As an aspiring video editor and a dedicated follower of the Korean film industry, it was a great honor to be able to attend one of Asia’s most prestigious film festivals, the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). The BIFF’s 21st edition took place from Oct. 6 to 15, 2016. Foreign visitors and cinephiles alike couldn't hide their excitement upon reaching the main venue for the annual festival: the Busan Cinema Center, located in the vicinity of Centum City Station in Busan.




This year’s program included a total of 299 films from 69 countries, and 122 international and world premieres, for visitors and film industry guests to enjoy. Furthermore, year after year, the BIFF’s programming and coordinating staff organize a variety of side events, namely Hand Printing, Master Class, Open Talk, Meet the Guest: Talk to Talk and the BIFF Forum, among others. Additional information can be found here, in the Overview section: http://www.biff.kr/structure/eng/default.asp

In addition, the BIFF hosts another grand event, known to the film industry and media representatives as the Asian Film Market. This year it was from Oct. 8 to 11, 2016. Since its establishment in 2006, the Market has been providing business opportunities to working professionals. It covers all stages of film production, from pre-production to film sales, and is a must-visit place for aspiring filmmakers.




My colleague, Korea.net Honorary Reporter Diana Trifonova, and I attended the Busan International Film Festival on Oct. 7. Despite our hectic schedule, we managed to spend a day at the festival venue. There, we obtained a number of interesting stories to share with Bulgarian fans of the Asian film industry, as well as on our radio show, Friday Chopsticks.

Our plan for the day included visiting the Open Talk, gathering some photo and video material from the festival, and attend a Korean film screening in the evening.

The Open Talk gives visitors the opportunity to meet their favorite Asian actors and film directors, and partake in a Q&A session. This year’s event had to be relocated at the very last minute from the BIFF Village at Haeundae Beach to Dureraum Square, at the Busan Cinema Center, due to Typhoon Chaba passing over the Korean Peninsula and Busan specifically, abolishing the wooden beach village constructions one day before the festival’s opening ceremony.




The Open Talk on Oct. 7 was divided in two parts. Korean megastar actor Lee Byung-hun hosted the first segment, called Open Talk by the Korea Film Reporters Association (KOFRA), and he was followed by Japan’s favorite actor Watanabe Ken and film director Lee Sang-il in the second segment, Open Talk. The latter presented to the audience their latest film project, “Rage” (2016). Earlier this year, the film received a nomination for Best Film at the prestigious San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain.







Screenings at the Busan International Film Festival are divided into official program sections, most curious of which are the Gala Presentations, which screen world and international premieres, the Wide Angle, a section dedicated to short films, animation and documentaries, as well as the Korean Cinema Today section. The latter is divided in two sub-sections: Panorama and Vision. It features outstanding new Korean film productions. This year’s Korean Cinema Today included titles by world-renowned directors such as “The Net” by Kim Ki-duk, “The Handmaiden” by Park Chan-wook and “The Age of Shadows” by Kim Jee-woon, among others.




My colleague Diana and I were lucky to obtain tickets to director Lee Seong-tae’s feature debut premiere, “Derailed” (두남자). Starting his directing career in 2001 with the short “Black Crow,” Lee Seong-tae has been working on different shorts, one of which, “The Ten Minute Break” (2007), has received international recognition at film festivals, such as the Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival and the Vancouver International Film Festival.

“Derailed” is his first full-length project. The screening took place in the Sohyang Musical Theater, located right next to the festival’s main venue in Centum City. The film stars Hollywood’s newest favorite, actor Ma Dong-seok, also known as Don Lee, and K-pop group Shinee's heartthrob Choi Min-ho, in the lead roles. In addition, young actors Lee Yoo-jin, known from his TV projects “Jung Yi, Goddess of Fire” and “Second Time Twenty Years Old,” and Kim Jae-young, from “No Breathing,” showed their exceptional acting skills throughout the film, stealing the hearts of many.

The plot of “Derailed” tells the story of four penniless runaway friends in their 20s who are struggling to survive on the streets of Seoul. Ga-yeong, the girlfriend to the male lead, Jin-il (Choi Min-ho), decides to pull off a prostitution scam on a potential client, Ma Dong-seok. Eventually, she gets caught after stealing the client’s car, together with her friends (Lee Yoo-jin, Baek Su-min), and is forced to work in the client’s shady karaoke bar. The bar employs underage girls as night-shift hostesses. Jin-il goes to extremes to protect Ga-yeong (Jung Da-eun) and to pay off the car debt, while being chased by an old nemesis from the past (played by actor Kim Jae-young).




As the screening ended, director Lee Seong-tae and “Derailed” supporting actors Kim Jae-young, Lee Yoo-jin (Jin-il’s best friend in the film) and actress Baek Su-min got out of their seats and got up on stage for a quick Q&A session. During the Q&A session, Lee Seong-tae mentioned that the film’s story and plot evolved a lot over the past 10 years, since the birth of the project, but that he really liked how the final product turned out. He wanted to share “a story about people who find themselves in difficult situations,” and successfully does so with “Derailed”. After being asked how they managed to portray their characters so well, Kim Jae-young and Lee Yoo-jin answered. “I got a lot of isntruction from the director, and in the end, it took a lot of practice to act out a believable villain in the film,” said Kim Jae-young.

“I spent a lot of time reading the script and I tried to portray a natural relationship that would come on the screen as the main lead’s not so-bright best friend,” said Lee Yoo-jin.

Finally the film director shared the meaning behind the title.

“The Korean name of the movie translates as 'Two Men' in English. I tried to portray the relationship between a 43-year-old man and an 18-year-old boy, played by Ma Dong-seok and Choi Min-ho,” said Lee Seong-tae.




Cinephiles and fans of Korean pop culture alike should definitely look forward to next year’s performances by talented young actors Kim Jae-young, Lee Yoo-jin, Baek Su-min and Jung Da-eun, who are all ready to steal the spotlight. My Bulgarian colleague and I wish them the best of luck in their future projects, both on the small and the big screen.

By Bojana Doneva
Korea.net Honorary Reporter
Photos: Bojana Doneva, kofic.or.kr