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History
New Currents Award
New Currents Award is given to the two best feature films selected from the first or second feature of new Asian directors introduced in the New Currents section (a competitive section of BIFF for Asian films). A grand prize of USD 30,000 is awarded to each film. The jury consists or world-renowned film experts who will choose winners to discover and encourage the hidden jewels of Asian cinema.
Immortal
Walnut Tree
BIFF Mecenat Award
BIFF Mecenat Award is granted to the best documentary from Korea and Asia in Wide Angle competitive section. The winner will be granted KRW 10,000,000(approx. USD 10,000) with the purpose of assisting their next production.
Look Love
Boys Run
Special Mention
Still and All
Sonje Award
Sonje Award is given to the best Korean and Asian short films in the Wide Angle section, to assist them in producing next project by providing KRW 10,000,000(approx. USD 10,000) to each director.
Shame Diary
Nia’s Door
Actor and Actress of the Year
Actor & Actress of the Year is the award to focus on new actors in the independent Korean films from the New Currents and Korean Cinema Today Vision. The top-class Korean actor and actress select one actor and one actress with outstanding performance. The winners will be awarded at the closing ceremony with cash prize of 5,000,000 KRW (approx. 5,000 USD) each.
ALONE
Communication & Lies
Daemyung Culture Wave Award
Sponsored by Daemyung Group to promote Korean independent films. The award with KRW 20,000,000 (approx. USD 20,000) grant goes to a Korean film from Korea Cinema Today-Vision and New Currents. Daemyung Holdings will also distribute the winning film.
Overman
FIPRESCI Award
The FIPRESCI Award is awarded to well-made works that reflect its experimental and progressive spirit, among those presented in the New Currents section.
Immortal
NETPAC Award
This award is given to the year’s best Korean film from either New Currents or Korean Cinema Today Vision section. NETPAC is an international organization founded in 1990 devoted to the expansion of Asian film distribution and screening.
Communication & Lies
Citizen Critics’ Award
Citizen critics from the Busan Cinematheque choose the best film from those screened in Korean Cinema Today-Vision section and its director is granted the award. The winner is awarded KRW 10,000,000 (approx. USD 10,000) for supporting the director’s next production.
ALONE
DGK Award
DGK((Directors Guild of Korea) Award goes to two most outstanding Korean films from Korean Cinema Today-Vision section with grant of KRW 5,000,000(approx. USD 5,000) for each winner, which is sponsored by MEGABOX, Inc.
The Boys Who Cried Wolf
Eyelids
KNN Award
This award is given to the film that gained most acclaim from festival audiences, among the films introduced in the New Currents section. The award is granted by KNN foundation and its winner is awarded USD 20,000.
Radio Set
Busan Bank Award
This award is given to the film that is most highly rated by festival audiences. Around 10 films from the Flash Forward section are selected beforehand to participate in this competition. A total of USD 20,000 is granted by the Busanbank. USD 10,000 is awarded to the director and the other half is used to support the distribution of the film in Korea. BIFF emblem, Pine Tree sign, will be marked on the eligible titles.
Highway to Hellas
Busan Cinephile Award
This award is given to the best non-Asia documentary film presented in the Wide Angle documentary showcase. The winner is awarded KRW 5,000,000(approx. USD 5,000). The jury consists of college students, including numerous students from the cinema-related departments of 6 universities in Busan region select the winner.
The Other Side
CGV Arthouse Award
This award was newly created in 2011 in collaboration with CJ CGV Arthouse to shed new light on the Korean Cinema Today Vision section. The award aims to provide independent films, indie films, new films, and low budget films with distribution and screening opportunities.
Eyelids
The Asian Filmmaker of the Year
This award is granted to the Asian filmmaker who has made the most significant contribution to the advancement of Asian film industry and culture throughout the year.
Studio Ghibli
‘The Asian Filmmaker of the Year’ at the 2015 Busan International Film Festival is to be awarded to Studio Ghibli, which marks the 30th anniversary of its foundation this year. Since the success of icaä of the Valley of the Wind released in 1984, the achievements of Studio Ghibli–which Takahata Isao co-founded with Miyazaki Hayao–have been unprecedented in the world animation industry over the last 30 years. Miyazaki Hayao won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, Best Animated Feature at the 2003 Academy Awards for Spirited Away (2001) and the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 2005 Venice Film Festival. Takahata Isao has made numerous outstanding animated films including his signature work, Grave of the Fireflies (1988), Pom Poko (1994), and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013). While Studio Ghibli has achieved fame as an animation studio, at the same time it has left a distinct mark with its various other activities; from nature conservation and peace, to activities concerning the future for a generation of children. Celebrating the award for ‘The Asian Filmmaker of the Year’, My Neighbor Totoro and Only Yesterday, the signature films of the two directors are to be screened at the 2015 Busan International Film Festival.
Korean Cinema Award
This award is granted to the notable figure that has made significant contribution in promoting Korean cinema worldwide.
Wieland SPECK
Curator of Berlin International Film Festival’s Panorama section | Germany
Wieland Speck, director of Berlin International Film Festival’s Panorama section, has contributed to the promotion of Korean cinema to worldwide audiences. Known for making qualified and popular selections in the Panorama section, Speck made great contributions to promoting Korean films by his Korean selections and showed enthusiasm toward Korean cinema stating, “Korean cinema remains ever surprising, a vivid mirror of its diverse societal developments - which makes selecting for the Berlin International Film Festival so exciting." During the 22 years in his post since 1992, he has invited a total 28 Korean movies from wider spectrum. Starting with Im Kwontaek's Seopyonje (1994), Speck continues to introduce films by Im Sang-soo, Hong Sangsoo, E J-yong, Lee Song Hee-il and Ryoo Seung-wan at the Berlin International Film Festival.