[Filmfestivalresearch] Is Busan IFF to self-destroy?

[Dina Iordanova]

Dear friends and colleagues,

A controversy about the situation with Busan IFF has been brewing now for more than a month, and it seems to have finally broken into the international public space, with this article in Screen International yesterday.
http://www.screendaily.com/screenasia/cannes-venice-chiefs-support-busan-censorship-struggle/5083550.article

Many of us have been involved with this festival in various capacities. Besides previous visits, I had the opportunity to serve on the New Currents jury in October 2014 when the contested documentary was screened and absorbed all media attention. Thus, I had no choice but witnessing these issues from the onset. I tried to express my concern about the self-destructive course of Busan in the context of talks that I gave since. My concern over the petty domestic controversy turning deadly is growing now, especially given that we see new lavishly funded festivals eager to claim the Asian spotlight (Tsingtao, Beijing). It seems to me that Busan — a fairy-tale story of a festival that grew out of the ambition of a bunch of dedicated people and earned well-deserved international accolades --  is in danger of going down due to  the stubborn short-sightedness of local aparatchicks.

Dina


Dina Iordanova FRSA
Professor of Global Cinema and Creative Cultures
Director, IGCCC
Publisher, St. Andrews Film Studies
University of St. Andrews, Scotland


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