Busan West to launch in US
By Patrick Frater
Thu, 06 October 2011, 01:10 AM (HKT)
Iconic Korean director BONG Joon-ho 봉준호 will present the recently re-mastered 3-D version of The Host 괴물 (2006) at the Busan West Asian Film Festival (11-13 Nov 2011).
First held in 2009 as "Pusan West" with PARK Chan-wook 박찬욱 as a guest, the festival is a collaboration between the Busan International Film Festival 부산국제영화제 and Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.
Its lineup of Korean and other Asian films will primarily be drawn from the movies that play from today in the Busan festival and are selected by Dodge College Professor Nam Lee. It is expected to feature an opening and closing night receptions designed to showcase Korean and Asian culture through food, music, and décor.
In addition to giving The Host its 3-D premiere in the US, Bong will receive the inaugural Busan West Icon Award, "for his career that is not only seminal but has also influenced other filmmakers worldwide." He will also participate in Busan West Master Class, discussing the crafts of writing and directing with Dodge College students.
Busan West events will be held at Marion Knott Studios on Chapman University's campus in Orange County, California.
The 16th edition of the original Busan International Film Festival gets underway today (6 Oct 2011) in South Korea and runs until 14 Oct.