The Busan International Film Festival, 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. The main focus of the BIFF is to introduce new films and first-time directors, especially those from Asian countries. Another notable feature is the appeal of the festival to young people, both in terms of the large youthful audience it attracts and through its efforts to develop and promote young talent. In 1999, the Pusan Promotion Plan was established to connect new directors to funding sources. The 16th BIFF in 2011 saw the festival move to a new permanent home, the Busan Cinema Center in Centum City. The Busan Cinema Center is an about USD 150 million structure designed by Austria-based architecture collective Coop Himmelblau. The about 30,000 m² Cinema Center includes a 4,000-seat outdoor theatre; four indoor screens under an LED-covered roof; media centre; archive space; and conference rooms; allowing the festival to include industry forums and educational activities.
Hongdae is a neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea near Hongik University, after which it is named. It is known for its urban arts and indie music culture, local shops, clubs and entertainment. The area is located in Mapo-gu in the western end of Seoul, stretching from Seogyo-dong to Hapjeong-dong.
Crying Nut is an influential punk band from South Korea. They have performed together since 1995 and released their debut album called Speed Up Losers in 1998, which made them famous. They are best-selling independent rock band in South Korea. In 2002 they recorded the official Team Korea song for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. which made them a household name in Korea. They have released 7 full albums as of 2014. Their most recent album is called FLAMING NUTS. They are considered the godfathers of the Korean punk scene and are most likely the first punk band in Korea. Nowadays, their musical style is influenced by many different genres.
Korean rock, sometimes known as K-rock, is a subgenre of Korean popular music, focused in rock music from South Korea. It has roots in American rock, which was imported to South Korea by U.S. soldiers fighting in the Korean War and stationing in U.S. military bases in South Korea after the war. Around the U.S. military bases, local musicians could have opportunities to learn American rock music and perform it on stage for U.S. soldiers. As a result, many Korean rock bands, called Vocal Bands or Group Sound, started their musical careers in the 1960s. Under the military administration in the 1970s, rock music and its subculture were classified as a depraved youth culture and restricted. After the Korean Fifth Republic, the censorship policies under the military government were abolished and rock music became a mainstream genre in South Korea until the end of the 1980s. Today, rock music is not the main genre in the music market in South Korea, but it still occupies a big portion of music consumption in the nation.
Busan Rock Festival, inaugurated in 2000, is an outdoor music festival that takes place every summer in Busan. It is one of South Korea's longest running modern music festivals. The lineups accumulate acts of various genres such as rock, metal, indie. The admission was free of charge until 2019, when it transitioned into a ticketed event. Busan Rock Festival has been conducting an artist exchange project by promoting international exchanges.
Stephen Budd is a British music industry executive based in London. He is a director of artist and producer management company Stephen Budd Music Ltd, the OneFest Festival, the Africa Express project and is the co-founder of the NH7 Weekender festivals in India. He is a recognised TV commentator on music industry issues, regularly appearing on a variety of British TV news shows. In June 2017 he completed his 3-year term as co-chairman of the MMF. He is a co-executive producer of Amnesty International and Sofar Sounds' ‘Give A Home’ global concert series. His current management roster includes the artists Dry The River and Dancing Years, along with the record producers Rick Nowels, Tore Johansson, Valgeir Sigurdsson, Nick Zinner and Mike Hedges.
Rux is an influential street punk band from South Korea. They formed in 1996 and released their first recording in 1999. Lead vocalist Won Jong-hee, the only remaining original member, also ran Skunk Label and owned the punk music venue Skunk Hell. They gained notoriety in 2005 when friends of the band undressed on stage during the live nationwide broadcast of an episode of MBC concert show Music Camp.
Kingston Rudieska(킹스턴 루디스카) is a nine-piece South Korean ska band formed in 2004. Their sound is mainly influenced by first-wave Jamaican ska, as well as other Caribbean genres including reggae and calypso music. They are heavily influenced by the Skatalites and frequently perform Skatalites covers. Many of the members are jazz musicians, and their sound is heavily influenced by ska jazz, with band members frequently performing solos during performances.
