‘The Wrestler And ‘September 1923′ Win New Currents Awards At The Busan Film Festival
At the Busan International Film Festival, Iqbal H. Chowdhury's "The Wrestler" and Mori Tatsuta's "September 1923" were declared joint winners of the "New Trends" competition.
The jury said "The Racer" was "like a circular game that magically described an exciting story." “We support the courage to face forgotten history,” said the “September 1923” jury.
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In a separate Zisok competition, open to more experienced Asian directors, Prasanna Bitanez's Paradise and Mirlan Abdikalikov's Kidnapping the Bride were co-winners.
“Vithanage reveals how a corrupt regime has destroyed this beautiful country by preventing peace, dehumanizing and oppressing its citizens,” says Jisok's independent jury. Jisok Joori called "The Kidnapping of the Bride" a "powerful film" and said, "The film brilliantly portrays the tragic traditional customs of Kyrgyzstan with unforgettable characters and a simple story."
The awards will be presented during the closing ceremony on Friday, along with other prizes in the festival's prestigious categories. Next, the black comedy "Cinema Emperor" by Chinese director Ning Hao was released.
The Voice of the Silent by Park So Nam and Park Maui and Republic by Jin Jang won the BIFF Mésenat Award, Maidear by John Doh and Kim Sohee and 21 Weeks Later by Nasrin Mohammadpour won the Sonje Award. A special mention was awarded to the film "Everybody Gotta Love Some Times" by Burmese director Sein Lian Tun, which tells the story of a strange Asian immigrant in Paris.
The KB New Currents Audience Award went to Lee Jong-soo's Legacy, while Anais Telle's The Dreamer won the Flash Forward Audience Award.
Best Actor of the Year went to Jang Sung-Bum for "Work to be Done" and Oh Mi for "About My Daughter."
Friday's closing ceremony awards ceremony follows the previous day's Vision Awards.
In a report hastily released on Friday, festival organizers congratulated themselves for running the festival successfully, albeit on a shoestring budget. The report does not mention the internal disturbances that caused patrons to flee. Seat occupancy increased from 74% last year to 82% this time with a total of 142,000 visitors.
Likewise, Asian film and content markets have grown alongside the festival. Around 2,479 participants from 49 countries took part in the market, which occupied 30% of the main exhibition area and consisted of 98 stands. 1,826 organized one-on-one meetings between producers and potential co-production, financing or distribution partners in the Asian project market. The market premium for the project was announced on Tuesday.
The best of the bunch
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