Korea’s Busan International Film Festival will this year feature an in-depth look at Irish cinema, with particular focus on hosting both established and emerging Irish filmmakers.
Neil Jordan and Jim Sheridan are among just two of the Irish delegation set to attend the festival, now in its 18th year, with screenings of Sheridan’s ‘In America’ and ‘In The Name of The Father’ as well as Jordan’s ‘The Crying Game’ and ‘Michael Collins’ to take place. Both filmmakers will attend the official hand-printing ceremony in BIFF’s festival village, an honour reserved for only the most respected of guests. Sheridan will also helm an industry masterclass during the festival week.
Under the ‘Opening Doors’ programme, an initiative intended to bring “the best in new cinema from across Europe” to South Korean audiences, young directors Brendan Muldowney and John Butler are among 23 international filmmakers also invited. Their respective films ‘Love Eternal’ and comedy ‘The Stag’ are set to screen alongside ‘Life’s a Breeze’, with director Lance Daly and star Pat Shortt also billed to attend.
James Hickey, Chief Executive of the Irish Film Board, dubbed the trip “a cultural trade mission aim[ed] to raise the profile of Ireland, Irish culture and the Irish film industry in Korea and to the Asian market”, and said “We are absolutely delighted that Ireland has been chosen for this honour and that we have such a strong delegation of Irish talent travelling to the festival.”
The Busan International Film Festival will take place on the 3rd-12th October.