The Busan International Film Festival, considered by many as the most important film festival in Asia, will launch its 27th edition on October 5 and run through until October 14. France will be particularly prominent with more than fifty films programmed, including twenty-four feature films.
Held in the famous South Korean port city, this year's event will welcome Unifrance president, Serge Toubiana, as president of the jury of the highly respected New Currents competition focused on first and second Asian feature films. Toubiana will also present a masterclass dedicated to the work of Jean-Luc Godard, who passed away on September 13. Director Alain Guiraudie will also be a member of the New Currents jury. His latest film, Nobody's Hero, is selected in the prestigious Icons section, which includes the latest films by Mia Hansen-Løve (One Fine Morning), Claire Denis (Both Sides of the Blade), Dario Argento (Dark Glasses), François Ozon (Peter Von Kant), Albert Serra (Pacifiction), and Arnaud Desplechin (Brother and Sister).
Many directors are expected to attend the event, including Thomas Salvador (The Mountain), Emmanuel Mouret (Diary of a Fleeting Affair), Clément Cogitore (Sons of Ramses), Patricia Mazuy (Bowling Saturne), Pierre Földes (Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman), Rebecca Zlotowski (Other People's Children), and Mitra Farahani (See You Friday, Robinson) who will travel to Busan with the support of Unifrance.
The French Night, organized by the Ambassade de France in South Korea, with support from Unifrance and in partnership with Screen International, will take place on Saturday, October 8 at the Paradise Hotel.
At the invitation of the Kofic (Korean Film Council), the Busan festival will host the presidency of the CNC, in the continuation of a privileged rapprochement between the Korean and French film industries, which had already found a superb illustration during the latest Cannes Film Festival. A day of round tables with French and Korean professionals will take place on Tuesday, October 11.
Market
Parallel to the festival, the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM) will take place October 8 through 11. For the fourteenth year, Unifrance will share a booth with EFP - European Film Promotion at the Busan Exhibition Convention Centre (BEXCO). Eighteen French exporters have confirmed their participation: Alfama Films, Best Friend Forever (BFF), Indie Sales, Kinology, Le Pacte, Les Films du Losange, Loco Films, Luxbox, mk2 films, Orange Studio, Playtime, Pulsar Content, Pyramide International, Reel Suspects, Reservoir Docs, Newen Connect a TF1 Group Company, Totem Films, and Wide.
On Thursday, September 29, ahead of the festival, EFP and Unifrance will organize "Warm Up" pitch sessions on Zoom, in which six French exporters will participate, in preparation for the market.
On Saturday, October 8, an event jointly organized by the Korean B2B platform Blintn, Ambassade de France in South Korea, Screen International, and Unifrance will highlight the strong remake potential of French films. Five French exporters will present one of their titles to an audience of international professionals looking for new intellectual properties.
All the French films at the 27th Busan International Film Festival
Icons
- Pacifiction by Albert Serra
- One Fine Morning by Mia Hansen-Løve
- Both Sides of the Blade by Claire Denis
- Brother and Sister by Arnaud Desplechin
- My Imaginary Country by Patricio Guzmán
- Peter Von Kant by François Ozon
- Triangle of Sadness by Ruben Östlund (minority-French coproduction)
- Dark Glasses by Dario Argento (minority-French coproduction)
- R.M.N. by Cristian Mungiu (minority-French coproduction)
- When the Waves Are Gone by Lav Diaz (French coproduction share ratio not specified)
World Cinema
- The Mountain by Thomas Salvador
- Other People's Children by Rebecca Zlotowski
- Bowling Saturne by Patricia Mazuy
- Incredible But True by Quentin Dupieux
- The Night of the 12th by Dominik Moll
- Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Pierre Földes
- Harkis by Philippe Faucon
- The Line by Ursula Meier (minority-French coproduction)
- Boy From Heaven by Tarik Saleh (minority-French coproduction)
- The Adventures of Gigi the Law by Alessandro Comodin (minority-French coproduction)
- The Eight Mountains by Felix Van Groeningen, Charlotte Vandermeersch (minority-French coproduction)
- Corsage by Marie Kreutzer (minority-French coproduction)
- Love According to Dalva by Emmanuelle Nicot (minority-French coproduction)
- Close by Lukas Dhont (minority-French coproduction)
- Blanquita by Fernando Guzzoni (French coproduction share ratio not specified)
- Utama by Alejandro Loayza Grisi (French coproduction share ratio not specified)
- Regra 34 by Julia Murat (French coproduction share ratio not specified)
- I Have Electric Dreams by Valentina Maurel (French coproduction share ratio not specified)
Flash Forward
- Saint Omer by Alice Diop
- Sons of Ramses by Clément Cogitore
- La Jauría by Andrés Ramírez Pulido
- Daughter of Rage by Laura Baumeister De Montis (French coproduction share ratio not specified)
Open Cinema
- The Black Pharaoh, the Savage and the Princess by Michel Ocelot
- Diary of a Fleeting Affair by Emmanuel Mouret
Wide Angle - Documentary Showcase
- See You Friday, Robinson by Mitra Farahani
- The Super-8 Years by Annie Ernaux, David Ernaux-Briot
- How to Save a Dead Friend by Marusya Syroechkovskaya (French coproduction share ratio not specified)
Gala Presentation
A Window on Asian Cinema
- Return to Seoul by Davy Chou
- Holy Spider by Ali Abbasi (minority-French coproduction)
- Plan 75 by Chie Hayakawa (French coproduction share ratio not specified)
- Autobiography by Makbul Mubarak (French coproduction share ratio not specified)
- Love Life by Koji Fukada (French coproduction share ratio not specified)
- Arnold Is a Model Student by Sorayos Prapapan (French coproduction share ratio not specified)
- Nezouh by Soudade Kaadan (French coproduction share ratio not specified)
Special Program in Focus I - Discovering New Japanese Cinema
- The Night I Swam by Damien Manivel and Kohei Igarashi
- Small, Slow but Steady by Shô Miyake (French coproduction share ratio not specified)
Special Program in Focus II - New Perspectives on 21st Century Documentary
- De Humani Corporis Fabrica by Verena Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor
- Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait by Ossama Mohammed and Wiam Simav Bedirxan (minority-French coproduction)
- Everything Will Be OK by Rithy Panh (French coproduction share ratio not specified)
- Sacro Gra by Gianfranco Rosi (minority-French coproduction)
- Leviathan by Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel
- Trois sœurs du Yunnan by Wang Bing (minority-French coproduction)
