New Currents to find unique, impressive films
Published on | Source
By Ines Min
BUSAN ― The 15th Pusan (Busan) International Film Festival (PIFF) is about to start its competitive award section New Currents, spearheaded by a distinguished jury comprised of players in all aspects of the film industry.
The five members and retiring festival director Kim Dong-ho met with the press Friday morning to reaffirm the international approach of the competition and delineate what the judges are looking for.
"I don't generally distinguish films according to their place of origin", said Christoph Terhechte, the head of the International Forum of New Cinema at the Berlin International Film Festival. "For me, it's very important that films be original, that they have the quality to surprise me, that they really come from the personal views of the filmmakers and not try to apply any general rules of hype".
"I don't think that we should apply different criteria to Asian cinema", he said. "But it's true that some of the most daring films I've seen in the past few years have come from New Currents".
Jury head Wada Emi, a noted costume designer who has worked with Akira Kurosawa and Zhang Yimou, is looking to the long-term for the lasting effects of the winning two films.
"In brief, I'm going to consider what significance it has in the history of cinema", she said. `The challenge of discovering new talent is finding what will influence the next generation of filmmakers".
Korean and Hollywood actress Kim Yunjin, known for her roles in the innovative TV series "Lost" and Korean blockbuster "Shiri", plans to look for prize-winners in a more personal manner.
"I think out of everyone on the jury I have the least experience in films", started Kim humbly, who added that she had asked the festival director how to choose the best work.
"Kim Dong-ho replied with something that I've thought about a lot over the past 15 years", she said. "`Whatever moves your heart is the best film'. That encouraged me to be here and I consider it a great honor that I'll be able to learn more about films".
Other jury members include Indian director Murali Nair, a recipient of the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997, and Taiwanese actress Yang Kuei Mei. Nair's work has shown at PIFF before, and he said it was an honor to return as a jury member.
Though the diverse jury members each carry an impressive resume of their own, it was clear that PIFF has expanded to new horizons before them.
"When I first came to Busan, I remember the festival was held in a traditional Korean building, and now it has grown to be the greatest film fest in Asia", said Yang, whose presence makes it her fourth visit. "And as each year passes, I see that the preparations are getting greater and it's a joy for me to watch its growth".
"The New Currents festival has been great source of inspiration for our own program in Berlin", said Terhechte, who has been coming to PIFF for the past 10 years. "I think from its creation it has been the one place that Western programmers have turned to find new talents".
"(The festival) has been able to show the world that Asian cinema is very creative, with a uniquely cinematic approach. It's still quite difficult in most countries to distribute Asian film and I hope that through the work of the festival we can change that".
The New Currents competition awards two cash prizes of $30,000 (33.4 million won) to the best films. For more information, visit http://www.piff.org
BUSAN ― The 15th Pusan (Busan) International Film Festival (PIFF) is about to start its competitive award section New Currents, spearheaded by a distinguished jury comprised of players in all aspects of the film industry.
The five members and retiring festival director Kim Dong-ho met with the press Friday morning to reaffirm the international approach of the competition and delineate what the judges are looking for.
"I don't generally distinguish films according to their place of origin", said Christoph Terhechte, the head of the International Forum of New Cinema at the Berlin International Film Festival. "For me, it's very important that films be original, that they have the quality to surprise me, that they really come from the personal views of the filmmakers and not try to apply any general rules of hype".
"I don't think that we should apply different criteria to Asian cinema", he said. "But it's true that some of the most daring films I've seen in the past few years have come from New Currents".
Jury head Wada Emi, a noted costume designer who has worked with Akira Kurosawa and Zhang Yimou, is looking to the long-term for the lasting effects of the winning two films.
"In brief, I'm going to consider what significance it has in the history of cinema", she said. `The challenge of discovering new talent is finding what will influence the next generation of filmmakers".
Korean and Hollywood actress Kim Yunjin, known for her roles in the innovative TV series "Lost" and Korean blockbuster "Shiri", plans to look for prize-winners in a more personal manner.
"I think out of everyone on the jury I have the least experience in films", started Kim humbly, who added that she had asked the festival director how to choose the best work.
"Kim Dong-ho replied with something that I've thought about a lot over the past 15 years", she said. "`Whatever moves your heart is the best film'. That encouraged me to be here and I consider it a great honor that I'll be able to learn more about films".
Other jury members include Indian director Murali Nair, a recipient of the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997, and Taiwanese actress Yang Kuei Mei. Nair's work has shown at PIFF before, and he said it was an honor to return as a jury member.
Though the diverse jury members each carry an impressive resume of their own, it was clear that PIFF has expanded to new horizons before them.
"When I first came to Busan, I remember the festival was held in a traditional Korean building, and now it has grown to be the greatest film fest in Asia", said Yang, whose presence makes it her fourth visit. "And as each year passes, I see that the preparations are getting greater and it's a joy for me to watch its growth".
"The New Currents festival has been great source of inspiration for our own program in Berlin", said Terhechte, who has been coming to PIFF for the past 10 years. "I think from its creation it has been the one place that Western programmers have turned to find new talents".
"(The festival) has been able to show the world that Asian cinema is very creative, with a uniquely cinematic approach. It's still quite difficult in most countries to distribute Asian film and I hope that through the work of the festival we can change that".
The New Currents competition awards two cash prizes of $30,000 (33.4 million won) to the best films. For more information, visit http://www.piff.org
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