Sunday 14 October 2012

BUSAN FILM FESTIVAL, WHAT THE STARS WORE





SEXY.....South Korean actress Bae so-eun.

A GLITTERING line-up of Asia's biggest stars converged on the South Korean port city of Busan from last week for the region's premier film festival showcasing Asian cinema. Along with Korean heartthrobs Lee Byung-hun and Jun Ji-hyun, Chinese stars Tang Wei and Cecilia Cheung attended the 10-day Busan International Film Festival.

Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi—currently taking legal action against a US-based Chinese online news outlet over claims she was a prostitute who had sex with senior Chinese officials—also attended.

Launching the 17th edition of the festival last week was the world premiere of the Hong Kong thriller Cold War, which stars Cecilia Cheung alongside screen veterans Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Ka-fai.

"It is a big moment for us," said the movie's co-director Longman Leung, adding that he hoped Cold War would help refocus attention on Hong Kong cinema, which has been hit by falling production numbers and attendances in recent years. "We want to show that what Hong Kong is going through is just a cycle. There are always ups and downs in the market," he said.

Featuring more than 300 movies—and a much-anticipated performance on the final night this weekend from Gangnam Style rapper Psy—organisers had hoped the event would attract more than 200,000 people.

Around 500 fans camped outside the high-tech US$150 million Busan Cinema Centre to ensure they claimed prime positions along the red carpet for the opening night last week.

Festival organisers had stressed the importance of the event in terms of promoting Asia's movie industry, in which South Korea's booming domestic market is a current bright spot.

Media attention had focused on the screening of North Korean romantic comedy Comrade Kim Goes Flying, with its international production team invited to the festival in an attempt to promote cultural exchange between the rival nations.

The two international directors behind the production, Belgian Anja Daelemans and Briton Nicholas Bonner, attended. North Korean co-director Kim Gwang-hun was also invited, the first time a North Korean director had been asked to attend.

Other programme highlights included a special sidebar devoted to Afghan movies saved from the Taliban by the Afghanistan National Film Archive, and a Window On Asian Cinema section featuring 49 movies from 11 countries, including 13 world premieres.

Busan's main competition—the New Currents Award for debut or second-time Asian moviemakers—offers two prizes of US$30,000 and this year attracted a field of 10 productions from eight countries, including Lebanon and Iraq. The winners will be announced on the final day of the event this weekend.

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