Asian Cinema Fund 2018 Selection Announced

- 16 Asian Projects, 8 Korean Projects -

Asian Cinema Fund (ACF), a funding initiative that discovers and supports creative and talented Asian filmmakers to vitalize the production of Asian independent films, announces its 2018 selection. ACF has selected 24 projects from among 365 submitted projects in four funding categories: Production Support Fund, Script Development Fund, Post-Production Fund, and Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund.

ACF 2018 Production Support Fund

(1 Korean project)

Production Support Fund was newly installed last year to help create a stable production environment for independent film productions in South Korea. This year, the Production Support Fund selected LIM Daehyung’s feature film Snow Moon. It is recognized for its high quality script and detailed portrayals of characters that softly touch the heart. Snow Moon is about a Korean high school girl who finds a love letter sent from Japan addressed to her recently divorced mother and the daughter’s subsequent decision to visit Japan to find the sender. Provided with a cash grant of KRW 200,000,000 and in-kind post-production support, Snow Moon will have its world premiere at the 24^th Busan International Film Festival, held in 2019.

ACF 2018 Script Development Fund

(5 Asian projects, projects in alphabetical order)

*AFA (Asian Film Academy) Project

The Script Development Fund selected five Asian projects for script development support. This year, filmmakers from Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia, and the Middle East – regions where Busan International Film Festival provides continuous interest, submitted high quality projects. This indicates the growth in Asian cinema as well as an increase in the number of talented filmmakers in these regions. Another notable factor in this year’s submissions is the large increase in the number of co-production projects. The selected projects are noted for their creativity and originality in portraying social and political issues. In particular, the projects submitted by the graduates of Asian Film Academy (AFA) were of exceptional quality that provided a glimpse of how these young filmmakers will become leading directors representing their countries.

ACF 2018 Post-Production Fund

(3 Asian projects and 3 Korean projects, projects in alphabetical order)

Post-Production Fund selected six feature film projects that are diverse in style. The selected projects are all feature debut films by the directors and will have their world premieres at the 23^rd Busan International Film Festival.

There are 3 Asian projects. The Chinese project My Dear Friend (Director YANG Pingdao) tells a story about a journey taken by two friends of 60 years who wish to discover their roots. The Thai project Nakorn-Sawan (Director Puangsoi AKSORNSAWANG) shows the power of authenticity in film through a story of a woman who travels from Germany to scatter her mother’s remains at Nakorn-Sawan, a place that Thai people believe is the gateway to heaven. Fly By Night from Malaysia (Director Zahir OMAR) is a crime drama set in modern Kuala Lumpur that tells the story of four criminals who perfect their small but profitable con game, but make the too simple human error of wanting more.

Three Korean projects are featured. Sub-zero Wind (Director KIM Yuri) is a coming-of-age film about two girls who find themselves in the midst of broken relationships and family. House of Hummingbird (Director KIM Bora) portrays the life of a teenage girl who lives in Daechi-dong Gangnam, an affluent neighborhood of Seoul in 1994, the year of the tragic collapse of Seongsu Bridge. Maggie (Director YI Okseop) is an eccentric and realistic film that tells a story about a nurse in the orthopedics department who wants to believe in everything.

The Post-Production Fund will provide in-kind support that includes Digital Intermediate (DI), Sound Mixing, English Subtitles Spotting, and Digital Cinema Package (DCP) from quality post-production studios in South Korea. Partner companies are Korean Film Council (KOFIC), CJ POWERCAST, 2L Imageworks, Wavelab STD., Studio SH, Plus Gain, Pluto Sound Group, and KUMTLE.

ACF 2018 Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund

(8 Asian projects and 4 Korean projects, projects in alphabetical order)

AND Fund has selected 12 projects this year, to support feature-length documentaries that aim for theatrical release.

The increase in the number of co-productions for this year’s Asian project submissions is a welcoming trend since it shows that Asian documentary filmmakers are currently building networks and striving to reach outside of Asia.

This year’s selected Asian projects portray the lives of ordinary people in a simple and poetic manner, who are in the midst of extreme circumstances such as war, displacement, urban development, and changing times with great cinematography.

Korean projects show diverse and vast viewpoints while upholding a critical awareness of the issues dealt with. Among them, the selected projects offer a new approach and perspective to much-talked-about issues by focusing on the bone fragments of massacre victims, the parents of queer children, ordinary people traumatized by the Sewol Ferry Disaster, and the dilemma of being a ‘subject of rights’ in regards to the orangutan named Sandra in Argentina.

Selected projects will be invited to participate in the AND Program held at the 23^rd Busan International Film Festival. The program will provide mentoring and networking opportunities to assist in the completion of documentary projects. BIFF Mecenat and BNK Busan Bank have provided sponsorship for the AND fund.

23^rd Busan International Film Festival will be held from Thursday, October 4, 2018 to Saturday, October 13, 2018.
Asian Film Market will be held from Saturday, October 6, 2018 to Tuesday, October 9, 2018.
Asian Project Market will be held from Sunday, October 7, 2018 to Tuesday, October 9, 2018.