Busan International Film Festival to kick off with war epic 'Uprising'

The 29th edition of the 10-day event will conclude with Singaporean director Eric Khoo's 'Spirit World,' starring French screen icon Catherine Deneuve.

"'Uprising' is a captivating historical drama crafted by an outstanding team of directors, writers, and actors, while Khoo's 'Spirit World' is a co-production that explores the fundamental questions of human existence and the meaning of life through beautiful cinematic expression," said Park Do-shin, the festival's acting director, who was previously Busan's senior programmer.

'Uprising' is also the first streaming title to be invited as the festival's opening film.

Park Kwang-su, a former director who was named the festival's chairperson in February, assured Busan fans in a press conference that this year's event will revive some of the previous festival's traditions.

"When we reviewed last year's event, we realised that several elements were missing that should have been there," Park said. "We've decided to bring back offline dailies, which were previously only published online. We're also reinstating the shuttle bus and a festival lounge where guests and visitors can relax and mingle."

These small changes mean a lot to the festival organisers, who, despite a government subsidy that was nearly halved this year, have increased screenings by 8 percent compared to last year, with the official selection comprising 224 films from 63 countries, thanks to the rise of corporate sponsors. This year's Busan will showcase 279 films, including 13 international premieres and 86 world premieres.

This year's BIFF will celebrate the works of Kurosawa Kiyoshi, the Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award winner and Japanese writer-director known for psychological horror films such as 'Cure' (1997). Busan will screen two of his most recent films, 'Serpent's Path' and 'Cloud,' which premiered at the Venice Film Festival.

Other Asian filmmakers featured at the festival include Jia Zhangke's 'Caught by the Tides,' an epic tale of contemporary China, and Mohammad Rasoulof's 'The Seed of Sacred Fig,' a brutal portrayal of Iran's political landscape and the persecution of women.

The festival will also provide a platform for titles from several legendary European filmmakers, including Bruno Dumont's 'The Empire,' which won the Silver Bear Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, and Sean Baker's 'Anora,' the Palme d'Or winner at Cannes. It also shines a spotlight on the films of Miguel Gomes, who won the best director award at Cannes this year for 'Grand Tour.'

Busan has also expanded the screenings of Korean commercial films this year, including 'Bogota: City of the Lost,' a crime drama starring Song Joong-ki about immigrants to Colombia, and 'Hear Me: Our Summer,' a Korean remake of the legendary Taiwanese romance. The festival is also devoting a special section to commemorate Lee Sun-kyun, the late 'Parasite' actor who died last year, featuring his earlier works such as 'Paju' (2009), 'Our Sunhi' (2013), and the TV series 'My Mister' (2018), in addition to a screening of 'Parasite,' according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Director Lee Ran-hee returns with her second feature film, 'The Final Semester,' following her debut film 'Leave' (2020), which premiered in Busan's New Currents section. Park Song-yeol, a Busan regular, will return with 'Kike Will Hit a Home Run.'

The film adaptation of the famed Japanese TV series 'Solitary Gourmet' will have its premiere in Busan in an outdoor theatre. The French thriller 'Night Call' will also be presented at Midnight Passion, a section devoted to thrillers, horror, and action films to keep diehard genre fans awake through the night, according to The Hollywood Reporter. (ANI)