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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 works of new Asian directors introduced in the New Currents section (a competitive section of BIFF for Asian films). A grand prize of 30,000 USD is awarded to each film. The jury consists of world-renowned film experts who will choose winners to discover and encourage the hidden jewels of Asian cinema.
After My Death
Blockage
Kim Jiseok Award
It is to remember and honor the late Kim Ji-seok who passed away after devoting his whole life to discovering young Asian directors and supporting the growth of Asian cinema. A grand of prize of USD 10,000 is awarded to two films.
Malila: The Farewell Flower
The Scythian Lamb
BIFF Mecenat Award
This award is granted to the best Korean and Asian documentary pictures in the Wide Angle Competition section. Winners are granted 10,000,000 KRW (approx. 10,000 USD) each with the purpose of assisting in their next production.
Soseongri
Sennan Asbestos Disaster
Sonje Award
This award is granted to the best Korean and Asian short films in the Wide Angle Competition section. Winners are granted 10,000,000 KRW (approx. 10,000 USD) each with the purpose of assisting in their next production.
Madonna
A Hand-written Poster
Actor & Actress of the Year
Actor & Actress of the Year is the award to focus on first-time actors in the independent Korean films among 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.
Hit the Night
After My Death
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 the KNN foundation and its winner is awarded 20,000 USD.
End of Summer
Busan Bank Award
This award is given to the film that is most highly rated by festival audiences. Approximately 10 films from the Flash Forward section are selected beforehand to participate in this competition. A total of 20,000 USD is granted by the BNK Busan Bank. 10,000 USD is awarded to the director and the other half is used to support the distribution of the film in Korea. BIFF character, Pine Tree sign , will be marked next to the eligible candidates.
Pulse
Citizen Critics’ Award
Citizen critics from the Busan Cinematheque choose the best film from those screened in the Korean Cinema Today Vision section and its director is granted the award. The winner is awarded 10,000,000 KRW (approx. 10,000 USD) with the purpose of assisting in their next production.
Possible Faces
Vision-Director's Award
Vision-Director’s Award goes two Korean films from Korean Cinema Today-Vision section. Each winner will be granted 5 million KRW (approx. 5,000 USD).
February
Hit the Night
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.
Microhabitat
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 KRW5,000,000 (approx. USD5,000). The jury consists of college students, including numerous students from the cinema-related departments of six universities in Busan region, select the winner.
A Free Man
NETPAC Award
This award is given to the year’s best Korean film from either the New Currents or the Korean Cinema Today Vision section. NETPAC is an international organization founded in 1990 devoted to the expansion of Asian film distribution and screening.
February
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.
Last Child
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.
SUZUKI Seijun
Director | Japan
Suzuki Seijun was born in Tokyo in 1923. He enrolled in the film department of the Kamakura Academy in 1946 and worked as an assistant director at several studios. Debuted as filmmaker with Cheers At the Harbor: Triumph In My Hands (Minato no kanpai: Shori o waga te ni) in 1956, he directed over 40 works until 1967 and named as a significant figure in Japanese New Wave. Suzuki’s yakuza thrillers and pop-art cinematic style influenced future filmmakers including Wong Kar Wai, Quentin Tarantino and John Woo. His representative works include Gate of Flesh (1964), Tokyo Drifter (1966), Branded to Kill (1967), Zigeunerweisen (1980). Princess Raccoon (2005) was screened at the 10 th 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.
Christoph TERHECHTE
Head of Berlin International Film Festival Forum | Germany
Christoph Terhechte was born in 1961, in the city of Munster, Germany. He studied political science and journalism at the University of Hamburg and started his career as a film journalist in 1984. After he worked as a writer of “taz”, a daily newspaper in Germany, Terhechte moved to Paris, working as a freelance journalist. He also worked as a head editor in the film section at the Berlin city magazine “tip”. He promoted European cinema by working on the film selection and editorial work of the European Low Budget Film Forum in Hamburg. Christoph Terhechte has been a member of the selection committee of the Berlin International Film Festival Forum since 1997 and was appointed head of the Berlinale section in 2001. Working as a head of the International Forum of New Cinema of the Berlin International Film Festival, Christoph Terhechte has actively introduced Korean cinema to European audiences.