PIFF (부산국제영화제)

Last month I went to the Pusan International Film Festival with 7 students.  It is the biggest international film festival in Korea.  It is not only a big event for movie industry people, but also for average people; it offers a wide range of films not easily accessible on regular venues and ample opportunities to see movie stars on the streets and stages.

We arrived in Pusan around noon, had a quick lunch, and went to see our first film, "Holly."  It is a near-documentary about a 12-year-old Vietnamese girl who was sold by her parents into prostitution in Cambodia.  Then we went to Haewoondae,
saw some actors and actresses, and moved back to Nampo-dong to watch our second film of the day.  Alas, we got to the theatre 5 minutes late, and weren't let in.  We ended up having a drink near the train station and headed back to Daejeon.

I really liked the whole atmosphere of PIFF.  Streets overflowing with people full of expectations to bump into actors and directors, stage interviews with lots of information and with intimacy unparalled to those on TV, plenty of freebies (!!).  I guess I'll keep coming back....

무대 인사를 하러 나온 배우, 감독들을 여럿 봤다.  배우보다 잘 생겼던 젊은 대만 감독, 손태영 등등.  위의 사진에서 보이는 '비열한 거리' 팀의 조인성도 봤다.  멀리서 봐도 피부가 예술이다.  평범한 외모의 멋진 배우도 좋지만, 조인성같이 현실감없게 잘 생긴 배우도 영화의 매력아닐까. (사진 출처: 김동주)