Yonfan

Yonfan touches every aspect of filmmaking; he is a director, a scriptwriter, and a producer. As a young man, Yonfan built his career as a photographer for ‘Harper’s Bazaar’, ‘Vogue’ and other fashion magazines. In 1984, he took his first step as a film director. In 1999, his Bishonen was invited to the Berlin Film Festival where it received international recognition. He has worked in Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and in 2003, he showcased Breaking the Willow, his first documentary about Chinese traditional Kungu opera. His 12th feature film, Prince of Tears was screened at the ‘A Window on Asian Cinema’ section of the Busan International Film Festival in 2009.

ODAGIRI Joe

Through active and diverse performances both in and outside of Japan, Odagiri was acclaimed for his lead role in Bright Future (2003), which was invited to the Cannes Film Festival Competition Section in 2003. Odagiri captivated Asia with his excellent performance in diverse films, including, Blood and Bones (2004), Princess Raccoon (2005) and La Maison de Himiko (2005). Odagiri has a very special and close relationship with Korea. He took the spotlight when he was given the lead in Kim Ki-duk’s Dream. In addition, Odagiri is starred with Jang Dong-gun in a highly anticipated film, My Way by Kang Je-gyu.

OH Jung-wan

Oh Jung-wan, the executive director of B.O.M. Film Productions, developed, produced and promoted numerous Korean films. Some of her produced films are Happiness Does Not Come In Grades (1989), The Wedding Life (1992), Mister Mama (1992), The Gingko Bed (1996), An Affair (1998), The Foul King (2000), The Tale of Two Sisters (2003), Untold Scandal (2003), Three, Monster (2004), A Bittersweet Life (2005), You’re My Sunshine (2005), Women on the Beach (2006), My Dear Enemy (2008). Oh Jung-wan challenged herself and led projects with new directors, planned co-productions, and developed innovative genre films. She is contributing as an advisor and jury member at various domestic and international film festivals since 2003.

Olivier PÈRE

As the Programmer of French Cinematheque in 1995, Olivier Père, curated several retrospectives and various themed screenings. Père was in charge of the retrospective at the Belport Film Festival in 1996. He writes for the cultural magazine, ‘Les Inrockuptibles’, about film, TV, and DVD. From 2004 to 2009, Père led the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes. She is also the festival director of Switzerland’s Locarno International Film Festival since 2009.

JIANG Wenli

Jiang Wenli is well known for her impassioned performance in the famous Chen Kaige’s Farewell My Concubine, and other numerous films and dramas. Jiang has been in the spotlight at many award ceremonies and film festivals. She won the best actress twice at the China Huabiao Film Awards. In 2007, Jiang received the best actress award at the Rome International Film Festival for her role in And the Spring Comes, produced by Gu Changwei (her husband). In 2009 she had her debut as a director with Lan and received the KNN award, which was selected by the audience at the Busan International Film Festival in 2009.

Gillian ARMSTRONG

Gillian Armstrong achieved an international reputation with My Brilliant Career (1979) which was the first Australian film to be invited to the Cannes Film Festival. Through Little Women (1994), Oscar and Lucinda (1997), Charlotte Gray (2001), and Death Defying Acts (2007) she crossed between historical film and modern play and captured optimistic view on people and happenings. Armstrong received A.M. for her contribution to Australian Cinema. She also received a Doctor of Letters from the University of New South Wales and an Honorary Doctorate in Film from Swinburne University. In addition, she won the Women in Hollywood Icon Award in 2008 for her dedication and contribution in cinema.

Anamaria MARINCA

Anamaria Marinca was awarded the Best Actress in the Television section, at the Orange British Academy Film Awards for her role in TV Mini-series Sex Traffic (2004) and received the attention from the critics. Marinca was recognized for her insightful acting in the 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007) which was selected for the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or in 2007. The same year, she won the ‘European Actress.’ Five Minutes of Heaven (2009) and Strom (2009), gained attention from numerous world film festivals. In 2010, Look, Stranger (2010) opened the Toronto International Film Festival in 2010.

JEON Soo-il

Jeon Soo-il is a director, professor of the department of Theatre & Film and President of Dongnyuk Film. Jeon studied film directing at Paris, E.S.R.A and attended the graduate school at the University of Paris 7 and University of Paris 8 and studied film theory. He co-wrote the script with Lee Jung-ae, and directed the Omnibus drama film, Wind Echoing in My Being (1997) which received Woonpa Award at the Busan International Film Festival in 1996 and was invited to screen in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997. All of his productions received attention from Korea and the world. Jeon Soo-il has consistently produced films like Himalaya, Where the Wind Dwells (2008) and I Came from Busan (2010). Currently, he is preparing for the production of El Condor Pasa with the support of Busan Film Commission.

