Pusan International Film Festival, South Korea

One of the Most Significant Annual Film Festivals in Asia

Sep 16, 2009 Jo Jackson

First held in 1996 the Pusan Film Festival, held annually in Busan, focuses on introducing new films and first-time directors. It is a great showcase for Asian films.

The Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) held annually in South Korea is one of the most important film festivals that is held in Asia. The inaugural festival in 1996 was also the first international film festival that was ever held in Korea. A major focus of the festival is the introduction of new films and directors, particularly those from Asia.

The festival is noted for its appeal to young people and aims to develop and promote young talent. It also attracts a large youthful audience and has a red carpet where stars from South Korea and Asia parade before the cameras. It lacks the glamour of the Cannes or Venice film festivals but does an excellent job of showcasing and promoting Asian films and talent.

Pusan or Busan?

There is some confusion on whether the festival is named Pusan or Busan. When the first festival was held in 1996 the city was called Pusan. The government of South Korea changed the style that was used for Romanizing place names in 2000, and under the new system of naming the city became Busan. However the film festival organisers have maintained the original name of the festival, Pusan.

When is the Pusan Film Festival?

The first Pusan film festival was held over 9 days from 13 September to 21 September 1996 and has been held annually since then. It has always been in September or October, except for 2001 and 2002 when it was held in November. Since 2003 it has been held for 9 days in October.

The 14th Pusan International Film Festival was held from 8 to 16 October 2009 with a record 355 films from 70 countries on offer, including a selection of seven Australian films which is the largest Australian selection in its history. 98 of the films were having their world premiere. The 15th Pusan International Film Festival will be held from 7 October to 15 October 2010.

Pusan Promotion Plan

Running alongside the festival since 1999 is the Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP) to connect new directors with funding sources. This is a pre-market where filmmakers and producers can meet with film professionals including potential co-producers and financiers from all over the world. Similarly, investors and co-producers can find a diverse selection of the latest top-quality Asian projects.

Since 2006 the PPP has also included some projects from non-Asian countries. One-on-one meetings are arranged online in advance, and selected projects can choose up to 5 companies they wish to meet with. In 2009 the Pusan Promotion Plan ran from 11 to 14 October and was located at the Seacloud Hotel at Haeundae Beach.

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