The 29th Busan International Film Festival, held Oct 2 (Wed) to Oct 11 (Fri), has revealed its selections for the Asian film competition section, ‘New Currents‘ and ‘Jiseok.
New Currents is the representative competition section of the Busan International Film Festival, focusing on the first or the second feature of emerging Asian filmmakers. This year, 10 films, including two Korean films, have been selected to be showcased. The two Korean films are The Land of Morning Calm and Waterdrop. The Land of Morning Calm is directed by Park Ri-woong, whose first feature, The Girl on a Bulldozer (2022), received great acclaim. It dynamically unravels the story of a young fisherman’s disappearance and an old captain mysteriously involved in this case. Waterdrop is the debut feature of director Choi Jongyong. It portrays the survival journey of a thirteen-year-old child left alone in the world, capturing a range of emotions and an intense, suspenseful narrative.
As the River Goes By by Charles Hu, a post-production fund recipient from Asian Cinema Fund 2024, depicts the story of a young man tracing the memory of his father, who disappeared 12 years ago. Able, directed by Elzak Eskendir, is a selection from APM 2020, offering a stark portrayal of political upheavals and hardships faced by Abel, a collective farm worker. Montages of a Modern Motherhood, directed by Oliver Siu Kuen Chan from Hong Kong, portrays the struggles of a new mother, revealing the emotional waves she endures.
The Height of the Coconut Trees is the first Japanese film of Chinese director Du Jie, who has also served as the cinematographer for major commercial films like Moon Man (2022). Kaneko’s Commissary is a Japanese film depicting the life transformation of a character with a violent record, and For Rana is an Iranian film about the struggles of parents with a daughter needing a heart transplant, both of which captivate the audience with their emotional narratives.
Two Southeast Asian films dealing with the theme of trauma are also worth noting. MA – Cry of Silence by director The Maw Naing is a story of a Burmese factory worker, and Tale of the Land by director Loeloe Hendra Komara is a story of the indigenous in Borneo, Indonesia.
Among these films, two will be nominated for the New Currents Award.
Jiseok Presents: 8 Films by Veteran Asian directors
Jiseok is dedicated to honoring the spirit and legacy of the late Kim Jiseok, a senior programmer who devoted himself to developing Asian cinema. This year, the Jiseok features eight films, with two from Korea.
I Am Love is the new feature film of Baek Seungbin, who directed Members of the Funeral (2009) and I Have a Date With Spring (2017). It portrays the story of pure yet dangerous, unrequited love. So it goes is the third feature of Lee Haram who debuted with Beyond (2022), it provocatively portrays a bizarre murder spree between a man and a woman through genres and visuals. Two films from Japan have also been selected. Both are women-centric films: Aimitagai, directed by Kusano Shogo and starring Haru Kuroki from Sleepeeer Hit! (2016) and Okiku and the World (2023), and Traveling Alone, the third feature of Ishibashi Yuho who produced When Morning Comes, I Feel Empty (2022).
Motherland by the acclaimed Filipino director Brillante Mendoza explores the tragic Mamasa-pano incident, resulted in mass casualties in southern Philippines. Kyrgyzstani director Dastan Zhapar Ryskeldi presents an intense genre piece on drug trafficking and human trafficking at the Kyrgyzstan-Kazakhstan border through his film Deal at the Border. Village Rockstars 2, by Rima Das, known for Village Rockstars (2017) and Bulbul Can Sing (2018) continues the story of the teenage girl Dhunu, who steps up as a guitarist in a band and also matures as the head of her family. It captures a blend of realism and lyrical cinematography. Taiwan’s directory, Lin Tom Shu-Yu, revisits Busan with his new feature, Yen and Ai-Lee. Actors Yang Kuei-Mei and Hsia Kimi realistically enact the strained and enduring relationship between a mother and daughter who reunite after eight years of imprisonment.
With these prestigious New Currents and Jiseok sections, the 29th Busan International Film Festival will take place from Oct 2 (Wed) to Oct 11 (Fri) in Busan Cinema Center.