The Barberettes (Korean: 바버렛츠) is a South Korean retro, doo-wop female group that debuted in 2014 as a trio, and is based in Seoul. With their covers and original music, they reproduce the sound of the 50s-60s music, and are referred to as a time slip girl group who travel back to the times of barbershop music and harmonizing girl groups. The group is composed of Shinae An Wheeler (Korean: 안신애) and Seon Lee Kyeong (Korean: 이경선). In 2019 The Barberettes and Sweet Sorrow form a harmony collab group SBSB (Korean: 스바스바).
Love X Stereo is an electro duo from Seoul, Korea. Consisting lead vocalist and synthesizer player Annie Ko and guitarist and producer Toby Hwang, the duo debuted in 2011 by releasing an EP album called Buzzin'.
Danpyunsun and the Sailors is a four-piece group that was formed in 2013, with veteran folk musician Hoegidong Danpyunsun at the center. The members, whose resumes cover a diverse range of music from classical and jazz to folk pop and experimental rock, continue to push for a new pop sound with a mixture of both Eastern and Western influences.
Whang Bo-ryung = Smacksoft, commonly known as Smacksoft, is a South Korean post-punk and experimental rock band formed in 2000 by the lead singer-songwriter Whang Bo-ryung.
Diealright, often stylized as DIEALRIGHT, is a post punk band from Seoul, Korea. Consisting of lead vocalist and guitarist Chae Song Hwa, bass guitarist Kim Seung Il, and drummer Baek Soojung, the band debuted in 2014. Since then, they have released two singles, and EP and an album. The album presentation showcase was held in Club Freebird in Hongdae. The band played their first European tour dates in the summer of 2017.
I Wear* Experiment is an Estonian rock band formed in 2012. Their sound leans towards experimentation and cinematic soundscapes. The band members are Johanna Eenma (vocals/keyboards), Mikk Simson (drums/percussion) and Hando Jaksi (guitars/synths/sampler). The band began their journey into electronical pop music at the beginning of 2012. I Wear* Experiment has released three 3 EPs and their latest debut album “Patience” was released in 2016. The second single of the album - "Patience" was one of the finalists of Eesti Laul competition.
...Whatever That Means is a South Korean melodic punk band based in Seoul, South Korea. Alternative Press called them the "pop-punk face of the Korean music scene." The two key members are married couple Jeff and Trash. Both are promoters who have organized concerts and brought foreign bands to Korea. They organize annual Halloween shows and previously managed the monthly 2nd Saturdays concert series. They have been associated closely with the venues Club Spot, Ruailrock, Club SHARP, and Thunderhorse Tavern.
Drinking Boys and Girls Choir (DBGC) is a three-piece punk band from Daegu, a conservative city in southeastern South Korea. The band name reflects their love of drinking, their youthful appearance, the fact all members participate in singing, and their gender inclusiveness. They cite the Japanese bands Hi-Standard, Dustbox, and Judy and Mary as influences, as well as Korean bands Crying Nut, ...Whatever That Means, and Billy Carter. In 2013 they played at the Ulleungdo Dokdo Rock Festival, and in 2018 they played Big Day South festival in Busan.
DMZ Peace Train Music Festival is a music festival held in Cheorwon County, Gangwon Province, South Korea. It is held close to the border with North Korea, and is intended to promote peace and unification at a place symbolizing division of the Korean Peninsula. It was held as relations between the two Koreas warmed up.
NST & the Soul Sauce(노선택과 소울소스) is a South Korean reggae band formed in 2014. They have received critical attention for their unique blend of Jamaican genres such as reggae and dub, as well as jazz, afrobeat, funk, soul, and psychedelic, with traditional Korean music, especially pansori. Members of the band have also been part of reggae band Windy City, retro rock band Kiha and the Faces, Kingston Rudieska, and I&I Djangdan, qualifying them for "supergroup" status. They received international attention at Fuji Rock Festival for their song dedicated to late great trombonist Rico Rodriguez.
Bamseom Pirates (Korean: 밤섬해적단) was a grindcore band from Seoul, South Korea. Their work is marked by satire, and they frequently parody South Korean and North Korean governments and ideologies.
Growl of Clown is a Mongolian deathcore band formed in 2014. They formed a band and prepared their first songs and music in a Mongolian Yurt at a traditional cow firm. The band currently consists of 5 people and includes vocalist Khurelbaatar Battulga, drummer Altan-Erdene Erdenechimeg, lead guitarist Barkhuu Otgonbayar, bass guitarist Ariun-Erdene Ganbaatar and guitarist Nyamjav Jambaljav.
