This year’s Special Program in Focus was inspired by the fact that many exceptional teen coming-of-age films have been produced in Asia recently. Taiwan and Japan have traditionally produced excellent coming-of-age films, such as Edward Yang's A Brighter Summer Day (1991), Hou Hsiao Hsien's The Time to Live and the Time to Die (1985), Kore-eda Hirokazu's Nobody Knows (2004), Yamashita Nobuhiro’s Linda Linda Linda (2005), Iwai Shunji's All About Lily Chou-Chou (2001), and Kitano Takeshi's Kids Return (1996), but this expertise is expanding amongst other Asian countries. Following the acclaim received by Korean films such as House of Hummingbird (2018), The World of Us (2016), and Moving On (2019), we’re seeing a rapid growth spurt of teenage narratives from various Asian countries, such as Tiger Stripes (2023) from Malaysia, City of Wind (2023) from Mongolia, and Girls Will Be Girls (2024) from India. These stories capture the hearts of audiences by offering a candid perspective at the hidden truths of the world through the eyes of teenagers, where love and sexuality of teen life are uncovered - sometimes brazenly, sometimes nostalgically, but lovable nonetheless to audiences of all ages.

 

Representing the most notable trend in the international film industry, ‘Teen Spirit, Teen Movie’ is undoubtedly a must-see program at this year’s Busan International Film Festival.

 

 

Busan International Film Festival 2024 will be held for ten days from Oct 2 (Wed) to Oct 11 (Fri) at the Busan Cinema Center.

 

(List in alphabetical order)

 

City of Wind (2023) / Dir. PUREV-OCHIR Lkhagvadulam

The winner of the Orizzonti Award for Best Actor at the Venice International Film Festival 2023. A teenage shaman who is a crucial member of his community in Ulaanbaatar meets a rebellious girl and experiences the insecurity, anxiety, tenderness, and loneliness that inevitably come as a part of growing up.

 

Fishbone (2024) / Dir. ZHANG Xuyu

Failing at her college entrance exam and falling out with her oppressive mother, an 18-year-old goes on a turbulent emotional journey. Winner of Best Script Writer Award at the Asian New Talent Section at the Shanghai International Film Festival 2024 and Best Performance Prize at FIRST International Film Festival 2024.

 

Girls Will Be Girls (2024) / Dir. Shuchi TALATI

When a good girl falls in love, sexual impulses arise, and revolt against the older generation erupts. All this is disrupted by none other than her mother, who never got to experience the seizure that is coming-of-age herself. Winner of The Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival 2024.

 

Happyend (2024) / Dir. SORA Neo

A fight ensues between a school that seeks the power to control and its students who desire the right to freedom. The feature debut from Neo Sora, the director of Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus (2023). Official selection at the Orizzonti section of the Venice International Film Festival 2024 and the New York Film Festival 2024.

 

I Am the Secret in Your Heart (2024) / Dir. LAI Meng-Jie

Adapted from the eponymous novel, which was also published in Korean, this evocative tale of first loves is at once sweet, funny, touching, and angsty, following the lineage of successful Taiwanese High Teen romance films.

 

My Sunshine (2024) / Dir. OKUYAMA Hiroshi

Two young figure skaters enamored of the sport train as a duo under the guidance of their coach. Selected for the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival 2024. Official selection for the Asian Project Market at Busan International Film Festival 2022.

 

Swimming in a Sand Pool (2024) / Dir. YAMASHITA Nobuhiro

It’s summer holidays, but two high school girls have been instructed to clean the school’s swimming pool. Their ensuing conversation offers us a framed picture of high school life. Directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita of Linda Linda Linda (2005).

 

Tiger Stripes (2023) / Dir. Amanda Nell EU

Director Amanda Nell Eu's debut feature, which won the Grand Prix Prize in Critics’ Week at Cannes in 2023, captures the turbulent story of an 11-year-old girl who faces puberty.

 

The Uniform (2024) / Dir. CHUANG Ching-shen

In the ‘90s in Taiwan, two students share one desk at a high school divided into day and night classes. It is a story of love, friendship, disappointments, and ultimate growth bolstered by a compelling cast of up-and-coming Taiwanese acting talents.