Korean and Japanese directors share prize at film festival

BUSAN, Oct. 10 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean and a Japanese director shared a major
award at South Korea's largest annual film festival, organizers said Friday.
As the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) drew to a close, Korea's Roh
Gyeong-tae and Japan's Masahide Ichii received the New Currents Award, which
acknowledges Asia's rising directors.
Roh's "Land of Scarecrows" and Ichii's "Naked of Defenses" were selected from
among a group of 14 films from nine Asian countries, organizers said.
Roh's "Land of Scarecrows" is a story of isolation through eyes of three people,
a transgender named Jang Ji-young, her Filipino foster child Loi Tan, and a
character named Rain, who came to South Korea from the Philippines to get
married.
"Naked of Defenses" is a buddy film that portrays two women, one who suffered a
miscarriage and the other who is pregnant.
The film event this year featured 85 world premiers among the 315 films screened
in the city of Busan, as the southeastern port city is now spelled. It opened
Oct. 2 for a nine-day run.