Kazahk film to open BIFF
303 films from 85 countries to be screened
The Kazahk movie “The Horse Thieves, Roads of Time” directed by Yerlan Nurmukhambetov and Japanese filmmaker Lisa Takeba has been selected as the opening film of the 24th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).
The organizers unveiled the opening film during a news conference at the Busan Creative Economy Center near the beachfront district of Haeundae in the southern port city.
“The Horse Thieves, Roads of Time” revolves around a boy who pursues a gang of horse thieves who killed his father. The movie is considered Kazakhstan’s version of a Western film, centering on nomadic cowboys and containing gunfights.
Jeon Yang-jun, BIFF executive director, praised the movie for its aesthetic value.
“Kazahk films are relatively unfamiliar to international movie fans but we should note that over the past five years Kazakhstan has consistently produced solid films,” he said during a news conference to unveil the key programs of the 24th BIFF.
“There is no doubt that this film is one of the great Kazahk movies.”
Over the two decades since its inception, Jeon said BIFF has created a virtuous circle of discovering talented Asian filmmakers and showcasing their works, noting this means a lot to many people.
BIFF announced that director Lim Dae-hyung’s romance movie “Moonlit Winter” will close the 10-day festival. “Moonlit Winter” is Lim’s second feature-length film.
The film starring award-winning actress Kim Hee-ae tells of a mother and her teenage daughter who accidentally comes to know about her mother’s secret after reading a letter for her mother.
The daughter tries to console her mentally wounded mother and the two embark on a trip.
Through the film, director Lee depicts the loss and restoration of love.
Lee and Kazak director Nurmukhambetov are both winners of BIFF’s competitive section New Currents. According to BIFF, it is the first time the film festival will feature New Currents winners’ works for the opening and closing films.
This year’s edition will showcase 303 films from 85 countries. About half of them are international or world premieres.
The centennial of Korean cinema will be commemorated through a special program that will showcase 10 great Korean films on the occasion of the anniversary.
The selected movies include director Kim Ki-young’s “The Housemaid” (1960), Lee Jang-ho’s “Good Windy Days” (1980), Bong Joonho’s “Memories of Murder” (2003) and Park Chan-wook’s “Oldboy” (2003).
All the chosen movies were game changers in the history of the Korean film industry that began in October 1919 with the release of Korea’s first movie “Righteous Revenge” directed by Kim Do-san.
Korean cinema has grown fast since the 2000s with a sharp growth of movie fans. With some 200 million annual moviegoers, Korea is one of the world’s largest movie markets.
This year, BIFF created a new program called “Icon” in which master filmmakers’ new works will be introduced.
The iconic outdoor theater BIFF Village will not be set up this year because of a possible typhoon. In the past, some screenings were canceled because of bad weather.
Films will be showcased in theaters in Haeundae, Nampo-dong and Busan Citizens’ Park. Legendary cinematographer Jung il-sung will be recognized in the Korean Film Retrospectives and seven films he had participated in will be showcased during the festival.
Lee Yong-kwan, BIFF chairman, said the organizers set this year’s edition as a milestone for the festival to leap forward.
The 24th BIFF will be held from Oct. 3 to 12.