Busan film festival to screen film classics to mark centennial of Korean cinema

This image, provided by the Busan International Film Festival, shows a scene from “The Housemaid.” (Yonhap)

Seoul: This year’s Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) will screen 10 masterpieces by renowned Korean directors to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Korean cinema, organizers said Saturday.

The special screening program will be held under the name “The 100 Year History of Korean Cinema, 10 Great Korean Films” during the 24th BIFF, set to kick off on Oct. 3 for a 10-day run in the southern port city of Busan, according to the film festival.

The selection includes three signature films from the 1960s — “The Housemaid” (1960) by director Kim Ki-young, “Aimless Bullet” (1961) by Yu Hyun-mok and “A Day Off” (1968) by Lee Man-hee.

“The March of Fools” (1975) directed by Ha Gil-jong, “Good Windy Days” (1980) by director Lee Jang-ho and “Why has Bohdi-Dharma Left for the East?” (1989) by director Bae Yong-kyoon are also among the 10 masterpieces.

And award-winning director Im Kwon-taek’s “Seopyeonje” (1993) will be screened for the special program section, along with Hong Sang-soo’s “The Day a Pig Fell into the Well” (1996), Bong Joon-ho’s “Memories of Murder” (2003) and Park Chan-wook’s “Old Boy” (2003).

Korean cinema celebrates the centennial of its birth this year, whose history began when “Righteous Revenge” by Kim Do-san premiered at the Dansungsa movie theater in central Seoul on Oct. 27, 1919, now called Korean Film Day.

“One of the crucial roles of the Busan International Film Festival is to archive, select, and introduce compelling traditional Korean films that encapsulate Korean history, traditions, and customs,” Programmer Jung Han-seok was quoted as saying in a press release by BIFF.

At the same time, BIFF will hold another special program to shed light on three Asian female directors — Deepa Mehta from India, Yasmin Ahmad from Malaysia, and Trinh T. Minh-ha from Vietnam.

Through their movies, the filmmakers interpret social controversies, like gender issues, from their own perspectives.

YONHAP