Busan is good

Ceremony Unveils PIFF Handprint

Contents

On the 6th the newest PIFF handprints were unveiled at a ceremony at PIFF Square in Nampo-dong. The ceremony was held the day before the festival opened with about 1,000 citizens and film fans in attendance. The handprints were copperplate impressions of those chosen at last year’s festival. They were of director Jeong Chang-hwa, a pioneer of Korean action films, and maestro Jan Troyel, a Spanish director. Afterwards the trees lining the street where the theaters are located were lit by three billion, small, silver-coated light bulbs. A rock band performed and fireworks were set off.

On the 6th the 2004 Busan International Commission (BIFCOM) and Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP) hosted the PIFF opening party was held at Paradise Hotel. Prior to the reception, An Jun-tae, Busan administrative deputy mayor, Kim Dong-ho, the head of the executive committee and Louis Becker, the New Zealand Film representative greeted the gathering. Later, Bill Balling, a Hollywood location manager, proposed a toast. Those in attendance included director Bong Jun-ho, actor Myeong Gye-nam, the Cambodian Vice-Minister of Culture and Art, a New Zealand production company, the Asia Film Commission delegation, many people involved in film production from Korea and abroad and about 400 other film-related.

The film magazine “Screen International” ran a feature article about the Busan International Film Festival with the title of “From Asia Minor to the Major League.” They included a PIFF poster and stated that PIFF is Asia's leading film event. The article emphasized that many film producers and directors attend PIFF every year. They listed the films that were invited to PIFF this year and explained 2004 BIFCOM and PPP. They praised PIFF as one of the most important film festivals connecting Asia, Europe, and America.

 

The source of news : Busanilbo, Friday October 8, 2004, 14:16