BUSAN, South Korea — Movie stars, directors, and fans
descended on
South Korea's port town of Busan Wednesday as Asia's largest film
festival returned at full power post-pandemic, with an Iranian film opening the
event.
اضافة اعلان
Top Korean actors and Asian stars including
Hong Kong's legendary Tony Leung are set to attend the
Busan International Film Festival, which opened with a red
carpet event and will run until October 14.
South Korea has cemented its status as a
global cultural powerhouse in recent years, thanks in part to the explosive
success of the Oscar-winning film "Parasite" and the Netflix series
"Squid Game".
But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Busan
festival was reduced to a fraction of its usual scale in 2020, while last
year's edition took place with a number of social distancing measures.
But the festival is back with no
restrictions for 2022, with high-profile guests such as Japan's famed filmmaker
Hirokazu Kore-eda flying in to discuss their latest projects.
"We feel fortunate to be able to play
the role of Asia's best film festival again," festival director Huh
Moon-young told reporters last month.
The festival will feature 243 movies from 71
countries, including 89 that will have their world premiere.
Hosts South Korea are well-represented, with
K-pop megastar and actress IU joining Kore-eda to discuss their film
"Broker" — which was featured at the Cannes film festival earlier
this year.
The festival opened with Iranian
filmmaker Hadi Mohaghegh's "Scent of Wind", which tells the
story of a father and a son — both of whom have disabilities — living in a
remote village.
Celebrating Tony Leung
Hong Kong's acclaimed actor Tony Leung has
been selected as the recipient of Busan's "Asian Cineaste of the
Year" prize.
The festival will screen six films featuring
Leung, who will be in Busan to receive the award and meet with festival goers.
Leung, 60, is best known for his
collaborations with famed director Wong Kar-wai, and picked the six films
himself — which include Wong's "In the Mood for Love" (2000) and
"Happy Together" (1997).
Other anticipated screenings
include Korean-Canadian director Anthony Shim's "Riceboy
Sleeps," which tells the story of a Korean immigrant single mother,
said the festival's programmer Nam Dong-chul.
"The movie is expected to become the
next 'Minari'," Nam said, referring to a 2020 drama about South Korean
immigrants in the United States, which received rave reviews and a slew of
awards, including the best-supporting actress Oscar.
Four South Korean top stars -- Kang
Dong-won, Han Ji-min, Lee Young-ae, and Ha Jung-woo — will meet with fans
in Busan to talk about their life and work.
Japanese director Kei Ishikawa's drama
"A Man" — about a widow who discovers unexpected truths about
her late husband — will close the edition.
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