ID :
19181
Fri, 09/12/2008 - 12:11
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/19181
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Pusan film festival glimpse into Asia's independent cinema ByBy Kim Young-gyo
SEOUL, Sept. 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's largest annual cinematic celebration, the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), opens next month and will highlight a diverse group of Asian film makers and non-mainstream talents from around the region.
The festival has been held annually in the southern port city of Busan --
previously spelled Pusan -- since 1996. This year's festival begins Oct. 2 for a
nine-day run.
Of the more than 300 films to be screened, 100 are from 14 different Asian
countries, including Mongolia, Pakistan and the Philippines, as well as Jordan,
said Kim Ji-seok, executive programmer for PIFF.
"We've also selected, for the first time at PIFF, a Kazakh film as the
opener," Kim said. "It is an exciting adventure for us."
Kazakh director Rustem Abdrashev's "The Gift to Stalin," which
documents the forced resettlement of thousands of ethnic minorities under Joseph
Stalin, has been selected as the opening piece for this year's festival.
PIFF's yearly segment "A Window to Asian Cinema" will sum up the
cinematic breakthroughs made from the second half of 2007 through 2008.
Indonesia and the Philippines, newly emerging meccas for independent film
making, will offer a glimpse into Southeast Asian masterpieces, while Iran will
showcase a new generation of artistic films coming out of the Islamic nation.
India will preview several socialist films.
Four other programs focusing on Asia are also scheduled during the festival, Kim
said.
"Superheroes in Asia," eleven films from various Asian countries, will
explore the social and political impact of Hollywood's genre films on each
country.
"ANI ASIA!" will feature animated films highlighting styles inspired by
the region's varied traditional cultures, including works from Thailand,
Malaysia, Singapore and other East Asian countries. Through the films audiences
will gain insight into each country's unique identities.
Riding on the latest boom in the global film industry, PIFF will introduce the
"2008 Asian Omnibus Collection," a compilation of various subject
matters and directing styles. The seven films represented in this year's
collection address the wide ranging issues of feminism, human rights, fear, love
and urban life. Japanese directors Yoichi Sai, Junji Sakamoto and Lee Sang-il, a
third-generation Korean-Japanese, as well as Indonesia's Nia Dinata, Indian
director Rituparno Gosh and Yongyooth Thongkongtoon from Thailand will present
their works.
The festival will feature music videos by established Asian film directors, such
as Thailand's Wisit Sasanatieng and Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Malaysia's Ho Yuhang and
Yasmin Ahmad, Japan's Nobuhiro Yamashita, and up-and-coming Edwin of Indonesia
and Auraeus Solito from the Philippines.
"The festival will give a rare opportunity to view the experimental works of
these talented directors, which will surely provide more insight into their film
work," Kim said.
The festival has been held annually in the southern port city of Busan --
previously spelled Pusan -- since 1996. This year's festival begins Oct. 2 for a
nine-day run.
Of the more than 300 films to be screened, 100 are from 14 different Asian
countries, including Mongolia, Pakistan and the Philippines, as well as Jordan,
said Kim Ji-seok, executive programmer for PIFF.
"We've also selected, for the first time at PIFF, a Kazakh film as the
opener," Kim said. "It is an exciting adventure for us."
Kazakh director Rustem Abdrashev's "The Gift to Stalin," which
documents the forced resettlement of thousands of ethnic minorities under Joseph
Stalin, has been selected as the opening piece for this year's festival.
PIFF's yearly segment "A Window to Asian Cinema" will sum up the
cinematic breakthroughs made from the second half of 2007 through 2008.
Indonesia and the Philippines, newly emerging meccas for independent film
making, will offer a glimpse into Southeast Asian masterpieces, while Iran will
showcase a new generation of artistic films coming out of the Islamic nation.
India will preview several socialist films.
Four other programs focusing on Asia are also scheduled during the festival, Kim
said.
"Superheroes in Asia," eleven films from various Asian countries, will
explore the social and political impact of Hollywood's genre films on each
country.
"ANI ASIA!" will feature animated films highlighting styles inspired by
the region's varied traditional cultures, including works from Thailand,
Malaysia, Singapore and other East Asian countries. Through the films audiences
will gain insight into each country's unique identities.
Riding on the latest boom in the global film industry, PIFF will introduce the
"2008 Asian Omnibus Collection," a compilation of various subject
matters and directing styles. The seven films represented in this year's
collection address the wide ranging issues of feminism, human rights, fear, love
and urban life. Japanese directors Yoichi Sai, Junji Sakamoto and Lee Sang-il, a
third-generation Korean-Japanese, as well as Indonesia's Nia Dinata, Indian
director Rituparno Gosh and Yongyooth Thongkongtoon from Thailand will present
their works.
The festival will feature music videos by established Asian film directors, such
as Thailand's Wisit Sasanatieng and Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Malaysia's Ho Yuhang and
Yasmin Ahmad, Japan's Nobuhiro Yamashita, and up-and-coming Edwin of Indonesia
and Auraeus Solito from the Philippines.
"The festival will give a rare opportunity to view the experimental works of
these talented directors, which will surely provide more insight into their film
work," Kim said.
