Busan unveils competition section

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Festival News

The Busan International Film Festival 부산국제영화제 has unveiled its 13 film New Currents selection.

The line-up, which includes two films developed as projects through the festival's project market, is described as displaying "refreshing and amazing aesthetics".

Thematically, according to the festival, the films fall into groups described as "homecoming", "alienation", "family" and "growing".

This year, two of the films will have already competed at other festivals, Damn Life at September's Pia Film Festival ぴあフィルムフェスティバル and Niño at July's Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.

 
BUSAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL — NEW CURRENTS COMPETITION

August Drizzle (2011)
Dir: Aruna JAYAWARDANA [Sri Lanka] World Premiere
In a drought-plagued Sri Lankan village, a woman undertaker and an epileptic architect, bound by their "otherness," join forces to build the crematorium she believes will bring her the respect she is denied. This is a film about the human condition created by expectations, life and death.

Choked 가시 (2011)
Dir: KIM Joong-hyun 김중현 [South Korea] World Premiere
In a melancholy but unsentimental portrait of family breakdown, a young man deals with the pain of his family's disintegration at his mother's hands. Choked is also the story of teenaged obligations, made all the more vivid by its naturalistic performances and masterful direction.

Damn Life ダムライフ (2011)
Dir: KITAGAWA Hitoshi 北川仁 [Japan] International Premiere
The indiscretions of the past haunt two alienated office workers in Damn Life. Following the death of a co-worker, compulsively dutiful Kotani's childhood trauma and Imasawa's emotional disconnection are the keys that lead the duo to a chilling final act.

Here or There? Đó hay đây (2011)
Dir: Siu PHAM [Vietnam/Switzerland] World Premiere
A retired European man and his Vietnamese wife living in a peaceful fishing village are separated by a tragedy at sea. The man's disappearance troubles his wife, but it also leads to a dream-like exploration of sexuality, desire, and the ghosts of our lives.

I Carried You Home ปาดังเบซาร์ (2011)
Dir: Tongpong CHANTARANGKUL ต้องปอง จันทรางกูร [Thailand/Singapore] World Premiere
Pann and Pinn are sisters living in the wake of their mother's death at the core of this time-shifting road trip drama. Despite communication difficulties from years apart, the women slowly reconnect as they ponder about loneliness, abandonment, and the secret that tore them apart.

Lost in the Mountain 空山軼 (2011)
Dir: GAO Zipeng 高子鹏 [China] World Premiere
How does the disappearance of a friend affect those who remain? Will there be anyone to remember him? Those are the main questions addressed in Lost in Mountain, when Da Ta is among the climbers searching for the missing Bielei on Tie Tuo Mountain.

The Mirror Never Lies Laut bercermin (2011)
Dir: Kamila ANDINI [Indonesia] World Premiere
Twelve-year-old Pakis believes that a mirror, which her father left her before his death at sea, always shows her the truth. Though too young to understand reality, Pakis does understand that the sea is a source of comfort. This film is a beautiful story about hope and loss.

Mourning
Dir: Morteza FARSHBAF [Iran] World Premiere
A deaf couple travels to Teheran to reunite their nephew with his parents after a ferocious argument and discovers there has been a horrific accident and must shield the boy from the truth. Mourning is a mysterious catalogue of events unfolding over a long emotional journey.

Niño (2011)
Dir: Loy ARCENAS [Philippines] International Premiere
Elderly patriarch and music lover Gaspar, his dependent opera singer sister Celia, and conniving daughter Raquel are at the core of the drama of tangled family relationships linked by greed. The only beauty that remains is the music that lingers amid the raging dispute.

The Passion of a Man Called Choe Che-u 동학, 수운 최제우 (2011)
Dir: Stanley PARK 박영철 [South Korea] World Premiere
Choe Che-u's mortality is the subject of Stanley Park's historical drama about maintaining faith despite the resulting alienation. Using still frames and delicate sound effects, first-time filmmaker Park crafts an internal dialogue that asks viewers fundamental questions about art and life.

Return to Burma 歸來的人 (2011)
Dir: Midi Z 趙德胤 [Myanmar/Taiwan] World Premiere
A Burmese-Chinese director living in Taiwan reports on life in contemporary Myanmar. Expatriate Xin Hong returns to Burma to explore how his homeland has changed. Though the country seemed much different on the surface, Xin Hong soon discovers that the country he left is fundamentally the same—familiar and reflecting hopelessness.

Starry Starry Night 星空 (2011)
Dir: Tom LIN 林書宇 [Taiwan/China] World Premiere
Twelve-year-old Mei meets transfer student Lee, a seemingly innocent moment that becomes a watershed for the isolated pair. Deciding to run away from home to fulfill their young lives, Mei and Lee's admissions and confessions strengthen their bond as the starry trek becomes more perilous.

Watch Indian Circus (2010)
Dir: Mangesh HADAWALE [India] World Premiere
Kajaro's quest to take her children to the circus unfolds alongside an election defined by empty promises. Kajaro manages to buy circus tickets, but not for everyone and difficult choices must be made. This is a film about maternal devotion despite harsh reality of poverty.

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