5th Annual Pusan Film Festival November 7 - 14 (Korea)

Screening more than 212 films from 55 different countries, this year's 5th Annual Pusan Film Festival kicks off with a screening of The Wrestlers from Indian director Buddhadeb Dasgupta, (which won the Special Director's Award at the Venice Film Festival) and closes with In The Mood For Love from Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai. Some of the hottest new directors from around the world will compete for the New Currents Award and the Korean Cinema Award. During the two weeks, the festival will present 80 films from Asia, 92 international films, and 40 Korean films. This year's guests will be able to attend more films than ever before at Pusan, as the number of screening venues has increased from 12 to 15.

As testament to the festival's increasing attraction on the international circuit, Wim Wenders, Luc Besson, Tony Leung, Jia Zangke, Maggie Cheung, Ishii Sogo, Olivier Assayas, Wong Kar-Wai, Fruit Chan, and Jafar Panahi, are just a few of the stars expected to present their works in person. The festival will also host a series of special programs, including "Cinema over Tien Shan Mountain," billed as a "discovery and investigation of film tradition in Central Asia; "Everlasting Scent of the Classic," which touches on the emotional and historical aspects of the popular Korean folktale Sung Choon-Hyang Jeon; "Salaam Cinema!" celebrating films from the Makhmalbaf family, both father Moshem and daughter Samira (whose Blackboards won the Special Jury Prize at this year's Cannes).

Pusan is also heralded as a market for Asian cinema, and true to its reputation, it is this year hosting an industrial screening section to showcase Korean films to international film professionals, with the goal of foreign exportation. In addition, these films will be promoted in special booths at the Commodore Hotel in downtown Pusan. An international jury will award the top prizes, (the New Currents Award, and the Korean Cinema Award) to the films in competition. This year, the section "Wide Angle" for Korean short films or documentaries will no longer be regarded as a competition. The winner of the Sonje Award (for short film) and the winner of the Woonpa award (for best documentary) will each be awarded 10.000.000 Won as a production fund.

Pusan