Editor

European Film Promotion brings a strong delegation to Pusan Celebrating the 10th edition of Asia’s leading Film Festival: Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF, 6 – 14 October 2005)

With a delegation of 30 European actors, directors and producers from 13 different countries European Film Promotion (EFP) will be in South Korea in October to celebrate the 10th edition of the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF, 6 – 14 October 2005). This diverse and talented group of young, up-and-coming European filmmakers will present their films in the “world cinema”, “wide angle” and “critic’s choice” programmes. At the other end of the spectrum, master directors such as Mika Kaurismäki, Claude Lelouch and Peter Greenaway will screen their newest works for the press and public and join in the celebration of PIFF’s 10th anniversary.

This year, European films represent the largest group of non-Asian productions at the festival, with over 70 films screening at the event. In addition to the regular screenings, the festival is hosting a special focus on films from the United Kingdom. Introduced under the title “UK Special”, this section will include, among others, VERA DRAKE by Mike Leigh and a retrospective of work by Peter Greenaway.

With this year’s record of 307 films from all over the world and with the Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP) - Asia’s highest-profile project market PIFF has once again proven itself to be Asia’s leading film event.

Over the past 8 years, thanks to the financial support from the MEDIA Programme of the European Union, EFP has worked closely with the festival in organizing presentations, film screenings and special events with the aim of introducing European films - and the talent behind them - to Asian audiences, press and industry. This year, EFP’s presence will include an international press conference with European filmmakers, scheduled for October 9th, a presentation of the European delegation at one of the Open Air Screenings as well as an introduction of the delegation to the public at the PIFF Square in downtown Pusan.

For the second consecutive year, EFP will provide Film Sales Support (FSS) to European sales agents with films screening at the Pusan International Film Festival. This financial support is targeted towards extra marketing and promotion efforts at the festival with the aim of assisting sales to the Asian market. On Monday, October 10th – the first day of PPP - EFP will host a cocktail to bring together this year’s FSS beneficiaries with Asian distributors and exhibitors. A complete list of films supported by FSS will be online by the end of September.


The following European artists and producers will present their films
personally in Pusan:

European artists:

Thomas Clay THE GREAT ECSTASY OF ROBERT CARMICHAEL (UK)
Claire Denis TOWARDS MATHILDE (France)
Josef Fares ZOZO (Sweden, UK, Denmark)
Péter Gárdos THE PORCELAIN DOLL (Hungary)
Sturla Gunnarsson BEOWULF & GRENDEL (Iceland, Canada, UK)
Peter Greenaway 6 RETROSPECTIVE FILMS (United Kingdom)
Grímur Hákonarson SLAVEK THE SHIT (Iceland, Czech Republic, Estonia)
Jouni Hokkanen, Simojukka Ruippo THE DICTATOR’S CUT and
MIGRANT WORKERS ARE NOT TERRORISTS (Finland)
Thierry Jousse INVISIBLE (France)
Mika Kaurismäki BRASILEIRINHO (Switzerland, Finland, Brasil)
Vessela Yordanova Kazakova leading actress STOLEN EYES (Bulgaria)
Fred Kelemen FALLEN (Germany)
Merle Kröger, Dorothee Wenner STAR BIZ (Germany)
Claude Lelouch THE COURAGE TO LOVE (France)
Nanouk Leopold GUERNSEY (The Netherlands, Belgium)
Hubert Niogret THE NINE LIVES OF KOREAN CINEMA (France, South Korea)
João Pedro Rodrigues ODETE (Portugal)
Marc Rothemund SOPHIE SCHOLL - THE FINAL DAYS (Germany)
Joaquim Sapinho BOSNIA DIARIES (Portugal)
Luc Schaedler ANGRY MONK - REFLECTIONS ON TIBET (Switzerland)
Radoslav Spassov STOLEN EYES (Bulgaria)
Hannes Stöhr ONE DAY IN EUROPE (Germany, Spain)
Peeter Urbla SHOP OF DREAMS (Estonia, Finland)

European producers:

Nikolaj Nikitin LOST AND FOUND (Serbia-Montenegro, Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Maria João Sigalho ODETE and BOSNIAN DIARIES (Portugal)
Karla Stojakova SLAVEK THE SHIT (Czech Republic)
Galina Toneva STOLEN EYES (Bulgaria)
Jean-Jacques de Vidas THE COURAGE TO LOVE (France)