Busan is good

Asian market may shift to Pusan film festival

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Films from the Asian region have been sent to Cannes or American film markets to find buyers, but the tradition may soon change.

A film market dedicated to Asian works will open at the upcoming Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), providing a business center for Asian producers and directors, organizers said.

In the Asian Film Market, 156 companies from 40 countries are to operate their sales booths from Oct. 15-18 at the Grand Hotel alongside Haeundae beach in the host city of Busan, they said.

The participating buyers include giant distributors such as Japan’s Toho-Towa Company and Shochiku Co., France’s MK2 and Lions Gate Films of the United States. The sales booths will feature 95 companies, including Republic of Korea’s CJ Entertainment and Showbox, Japan’s Gaga Communications, China’s Huyai Brothers Pictures and Hanway Films of Britain.

The market also hopes to serve as a springboard for up-and-coming actors seeking to advance in the global film industry. Its guest list includes Hwang Jung-min ("Blood Ties") and Jang Jin-young ("Blue Swallow"), Japan’s Kashii Yu ("Starlit High Noon") and Hayato Ichihara, and China’s Guo Xiaodong ("Summer Palace") and Zhou Xun ("The Banquet"), as well as Vietnam’s Do Thi Hai Yen ("Story of Pao"). Actors of Korean descent working in Hollywood, like Leonardo Nam ("The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift") and Will Yun Lee ("Elektra") will also make an appearance.

The market will hold 120 screenings at Primus Cinema alongside the beach for potential buyers, organizers said.

Film markets in Asia are also presented in Hong Kong, Japan and Thailand as part of their respective film festivals.

Turning 11th this year, the PIFF presents 245 films from 63 countries during the Oct. 12-20 event.

The source of news : Korea.net   October 06, 2006