October 2 sees the start of the 29th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), considered Asia's most important cinema event of this kind. From now until October 11, France will be lighting up screens in the South Korean seaside city, with some 57 films on the bill, including 11 majority-French feature-length titles, accompanied by a fine delegation.
This year's BIFF will welcome several renowned French artists, traveling with the support of Unifrance: Leos Carax for It's Not Me (Icons strand); Patricia Mazuy for Visiting Hours, selected as a Gala Presentation; Agathe Riedinger for Wild Diamond, Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma for And Their Children After Them, Delphine and Muriel Coulin for The Quiet Son, three titles presented in World Cinema; and Jonathan Millet for Ghost Trail, and Louise Courvoisier for Holy Cow, both featuring in the Flash Forward competitive strand.
The traditional French Night, organized by the Ambassade de France in South Korea, will take place on Saturday, October 5 at the Paradise Hotel.
On the market front
The Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM), the festival's adjacent market and industry professionals' event, will also be held in Busan from October 5 to 8. For the 16th year, Unifrance will share a stand with EFP - European Film Promotion at the Busan Exhibition Convention Centre (BEXCO).
16 French exporters will be present: Alpha Violet, Best Friend Forever, Celluloid Dreams, Les Films du Losange, France tv distribution, Gebeka International, Goodfellas, Kinology, Le Pacte, Loco Films, Memento International, MPM Premium, Newen Studios, Pulsar Content, Pyramide International, and Reel Suspects.
On Monday, October 7, as part of the AFCM, Platform Busan is organizing a meeting between European and Asian filmmakers, with the participation of Patricia Mazuy and Jonathan Millet.
All the French films at the 29th BIFF
(majority-French productions are indicated in bold)
World Cinema
- The Quiet Son by Delphine Coulin and Muriel Coulin
- Harvest by Athina Rachel Tsangari
- When the Light Breaks by Rúnar Rúnarsson
- Vermiglio by Maura Delpero
- Wild Diamond by Agathe Riedinger
- The Story of Souleymane by Boris Lojkine
- And Their Children After Them by Ludovic Boukherma, Zoran Boukherma
- The Other Way Around by Jonás Trueba
- Dog on Trial by Laetitia Dosch
- April by Dea Kulumbegashvili
Open Cinema
Gala Presentation
Flash Forward
- Holy Cow by Louise Courvoisier
- The Village Next to Paradise by Mo Harawe
- Ghost Trail by Jonathan Millet
A Window on Asian Cinema
- Super Happy Forever by Kohei Igarashi
- Santosh by Sandhya Suri
- My Favourite Cake by Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha
- Crocodile Tears by Tumpal Tampubolon
- Mongrel by Chiang Wei Liang
- All We Imagine as Light by Payal Kapadia
- Viet and Nam by Minh Quý Trương
Midnight Passion
New Currents
Icons
- Suspended Time by Olivier Assayas
- It's Not Me by Leos Carax
- Misericordia by Alain Guiraudie
- Emilia Pérez by Jacques Audiard
- The Empire by Bruno Dumont
- Meeting with Pol Pot by Rithy Panh
- Limonov. The Ballad of Eddie by Kirill Serebrennikov
- Three Friends by Emmanuel Mouret
- The Seed of the Sacred Fig by Mohammad Rasoulof
- Youth (Hard Times) by Wang Bing
- Youth (Homecoming) by Wang Bing
Wide Angle - Documentary Showcase
- Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat by Johan Grimonprez
- Ernest Cole, Lost and Found by Raoul Peck
- Ce n'est qu'un au revoir by Guillaume Brac
- Dahomey by Mati Diop
Closing Film
Special Program in Focus - Teen Spirit, Teen Movie
- City of Wind by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir
- Tiger Stripes by Amanda Nell Eu
- My Sunshine by Hiroshi Okuyama
- Girls Will Be Girls by Shuchi Talati
Special Program in Focus - Miguel GOMES, a filmmaker of Joyful Melancholy
- Tabou by Miguel Gomes
- Arabian Nights - Volume 1, The Restless One by Miguel Gomes
- The Arabian Nights - Volume 2, The Desolate One by Miguel Gomes
- Our Beloved Month of August by Miguel Gomes
- Grand Tour by Miguel Gomes
- The Arabian Nights - Volume 3, The Enchanted One by Miguel Gomes
Wide Angle - Documentary Competition
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