Commemorating the 30th edition of BIFF, this year’s Request Cinema comprises a program focused on films that have been screened at past BIFF editions. A new online community platform, ‘Idea Note,’ has been introduced to facilitate communication between audience programmers and participants, helping them develop their ideas. Additionally, increased support for performance grants will enable a broader range of on-site event planning.
Owen Cho, Artistic Director of Community BIFF, emphasizes that this year’s Request Cinema will feature past BIFF screenings to celebrate the 30th edition of the festival. “From the golden era of the Nampo-dong theatre district to the stunning views of the Suyeong-man Bay Yacht Marina, we reflect on the memories and the remarkable guests who have made BIFF what it is today”. The director added.
Last year, a total of 19 programs were selected by public voting. Through the audience programmers’ creative ideas, Sympathy of Mr. Vengeance (2002) and King and the Clown (2005) the films that have been loved by both audiences and critics were reintroduced. Time Still Turns the Page (2023), which reaffirmed the strength of Hong Kong cinema, and Soorarai Pottru (2020), the Southern Indian Tamil-language true story were screened for the first time in Korea. The festival also welcomed participation from a wide range of film industry figures, including directors Lee Joon-ik, Kim Jeewoon and Chang Hang-jun as well as actors Lee Joon-gi and Ahn Jaehong.
All personnel and community-level groups, such as clubs, academic groups, and project teams, are welcome to apply as the audience programmers for the Request Cinema.
Applications must be submitted online with a proposed film or program concept based on the provided application form. For more information, please visit the Community BIFF website at https://community.biff.kr.
