Busan film festival draws 50,000 to program events in first five days

The 31st Busan International Film Festival has passed its midpoint, drawing 50,000 attendees to program events in just five days — already surpassing total program event attendance for all of last year's festival.

Festival organizers said Sunday that as of Saturday, the fifth day of the event, attendance at program events — including open talks, outdoor stage greetings, Aju Damdam, Cine Class and Actors House — had reached 50,000.

The festival's decision to open on a Tuesday for the first time this year, combined with a schedule of five daily showings at major screens from Thursday through Sunday, broadened audience options and drew a strong response. Crowds filled not only the screening venues but also the outdoor event spaces at the Busan Cinema Center day after day.

The festival, which opened Tuesday, drew a large gathering of domestic and international film figures from the very start.

The opening ceremony, hosted by actor Kim Min-ha, was attended by Michelle Yeoh, recipient of this year's Asian Filmmaker of the Year award; Kim Dong-ho, former chairman of the Busan International Film Festival who received the Korean Cinema Award; and director Ann Hui, winner of the Camellia Award.

World-renowned filmmakers including Alfonso Cuarón, Isabelle Huppert, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Zhou Xun, Fan Bingbing and Hirokazu Kore-eda also visited Busan. From Korea, directors Lee Chang-dong, Im Kwon-taek, Jung Ji-young, Bae Chang-ho, Lee Myung-se and Na Hong-jin, along with actors Sul Kyung-gu, Jeon Do-yeon, Jo Yeo-jeong and Jo In-sung, joined the festival's opening week.

Events bringing audiences face to face with filmmakers continued throughout the week. Director Alfonso Cuarón, visiting Korea for the first time, held an IMAX special screening of "Gravity" and a master class, while Maggie Gyllenhaal took part in a special talk on Marilyn Monroe.

Master classes were held with directors Na Hong-jin, Lav Diaz, Rintaro and Bertrand Mandico, while Kim Go-eun, Kim Min-ha, Ryu Seung-ryong, Shin Min-a and Ju Ji-hoon shared stories about their filmographies and performances with audiences through Actors House.

Another highlight of this year's festival is its competition section, being held for the first time since the Busan International Film Festival's elevation to an International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) A-list event.

Twelve of the 13 competition entries have screened as world or international premieres. Once director Joseph Angio Noen's "Name Carved in the Sea" screens Sunday, all competition films will have been presented to audiences.

A jury of seven, led by jury president Zhang Yimou, will select winners across five categories for the Busan Award.