Bhutanese film kicks off Busan film festival
Print Edition
Asian stars as well as budding actors and actresses walked the red carpet yesterday at the start of this year’s Busan International Film Festival.
But the director of the festival’s opening film, Bhutanese monk Khyentse Norbu, ditched the red carpet for something much less glamorous: a cave.
While most filmmakers would jump at a chance to appear at Asia’s largest film festival as their work opened the event, Norbu remained in Bhutan for a Buddhist retreat in a cave on a remote mountain.
Norbu’s third feature movie, “Vara: A Blessing,” a drama depicting religion, art and forbidden love in an Indian village through a classical South Indian dance, took the opening spot — a position usually reserved for a Chinese or Korean movie.
“I’m speechless ... I’m so honored,” Norbu told reporters in a video message. He thanked the festival for “so much support and encouragement to obscure, special films and special filmmakers that are not necessarily known and established.”
The choice of a non-Chinese and non-Korean movie for the opening underlined the festival’s effort to emphasize lesser-known works in the region. The festival’s director, Lee Yong-kwan, who selected the opening movie, said this year’s event would demonstrate the potential of Asian movies.
The Busan festival is known for discovering new talent and highlighting movies on the fringe of the global film industry. The festival, held in South Korea's second-largest city, is younger than its rivals in Tokyo and Hong Kong. But it has grown to become one of the most important events in the industry, with new talents and independent movie makers showcasing their works and finding investors, and global movie industry officials discovering new Asian films.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
