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Financial crisis weighs on Asia's top filmfest
2008-09-28
BUSAN, South Korea (AFP) - The global financial crisis will weigh heavily on the minds of filmmakers when they gather in South Korea this week for Asia's premier film festival. Money troubles have increased pressure on Asian filmmakers, who have struggled to attract investors put off by falling box office numbers, meaning there are even fewer films made that could lure people back to cinemas. But organisers of the 13th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), which starts on Thursday and runs until October 10, believe their event will provide a platform to help lift the industry's flagging fortunes. "These are difficult times. PIFF's challenge, set against a decreased level of investment, is to engage people in the industry once again," said the festival's chief programmer Jay Jeon. "Despite the industry's downturn, we believe audiences are still interested in film -- the quality of films today is better than ever before -- and that these factors can help the film industry to rise again." According to the Korean Film Council, local films now account for just 36 percent of the box office takings in Seoul, compared to 58 percent in 2006. It said only 30 Korean films would be produced this year compared to 112 in 2007 -- and that only 13 of those 112 ever managed to break even. Production numbers in Hong Kong, another traditional film powerhouse, are similarly poor with fewer that 50 local films released in the past 12 months -- a far cry from the 1980s heyday of more than 300 local films annually. While screenings are very much the heart of PIFF -- this year there are 315 films from 60 countries, including 85 world premieres -- thousands of industry heavyweights come every year simply to get down to business. Running alongside the public screenings are events such as the Asian Film Market, which have their sights set firmly on revitalisation. "There is also the Asian Cinema Fund forum, for example, which is designed to help Asian productions find the support they need to get made," said Jeon. "We see this as one of the vital roles that PIFF plays in Asia." While industry statistics make for grim reading, some in the industry see signs of an imminent revival. "The big problem is that audiences are not going to the second-tier films," said Mark Russell, producer and author of "Pop Goes Korea", an examination of the Korean entertainment industry. "People are sick of the same-old same-old. I think we are in a transitional period, which is causing a fair amount of pain. But change is essential for growth and development." While the festival has catered for the public demand for big names -- including art-house darling Wong Kar-wai and veteran director Tsui Hark on the guest list -- PIFF has a distinctly East Asian flavour this year. Kazakhstani director Rustem Abdrashev's epic "The Gift to Stalin" will open the festival and Kazakhstani producer Gulnara Sarnenova is set to receive the Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award. The move is a reflection of the festival's mandate to highlight new trends in the Asian film industry. "Kazakhstan is one of the fastest-growing segments of the film industry," said PIFF programmer Kim Ji-Seok. "And 'The Gift to Stalin' stands at the pinnacle of their work. As a collaborative work between the Russian Federation, Israel and Poland, such films are and indication of the new model of Asian films which feature a collaboration of many different countries and talents." Maverick British filmmaker Peter Greenaway, who last year gave a master class, will screen "Rembrandt's J'accuse" in the World Cinema section. The festival's main competition is the New Currents award for first- or second-time Asian filmmakers. This year expanded its field to 14 finalists, which include films from Iran, India, and Kazakhstan as well as China and South Korea. The award is announced on October 10, the final day.
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