The 27th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which will be held for 10 days from Oct 5 (Wed) to Oct 14 (Fri), has launched its new sections, ‘Jiseok’ and ‘Korean Cinema Today – Special Premiere’.

- 8 Films from the ‘Jiseok’ Section Announced, Including Alteration and December! 20th Century Girl and The Boys Were Selected for the ‘Korean Cinema Today – Special Premiere’!

The 27th Busan International Film Festival boosts expectations as it announces the addition in its program of the new sections, ‘Jiseok’ and ‘Korean Cinema Today – Special Premiere’.

Until now, the Kim Jiseok Award was given to ten selected films from ‘A Window on Asian Cinema’, a section that introduces the latest and most-talked-about films from Asian directors. Starting this year, the Kim Jiseok Award nominees have been sorted into a section of their own, namely the ‘Jiseok’ section. Also, Korean films will be included in the 'Jiseok' section. This program section aims to both reinforce the spirit and determination of the late Program Director Kim Jiseok, who devoted himself to the growth and support of Asian films, and direct attention to the nominated works.

The two best films will be carefully selected from the new films of Korean and Asian directors who have produced more than three films, and be awarded the Kim Jiseok Award with a cash prize of 10,000 USD each. Thus, the Jiseok section is expected to be recognized as a competition section that represents the Busan International Film Festival along with the New Currents section.

Invited to the newly established Jiseok section are a total of 8 films: Yalkin Tuychiev’s Alteration, Anshul Chauhan’s December, Ali Ghavitan’s Life & Life, Hadi Mohaghegh’s Scent of Wind, Prithvi Konanur’s Seventeeners, M.L. Bhandevanov Devakula’s Six Characters, Ananth Narayan Mahadevan’s The Storyteller, and Lee Kwangkuk’s A Wing and a Prayer.

Director Yalkin Tuychiev, who has consistently produced films as commentary on the history and society of Uzbekistan, speaks through Alteration to discuss the impact of participating in the Afghanistan war, the resulting rapid changes that occurred in Uzbekistan’s political situation, and how they affected an individual’s life. December by director Anshul Chauhan is a story about a family starting over after having been devastated by the death of a daughter. The film throws out a somber question about redemption, much like the director’s previous work, Kontora (2019).

Director Ali Ghavitan’s Life & Life portrays the story of a teacher who goes on a search for the home of a student who was absent from online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. A beautiful drama unfolds in this film, with the desolate, COVID-19 stricken world as its backdrop. Scent of Wind, directed by Hadi Mohaghegh, features characters with disabilities, or those who are faced with obstacles and do not know what to do; the film creates unforgettable sceneries by simply showing scenes of people helping others.

As presented in the director’s previous film, WHERE IS PINKI (2020), Prithvi Konanur’s Seventeeners cleverly builds up a process in which a small occurrence is gradually contextualized, socially, hierarchically, and according to gender. Director M.L. Bhandevanov Devakula’s Six Characters, an adaptation of Luigi Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author, is a film about six uninvited guests turning up out of the blue to a filming location and the director being fascinated by their secrets.

Based on a short story of the legendary film director Satyajit Ray, director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan’s The Storyteller unfolds a story as a wealthy mogul, who suffers from insomnia, hires a storyteller; the story becomes more intriguing as twists are added to it. Director Lee Kwangkuk’s A Wing and a Prayer is a film about new encounters and relationships between two friends who travel to the East Sea, and a glimpse of the director’s very own talent and energy can be seen.

‘Korean Cinema Today – Special Premiere’ is a section that selects and premieres a handful of unreleased Korean commercial films that are appealing. The section is noteworthy as it was established to inform the audience about the latest Korean mainstream and commercial films of the generation. Bang Woo-ri, who won the 35th Blue Dragon Film Awards for Best Short Film with Mrs. Young (2014), returns with her feature debut 20th Century Girl, and the masterful director of Korean Cinema, Chung Jiyoung, who directed influential films such as Unbowed (2011) and National Security (2012), returns with The Boys.

Director Bang Woo-ri’s feature debut, 20th Century Girl, is a film about a girl and a boy’s pure love set in the year of 1999, and the revelation of the same love told again in the 21st century. All of the actors, including Kim You-jung, Byeon Woo-seok, Park Jung-woo, and Noh Yoon-seo, portray lovable characters and raises expectations for the nostalgia they will present to the 20th century youth and for the excitement they will offer to the 21st century youth.

The Boys, directed by skilled director of Korean Cinema, Chung Jiyoung, tells the story of a head detective who reopens the case of three boys who were accused of robbery and murder at a supermarket in a small town. Actors Sul Kyung-gu, Yu Jun-sang, Jin Kyung, Heo Sungtae, and Yeom Hyeran, give extraordinary performances in the film.

The 27th Busan International Film Festival, which is generating much anticipation with its newly revealed sections ‘Jiseok’ and ‘Korean Cinema Today – Special Premiere’, will be held for 10 days from Oct 5 (Wed) to Oct 14 (Fri) at the Busan Cinema Center.

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