A period war drama produced by a South Korean filmmaker park chan-wook Asia’s biggest film festival kicked off on Wednesday, marking the first time a streaming title has kicked off the event.
director Kim Sang-man And “Uprising,” featuring Korean megastar Gang Dong-won in the lead role, is one of this year’s 224 official entries Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which runs until October 11.
The film has attracted considerable attention ahead of its world premiere, largely due to the involvement of Park, who is famous for ultra-violent thrillers such as 2003’s “Old Boy”, which helped bring South Korean cinema to the forefront on the global stage. Park was the screenwriter and producer of “Uprising,” a story about two friends during Korea’s Joseon Dynasty who grow up together – but become enemies when war breaks out in the country.
Park Do-shin, acting director of the festival, said of the choice, “I believe this was a work that could attract the public (most) out of all the (BIFF) opening films in history “
Streaming-only content such as Netflix’s “Squid Game” and the Apple TV+ series “Pachinko” have contributed to a significant increase in the global visibility of Korean and Korean diaspora stories in recent years.
Busan’s 2024 line-up reflects how that content has become “an important part of our culture,” said BIFF programmer Jang Han-seok.
Unveiled before the press before the opening ceremony, “Uprising” was a war flick that occasionally leaned into the realm of gore, while exploring whether human bonds can truly transcend class and division.
According to organizers, about 4,500 guests attended the opening ceremony at the Busan Cinema Center, where stars such as Lee Jung-jae, Gang Dong-won, Song Joong-ki and Kim Min-ha were greeted by fans as they walked the red carpet.
– Why streaming? ,
The decision to open this year’s edition with a major streaming title has sparked criticism within South Korea’s cinema community, as BIFF has long supported emerging talent in Asia as well as small-scale, independent films. is dedicated to.
“I found it disappointing that a streaming title was chosen as the opening film,” Haeyoung Kim, owner of film studio K-Dragon, told AFP.
“The challenges faced by the theater-based physical film market and filmmakers can be partially attributed to streaming platforms.”
Other critics argue that streaming content dilutes the cinematic experience that is best enjoyed on the big screen in theaters.
But ‘Vidroh’ director Kim said, ‘We need to investigate this kind of controversy.’
“Shouldn’t we consider whether a film should always follow specific screening conditions?” he told reporters at a press conference ahead of the inauguration ceremony.
This year’s edition also comes as organizers are grappling with the fallout from former festival director Huh Moon-yung, who resigned last year amid sexual misconduct allegations. The post of Director is vacant.
The South Korean government’s budget for supporting film festivals, including BIFF, was also cut in half this year.
Organizers said that despite those setbacks, the 29th edition is presenting 86 world premieres, about 15 more films than last year.
– Award Winner –
BIFF to honor South Korean actor posthumously Lee Sun-kyunScreening of six film and television works of the actor, including “Parasite”, “Our Sunhi” (2013) and a part in the TV series “My Mister” (2018).
Best known globally for his starring role in Bong Joon-ho’s 2019 Oscar-winning “Parasite,” Lee was found dead of an apparent suicide last year after a two-month investigation into suspected drug use. Which was reportedly considered by many as a suicide. Excessive police interrogation.
Meanwhile, the filmmaker Kiyoshi KurosawaKnown for his contributions to the Japanese horror genre, he will receive the festival’s Asian Filmmaker of the Year award.
The Japanese filmmaker is screening two new films at BIFF this year: the violent thriller “Cloud” and “Serpent’s Path,” a French-language remake of his 1998 film of the same name.
BIFF also presented its first Camellia Award with French fashion house Chanel, which was created to honor women in the cinema industry, to acclaimed South Korean production designer Ryu Seong-hee.
“When I first started my career, there weren’t very many female production designers and genre films were considered a man’s domain,” Ryu said after receiving the award.
“I wanted to prove that genre films made by women can be creative, intense, hard-hitting, and even terrifying.”
BIFF’s industry forum, Asian Content and Film Markets, will host a conference focused on the integration of AI into content production – a current hot-button issue in Hollywood.
Uprising Trailer: Uprising Official Trailer Starring Gang Dong-on, Park Jeong-min, Cha Seung-won