Thomas HAILER

Thomas Hailer majored in German Literature at the University; in addition, he also gained experience in theater and musicals. Hailer entered the field of cinema while consulting on scripts for children’s films in 1995. Then, he worked as the project advisor for the funding division for a children’s film at the Kuratorium junger deutscher Film Foundation and contributed to the advancement of children’s cinema. Since 2002, he was in charge of the Children and Youth section at the Berlin International Film Festival that has shown phenomenal growth over two years and curated a new competitive section called ‘14plus’ (Now called ‘Generation’). Since May 2008, Thomas Hailer has worked as the programmer at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Fridrik Thor FRIDRIKSSON

Iceland born director, Fridrik Thor Fridriksson has built his career as a documentary director since 1981. In 1991, he earned the Best Artistic Contribution at the Montreal World Film Festival with Children of Nature (1991). This film received positive reviews for its esthetic cinematography. Fridriksson visited the Busan International Film Festival with Cold Fever (1995) that won the Channel 4 Director’s Award, at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 1995 and Mamma Gogo (2010), which recently has released in Korea. He continues to maintain close relationship with the Busan International Film Festival.

KANG Seok-pil

Kang Joined the Seoul Film Commission in 1997 and has concentrated on documentary productions. He produced, On-Line: An Inside View Of Korean Independent Film (1997), Reclaiming Our Names (1998) and Doomealee, The Very First Step (2000). The Border City (2002) and The Border City 2 (2009), Kang took parts in producing, shooting and editing. Currently he is the programmer of the DMZ Korean International Documentary Festival. With Hong Hyung-sook, he is producing new film, Every Sour Sweet Day. He has various interests in politics, society, and history. In terms of subject and form, he has absorbed a wide spectrum of films.

SODA Kazuhiro

Soda Kazuhiro debut with the Feature Documentary Commentary, Campaign (2007) which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2007. He received the honor of Peabody Award in 2008, and received the Best Film Award at the Belgrade International Documentary & Short Film in 2009. Soon after, the second documentary, Mental (2008) received Busan International Film Festival BIFF Mecenat in 2008, Dubai International Film Festival Best Documentary Award and Miami International Film Festival Special Jury Mention in 2009. In addition, the film earned him the Outstanding Documentary Award at the Hong Kong International Film Festival and the Interreligious Jury Prize at the Visions du Reel. His latest work, Peace (2010) won the Audience Award at the Tokyo Filmex and the Best Documentary at the Hong Kong International Film Festival in 2011. Soda has shown remarkable activity as a documentary director.

Tine FISCHER

From 1997 to 2003, Fischer was the head of various programs at the Danish Film Institute. She is the Danish representative film figure who promoted the advancement of art cinema, video art, experimental film, and documentaries. In addition, in 2002, she opened the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival and has procured and cultivated international talents. Fischer is the owner of the production company, Fisher Film, specializing in art cinema and international co-productions.

KIM Kkobbi

With solid performance and distinct individuality, Kim Kkobbi rose as the Chungmuro star, through Breathless which gave her the honors of the Daejong Film Festival Best New Actress in 2009 and the Las Palmas International Film Festival Best Actress. With her passion and love for film, she starred in numerous films including Jealousy is My Middle Name (2002), Sarangni, Blossom Again (2005), The Charming Girl (2005), and Family Ties (2006). Kim built her presence with her role in The Ghost Theater (2006), which opened the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival in 2006. Through Breathless she rose as the Chungmuro’s blue chip and is receiving attention for new diverse films.

Maike Mia HOHNE

Maike Mia Hohne worked on film in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Belgium. Since 2007, she is in charge of the Berlinale Shorts at the Berlin International Film Festival. Currently, she is preparing for a feature film and a Photo Collection, ‘Gaze’.

Aditya ASSARAT

Thai born director, Aditya Assarat has a close relationship with the Busan International Film Festival. A director of numerous short films and documentaries, he is especially loved by film festivals. He has showcased his films at more than 70 film festivals and received various awards. His feature documentary, 3 Friends was invited to the PPP (Pusan Promotion Plan, Now known as APM) and adorned the Toronto International Film Festival in 2005. In 2007, Wonderful Town(2007), supported by ACF Post-production fund, received numerous awards at prominent international film festivals including the New Currents Award at the Busan International Film Festival. In 2010, he visited the Busan International Film Festival with his feature film Hi-So (2010) and in 2011 he will revisit Busan with his short film, 6 to 6 (2011)