 2013 and was hosted by Aaron Kwok and Kang Soo-yeon.
The 19th Busan International Film Festival was held in South Korea from October 2 to October 11, 2014, and was hosted by Ken Watanabe and Moon So-ri. A total of 312 films from 79 countries were screened with total attendance of 226,473. Hong Kong director Ann Hui receives the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award. The closing film was Gangster Payday.
The 16th Busan International Film Festival was held from October 6 to October 14, 2011 at the Busan Cinema Center and was hosted by actresses Uhm Ji-won and Ye Ji-won, making it the first year to be hosted by two women.
Pluto is a 2012 South Korean film written and directed by Shin Su-won about the severity of competition among students at an elite high school, and how far one will go to be at the top.
Shin Su-won is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Shin wrote and directed Passerby #3 (2010), Pluto (2013) and Madonna (2015). Her short film Circle Line won the Canal+ Prize for Best Short Film at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.
The 15th Busan International Film Festival was held from October 7 to October 15, 2010, at the Busan Stadium Yachting Center Outdoor Stage, hosted by actors Jung Joon-ho and Han Ji-hye.
O Muel is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He wrote and directed the award-winning film Jiseul in 2012.
The 20th Busan International Film Festival was held from October 1 to October 10, 2015 at South Korea's Busan Cinema Center and was hosted by Song Kang-ho and Marina Golbahari.
Eyelids (Korean: 눈꺼풀) is a 2015 South Korean drama starring Moon Seok-beom. Written and directed by O Muel, it follows an old man living a monk-like ascetic life on an island. Feeling frustrated and powerless while watching the news coverage in the aftermath of the Sewol ferry disaster on April 16, 2014, O wrote the script in three days to offer a way to console the souls of the dead. It made its world premiere at the 20th Busan International Film Festival in 2015 and won the CGV Arthouse Award and DGK Award.
Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy is a 2013 Thai coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, starring Patcha Poonpiriya, Chonnikan Netjui and Wasupol Kriangprapakit. The film was created from 410 tweets of @marylony in chronological order which revolves around "Mary" and her friend "Suri" who were studying in a fictional high school. The film was one of three films which were developed, produced and funded by Venice Biennale in 2013 and had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
The 25th Busan International Film Festival took place on October 21 to 30, 2020 at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, South Korea. A total of 192 films from 68 countries were screened at the festival, the numbers reduced from the previous edition.
The 26th Busan International Film Festival opened on October 6 at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, South Korea with South Korean film Heaven: To the Land of Happiness by Im Sang-soo. Park So-dam and Song Joong-ki hosted the opening of the festival, which was streamed live on YouTube.
The 27th Busan International Film Festival was held from October 5 at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, South Korea till October 14. This year, the festival restarted events and program sections which were not conducted due to COVID-19 for last 2 years. The festival opened with Iranian film Scent of the Wind by director Seyed Hadi Mohaghegh, Jeon Yeo-been with Ryu Jun-yeol were master of ceremonies for the opening ceremony.
The 28th Busan International Film Festival opened on October 4 at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, South Korea. Song Kang-ho of Parasite fame welcomed filmmakers as host of the festival, while Park Eun-bin acted as the moderator of the ceremony, which was broadcast live on YouTube channel and Naver TV. Opening with South Korean film Because I Hate Korea by Jang Kun-jae, 269 films were screened, including 209 officially invited films from 69 countries and 60 community beef screenings. Jung Sung-il, South Korean film critic, director and screenwriter served as chairman of the jury for its main competition section.
