49% Increase in Submissions from Last Year,
Record-High Numbers in ACF History!
14 Projects Showcasing Diversified Genres
ACF is a representative support program of Busan International Film Festival that discovers projects by talented Asian filmmakers and provides systematic support from script development to post-production, enabling them to complete their projects.
This year, a total of 774 projects were submitted to the various ACF support funds. An approximate 49% increase in total number from the previous year, each fund received a record-high number of submissions. This served as a confirmation of ACF's status and value in Korean and Asian film industry.
The 14 fund recipients, consisting of 3 Script Development Fund projects, 4 Post-Production Fund projects, and 7 Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund projects, were chosen through a more precise and meticulous screening process than ever before, in line with the increased scale of submissions. This year's selections are garnering expectations with projects from Southeast Asia and South Asia that show various interpretations of genre, as well as Korean projects that portray the latest trends in independent films.
The Script Development Fund, which funds projects from Asia that are in the planning and development stage, received a total of 398 submissions, an approximate increase of 130 projects from last year. Amongst the submissions, 3 projects that provide a screenplay with the greatest potential will receive a cash grant of 10 million KRW for script development and be invited to the 2023 Asian Project Market as an official project with the opportunity of business meetings with industry officials.
Chronicles of a Confession, a black comedy about an individual that confronts the unjust reality, and To Kill a Mongolian Horse, the first feature project by director Jiang Xiaoxuan, who received the NETPAC Award at the 2023 Busan International Short Film Festival with the short film, Graveyard of Horses, were selected to receive the fund. In addition, the 2022 CHANEL X BIFF Asian Film Academy alumni, director Suraj Paudel, received the judges' even support with the film Where the Rivers Run South, which showed the social issues faced in Nepal through diverse angles and captured an in-depth narrative.
The Post-Production Fund selected two Korean and Asian projects each from the submission pool of 71 projects. The 4 projects, which will receive post-production funding, will make their world premieres at this year's Busan International Film Festival.
Director Lee Mirang's Concerning My Daughter with its thoughtful perspective and delicate directorial, and director Park Hongjun's Lay Off (Working Title), a drama that efficiently incorporates social messages into the storytelling, were selected with high scores. Also, with a high proportion of Southeast Asian and South Asian projects in the Asian project submissions pool as with last year, this year's submissions included a large number of well-made genre films, showing a further diversified trend in submissions.
Amongst the submissions, Solids by the Seashore, which immerses the audience with its colorful pictures and curiosity-invoking composition, and The Spark by veteran director Rajesh S. Jala, which delivered its stable storytelling while maintaining tension throughout the film, were selected as the Post-Production Fund recipients.
The Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund, which supports feature length documentaries, will provide funding to 7 unprecedented projects.
Korean projects selected for the AND Fund include Plaster Cast Drawing by Won Taewoong, who is opening a new horizon for documentaries with their precise and delicate directing, K-Number by Jo Seyoung, who teases the boundary of commercial documentary and independent documentaries and raises expectations for new trends, Being a Politician for Dummies by Lee Ilha, characteristically portraying two young adults and their political trials, and Returning Figures by Kim Mooyoung, raising issues in Korean politics through a montage of anti-communist films. The four projects are expected to imprint a new impression and reflection on the genre of documentaries.
In addition, 3 Asian projects that shed light on social issues were selected to receive the fund. Director Fan Wu's XiXi, which puts forth a charismatic character to ponder the topic of life, values, and human relationships, Life in the Shadows with its considerate approach to portraying Afghanistan refugees, and director Mok Kwan Ling's A Thousand Winds with its in-depth depiction of democratization in Hong Kong. The 7 fund recipient projects will be presented with a maximum cash grant of 20 million KRW, as well as an official invitation to Asian Contents & Film Market, which will provide networking opportunities with industry professionals.
Meanwhile, the 28th Busan International Film Festival will be held for 10 days from Oct 4 (Wed) to Oct 13 (Fri) around Busan Cinema Center, and the 18th Asian Contents & Film Market for 4 days from Oct 7 (Sat) to Oct 10 (Tues) at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO).
Official Site: Asian Cinema Fund (biff.kr)
