Mohsen Gharaei’s Blockage and Kim Ui-seok’s After My Death won the New Currents competition which focuses on first and second features by filmmakers from Asia.
Blockage reflects the current economic condition of Iran by depicting the overwhelming chaos that happens to a vicious, despicable temporary worker. My Death is critique of the world where reason and tolerance have no sway and is the story of a girl who is suspected of having goaded another schoolgirl into killing herself.
The jury was headed by American filmmaker Oliver Stone, and included Iranian director Bahman Ghobadi, French cinematographer Agnes Godard, Philippines’ Lav Diaz and South Korea’s Jang Sun-woo. The jury said that “both films are tightly scripted, and display vivid detail and excellent craftsmanship.”
True/False Film Festival organizer David Wilson, Indian film critic Nandini Ramnath, and Korean director Kim Young-jo presented the BIFF Mecenat Awards to “Soseongri” by Korean director Park Bae-il and “Sennan Asbestos Disaster” by Japan’s Hara Kazuo.
The Sonje Awards were shared by Korean director Kwak Eun-mi’s “A Hand-Written Poster,” and “Madonna” by Indonesia’s Sinung Winahyoko.
The festival, which has suffered plenty of late, this week welcomed some 193,000 visitors, an increase on last year’s 165,000. It was held in Busan on 12-21 October. Iranian movies have done so well in Busan in recent years, which is one of the most important film festivals in Asia.