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Korea Herald
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Busan International Short Film Festival returns with sound-focused theme
Country's first and logest running short film festival to spotlight art of sound in cinema South Korea's oldest and longest-running short film festival returns Thursday for its 42nd edition, featuring 157 films from 41 countries at Busan Cinema Center and BNK Busan Bank Art Cinema through April 29. This year's edition explores cinema's sonic elements under the theme "Cinema & Sound," focusing on dialogue, sound effects and music as core components of short films. The competitive lineup features two main categories: the International Competition with 40 entries from overseas and the Korean Competition showcasing 20 domestic works. The festival opens with three international selections: "Lanawaru," created by Colombian filmmaker Angello Faccini through collaboration with indigenous Amazon communities; "Across the Waters" from Berlin-based Chinese director Viv Li, set in a remote Chinese mining town; and "El Casco de Carlos" ("The Helmet") by Mexican director Franz Eichelmann Kaiser, which uses a US military helmet as a central motif to explore themes of loss along the Korean border. Wednesday's pre-festival performance at BNK Busan Bank's Ocean Hall will showcase Colombian dancer Jhonatan Jimenez, recipient of Colombia's Medal of Honor, presenting a blend of traditional and contemporary dance. Singer-songwriter Kim Sa-wol's music video will also screen during the event. Founded in 1980 as the Korean Short Film Festival, BISFF has established itself as a crucial platform for short cinema in the region. The festival receives backing from Busan City and operates independently from the larger Busan International Film Festival held each fall, focusing exclusively on films under 30 minutes. BISFF is also a significant gateway to major awards. Winners may qualify for consideration in Academy Awards categories, as well as BAFTA and Canadian Screen Awards.
Korea Herald
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
26th JIFF Unveils Korean Competition Lineup
LGBTQ+ themes and women's narratives dominate selection The 26th Jeonju International Film Festival, set to run April 30 to May 9, 2025, has unveiled its Korean Competition selection. Ten films — nine narrative features and one documentary — from first- and second-time directors have been selected for the Korean Competition, which has historically served as a launching pad for Korea's indie directors, with previous winners like "Kim Min-young of the Report Card" (22nd edition), "Jeong-sun" (23rd edition) and "Time to Be Strong" (25th edition) going on to gain international recognition. Programmers Moon Seok, Moon Sung-kyung and Jeon Jin-soo noted that this year's selection process was "historically difficult" due to the wealth of excellent submissions. The festival received a record-setting 165 submissions during its three-month call for entries. There are two dominant themes -- LGBTQ+ narratives and stories of female solidarity within nontraditional family structures -- in the works selected for competition, according to the programmers. Park Joon-ho's "3670" follows a young gay North Korean defector who faces alienation from both the defector community and LGBTQ+ social circles. Divine Sung's "Summer's Camera" offers a hopeful coming-of-age narrative about a high school girl who experiences her first crush on a classmate. Bang Mi-ri's "Save" features a young woman about to leave foster care who meets an older woman claims to have saved her life in the past. They journey together to recover deposit money from a scammer. Lee Eun-jung's "The Sound of Life" portrays three generations of women who lean on each other through life's ups and downs. Yun Sim-kyoung's "Sua's Home" tells the story of a 15-year-old abandoned by her adoptive parents who becomes a tennis coach for a wealthy girl and develops a connection with the girl's mother. The programmers noted that these narratives of female solidarity may represent an evolution of women-centered storytelling that emerged following the #MeToo movement in Korea. Meanwhile, Jung Ki-hyuk's "Drifting" and Kim Jun-seok's "All Is Well, I Love You" received special recognition for their impressive ensemble performances. "Drifting" follows a insurance call center worker on a road trip. "All Is Well, I Love You" explores the intersection of art and life through the story of a married actor couple. Other selections include Cho Hyun-suh's "Winter Light," about a financially struggling high school boy questioning his family's situation and future, and Kim Tae-yun's "Where is My Father?," which follows a young man who uncovers unknown aspects of his father's life before leaving his hometown Jeju Island for Seoul. Only one documentary made the cut this year: Lee Eun-hee's "Colorless, Odorless." The film uses company records and historical archives to expose the health hazards faced by semiconductor factory workers, including occupational illnesses, and the systemic issues that lead to repeated workplace accidents.
