October 4 marks the start of the 28th Busan International Film Festival, often considered Asia's most important festival. Until October 13, France will be in the spotlight, with nearly forty films on the program, including 18 feature-length, majority-French films.
Located in the heart of South Korea's seaside city, this year's BIFF will welcome several renowned French artists, with the support of Unifrance: Bertrand Bonello with The Beast, selected for Gala Presentation, the festival's most renowned section; Luc Besson with Dogman, presented during one of BIFF's illustrious open-air screenings;; Anaïs Tellenne and Raphaël Thierry with The Dreamer, presented in the Flash Foward competitive section..
The traditional French Night, organized by the Ambassade de France - South Korea with the support of Unifrance and in partnership with Screen International, will take place on Saturday October 7 at the Paradise Hotel. On this occasion, the winners of the Académie France-Corée du Cinéma, created by the CNC and Kofic, will be announced.
On the market front
The Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM), the "market" part of the festival, will also be held in Busan from October 7 to 10. For the fifteenth year, Unifrance will share a stand with EFP - European Film Promotion at the Busan Exhibition Convention Centre (BEXCO). 21 French exporters will be present: Alpha Violet, Charades, Gaumont, Gebeka International, Goodfellas, Indie Sales, Kinology, Le Pacte, Les Films du Losange, mk2 films, Newen Connect a TF1 Group Company, Octopolis, Orange Studio, Pathé Films, Playtime, Pulsar Content, Pyramide International, SND, The Party Film Sales, Urban Sales, WTFilms.
On the morning of Saturday October 7, a panel co-organized by the CNC and KOFIC will bring together Jérémie Kessler, Director of European and International Affairs at the CNC; Kim Hyunsoo, Director of KOFIC's Financing & Support Department; film director Davy Chou; Min-Ho Ha, producer and founder of MereCinema. With the film Return to Seoul as a starting point, the French and Korean film subsidy systems will be analyzed to better address the challenges of diversifying film financing.
In the afternoon, the Ambassade de France - South Korea, in partnership with Screen International and with the support of Unifrance, will organize a new event focusing on remake rights for French films and audiovisual programs, aimed at Korean and international professionals attending the ACFM, in particular producers and buyers. After a successful first edition last year, several French exporters will once again be invited to present one of their IPs during a pitch session.
All the French films presented at the 28th BIFF
Gala Presentation
World Cinema
- The Goldman Case by Cédric Kahn
- Vincent Must Die by Stéphan Castang
- Marguerite's Theorem by Anna Novion
- Behind the Mountains by Mohamed Ben Attia (minority-French production)
- Club Zero by Jessica Hausner (minority-French production)
- Holly by Fien Troch (minority-French production)
Open Cinema
Wide Angle
- Against the Tide by Sarvnik Kaur (French co-production shares not specified)
- An Owl, a Garden & the Writer by Sara Dolatabadi (French co-production shares not specified)
- Four Daughters by Kaouther Ben Hania (minority-French production)
Documentary Competition
- An Owl, a Garden & the Writer by Sara Dolatabadi (French co-production shares not specified)
Flash Forward
A Window on Asian Cinema
- City of Wind by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir
- Morrison by Phuttiphong Aroonpheng (French co-production shares not specified)
- Inshallah a Boy by Amjad Al Rasheed (French co-production shares not specified)
- Agra by Kanu Behl (minority-French production)
- If Only I Could Hibernate by Zoljargal Purevgash (French co-production shares not specified)
- Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell by Tien Ân Pham (French co-production shares not specified)
- The Monk and the Gun by Pawo Choyning Dorji French co-production shares not specified)
Icons
- The Book of Solutions by Michel Gondry
- On the Adamant by Nicolas Philibert
- Anatomy of a Fall by Justine Triet
- The Taste of Things by Trần Anh Hùng
- Last Summer by Catherine Breillat
- The Plough by Philippe Garrel
- Youth (Spring) by Wang Bing
- A Brighter Tomorrow by Nanni Moretti (minority-French production)
- Do Not Expect Too Much of the End of the World by Radu Jude (minority-French production
- The Old Oak by Ken Loach (minority-French production)
- La Chimera by Alice Rohrwacher (minority-French production)
- The Green Border by Agnieszka Holland (minority-French production)
- Eureka by Lisandro Alonso (minority-French production)
- Essential Truths of the Lake by Lav Diaz (French co-production shares not specified)
- Kidnapped by Marco Bellocchio (minority-French production)
- About Dry Grasses by Nuri Bilge Ceylan (minority-French production)
- Music by Angela Schanelec (minority-French production)
New Currents
- Oasis of Now by Chee Sum Chia
