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[9th Pusan International Film Festival] -Taking the Festival to the Next Level

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter

The role of the Pusan International Film Festival in the local and international film markets has been growing in its size and scope since its inception in 1996. The director of the festival, who has led it from the very beginning, is still as passionate about his work as when he first started and continues to strive to promote the festival at home and abroad.

"As you can see from the films shown in this year's festival, not only the number of total movies but also the number of world premieres has increased, which I think indicates the rising significance of PIFF internationally". said Kim Dong-ho, director of PIFF.

Kim wants to strengthen its characteristics as a festival for moviegoers and a film market for moviemakers and film festival directors, rather than be satisfied with the current success and try to maintain the status quo.

Throughout the year, Kim visits other international film festivals such as Bangkok, Berlin, Cannes and Rotterdam to grasp the current trends in the international film industry and get ideas for PIFF. Kim has already been to 15 international film festivals this year.

"All the successful international film festivals have their own personalities. Berlin is famous for its big market and Rotterdam is characterized by its size and number of guests", said Kim. "They give me ideas which I can use to better run PIFF for filmmakers and ordinary visitors".

Kim thinks that while highlighting the diversity of movies shown at the festival, he also wants to provide practical help for filmmakers who visit Pusan.

"Providing a functional free market for film projects will be one of the important roles of the festival", said Kim. "And I am thinking of opening an Asian film academy for helping talented would-be filmmakers next year to offer them a chance to learn about film production".

Kim believes that Pusan Promotional Plan (PPP), a free market for film projects, has been successful in helping filmmakers produce their works.

And from this year, with the cooperation of local film production and distribution company CJ Entertainment, the festival will select five Asian features and screen them in local theaters.

"Personally, I think this year's retrospective will be very interesting since it will show works co-produced by Korean and Hong Kong film companies from the late 1950s to early 1980s, most of which local fans have had no chance to watch. They will show how Asian film companies worked together during that time", said Kim.

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