ID :
23819
Sat, 10/11/2008 - 08:37
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/23819
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S. Korea's film festival boasts loyal audience
BUSAN, Oct. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's largest annual film festival ended Friday after a nine day run with a passionate response from loyal attendees to screenings of some of Asia's top indie films.
The Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) opened on Oct. 2 in Busan --
formerly Pusan -- where it has been held annually since 1996. It featured 315
films, 85 of which were world premiers and 95 of which were Asian premiers.
Organizers say they sold 198,818 tickets, an increase of 215 from last year. They
took a risk with the film's opener, "The Gift to Stalin," directed by
Kazakhstan's Rustem Abdrashev, an unknown here. Still, they say tickets sold out
in a record one-and-a-half minutes in on-line sales.
Young cinema lovers seeking to avoid paying for lodging in the city packed seats
in the "Midnight Passion" section, which screens three films in a night. The
overnight event has sold out three years running.
"Ashes of Time Redux," directed by Chinese film maker Wong Kar-wai, was the first
film to be booked up for screenings. Wong enjoys a large following among South
Korean moviegoers.
"Goo Good the Cat," the latest from Japan's Isshin Inudou, followed. Inudou
previously directed "Josee, the Tiger and the Fish" in 2003 and "La Maison de
Himiko" in 2005.
The U.S. film "Make Yourself at Home," starring South Korean actress Song
Hye-kyo, and Japanese director Koji Hagiuda's "Child by Children" were also
among the films that sold out.
Audiences stood in line for screenings of Southeast Asian films such as "100" and
"Confessional" from the Philippines and Indonesia's "Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly,"
which tackles the issue of discrimination against an ethnic minority in
Indonesia.
Many filmmakers who visited Busan this week said they were impressed witnessing
the audiences here.
"The passion shown by the PIFF's audience has always been the most exclusive,"
said Wong, who came to the festival this year for the sixth time. "The PIFF is
where I, as a film director, that my film is truly appreciated. I hope that you
never lose this enthusiasm."
Japanese director Isshin also was pleasantly surprised with the hearty reception
his film received.
"I did not know my films were loved in South Korea this much. I hope that my
films were well received in Japan," he said laughingly.
"In Japan, I was never really asked to sign autographs, but here some female
audience members came up to me asking for autographs."
The entertainment news magazine Variety last week ran a story titled "PIFF
Crowds Part of Draw for Europeans," praising the enthusiasm shown by Korean
audiences.
"The appeal of the event has much to do with the informed, intelligent and
enthusiastic young audiences that snap up tickets," the magazine said.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
The Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) opened on Oct. 2 in Busan --
formerly Pusan -- where it has been held annually since 1996. It featured 315
films, 85 of which were world premiers and 95 of which were Asian premiers.
Organizers say they sold 198,818 tickets, an increase of 215 from last year. They
took a risk with the film's opener, "The Gift to Stalin," directed by
Kazakhstan's Rustem Abdrashev, an unknown here. Still, they say tickets sold out
in a record one-and-a-half minutes in on-line sales.
Young cinema lovers seeking to avoid paying for lodging in the city packed seats
in the "Midnight Passion" section, which screens three films in a night. The
overnight event has sold out three years running.
"Ashes of Time Redux," directed by Chinese film maker Wong Kar-wai, was the first
film to be booked up for screenings. Wong enjoys a large following among South
Korean moviegoers.
"Goo Good the Cat," the latest from Japan's Isshin Inudou, followed. Inudou
previously directed "Josee, the Tiger and the Fish" in 2003 and "La Maison de
Himiko" in 2005.
The U.S. film "Make Yourself at Home," starring South Korean actress Song
Hye-kyo, and Japanese director Koji Hagiuda's "Child by Children" were also
among the films that sold out.
Audiences stood in line for screenings of Southeast Asian films such as "100" and
"Confessional" from the Philippines and Indonesia's "Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly,"
which tackles the issue of discrimination against an ethnic minority in
Indonesia.
Many filmmakers who visited Busan this week said they were impressed witnessing
the audiences here.
"The passion shown by the PIFF's audience has always been the most exclusive,"
said Wong, who came to the festival this year for the sixth time. "The PIFF is
where I, as a film director, that my film is truly appreciated. I hope that you
never lose this enthusiasm."
Japanese director Isshin also was pleasantly surprised with the hearty reception
his film received.
"I did not know my films were loved in South Korea this much. I hope that my
films were well received in Japan," he said laughingly.
"In Japan, I was never really asked to sign autographs, but here some female
audience members came up to me asking for autographs."
The entertainment news magazine Variety last week ran a story titled "PIFF
Crowds Part of Draw for Europeans," praising the enthusiasm shown by Korean
audiences.
"The appeal of the event has much to do with the informed, intelligent and
enthusiastic young audiences that snap up tickets," the magazine said.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
