The Closing Ceremony of the 20th Annual Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival took place Friday night. Below are the films that were honored with awards this year and the comments from the Jury.
International competition Bucheon Choice presents films that show innovative, experimental spirit with a unique vision and style. Four feature film awards and two short film awards are selected by international jury, and Audience Awards are determined by audiences’ votes.
The Jury is proud to bestow the Best of Bucheon award to Director NA Hong-jin for THE WAILING, a film that weaves together elements of crime thriller, family drama and occult horror while making exquisite use of the fundamental tools of cinema – including evocative photography and sharp editing, highlighted in a centerpiece exorcism sequence that ranks among the most memorably harrowing sequences of pure horror in cinema history. The result: a masterful, complex film that builds to a shattering climax and which favorably echoes such genre-transcending classics as THE EXORCIST and SEVEN. Like Friedkin and Fincher, Director NA Hong-jin has crafted a hugely entertaining cinematic experience that resonates with enough subtleties and layers to inspire repeat viewings.
Haunting in a manner that owes as much to the tangible dangers of its setting (Tehran during the Iran-Iraq conflict, circa 1988) as its supernatural and psychological elements, UNDER THE SHADOW is both a terrific film and a terrifically scary one. Galvanized by Narges Rashidi’s performance as Shideh, a sympathetic, strong-willed mother desperate to protect her daughter from dark forces spiritual and political in nature, the 2016 Bucheon Choice Jury awards its Jury’s Choice to writer-director Babak Anvari for elevating the art of horror with this atmospheric, sharply realized debut.
Karin Viard’s performance as the titular – and very happily and comfortably sex-positive – Pattie in 21 NIGHTS WITH PATTIE is a sheer delight. The film’s central conceit of letting go in order to find one’s self is memorably embodied by Pattie, a funny and sexy role that Miss Viard makes her own in a way that perfectly captures the film’s consistent balance of effervescent comedy and spiritual profundity.
A thought-provoking debut that transcends use of the familiar “mockumentary” format, AUTOHEAD concerns a film crew as it follows auto rickshaw driver Narayan on an increasingly dark and disturbing journey through the streets of Mumbai. As the troubled, Travis Bickle-like Narayan, actor Deepak Sampat’s thoroughly convincing, charismatic and ultimately unsettling performance proves essential to director Rohit Mittal’s seamless melding of genre thriller and social critique.
In an effort to support and encourage the Korean fantastic films, BIFAN has established a new competition section that is open to domestic feature and short films. Three feature film awards are chosen by the Korean competition jury, and Best Korean Short Film is selected by international short film jury. Audience Awards for Korean feature and short films are determined by audiences’ votes.
There was unanimous agreement that director Kim Sang-chan’s film Karaoke Crazies is a great achievement which best fits a ‘fantastic film festival.’ Finding fantasy in the most realistic and mundane everyday life, director Kim Sang-chan’s directing ability, characters, and the perfect harmony achieved by the actors’ talents is nothing less than captivating. Leaving behind the typical, clichéd approaches, this is a splendid film which is moving and gives audiences a feeling of sympathy. This film is well worthy of being bestowed with the very first “Best Picture” award in the BIFAN Korean Fantastic section.
In Karaoke Crazies, actress Bae So-eun sculpted an amazingly charming character through her perfect balance of moderation and sensibility. Natural on the one hand, her talented acting combined a diverse range of faces and emotions into one dynamic character, so much so that we are sorry not to have found this actress with so much talent earlier. We welcoming the birth of this astonishing actress who we anticipate will become a leading figure in the Korean film industry.
The youngest actress in the Korean Fantastic section is also the actress with the most impressive acting. Phantom Detective’s Kim Hana should be seen not as a ‘child actress’ but as a ‘female lead.’ Her understanding of the entirety of the film and her precise acting at exactly the right moment breathe life into the film. The jury panel has decided to bestow a special mention on Kim Hana for her deep and true acting, and eagerly awaits her growth into a ‘fantastic’ actress.
The diverse performances of the actors truly stole the hearts of the jury panelists. However, without the actor PARK Keun-hyung, the film Grand Father could simply not be made. It would not be an understatement to say that he is the beginning and the end of this film. In this young and new film, he never ceases to challenge himself, his passion will become a source of inspiration for young actors. We hope to see PARK Keun-hyung again in new films to come.
European Fantastic Film Festival Federation(EFFFF) Asian Award intends to promote and encourage Asian fantastic genre films. EFFFF’s representative jury selects the best Asian fantastic film from the World Fantastic Red section.
Thanks to the pulsating energy of the mise en scène, this excellent thriller propels the audience on a trip through hell, in the form of a killer incarnating ultimate evil, in the fascinating streets of Mumbai. (Daniel Cohen, EFFFF jury)
NETPAC Jury Committee comprised of NETPAC members and film professionals select the best Asian film from the World Fantastic Blue section, which features newer genres and varied stories of comedy, fantasy and drama.
Through a metaphorical expression which goes beyond reality and fantasy, this film portrays the world in which good and evil are confused and intertwined. Moreover, the film successfully conveys how hard reality can be due the pain and disorder of the contradictions inherent to human society. (PYEON Jang-wan, jury member of NETPAC Award)
Supported by Korea Energy Agency, Save Energy, Save Earth Film Award is to encourage low energy consumption and energy efficient culture. Selected by audiences’ votes, this award is given to an either feature or short film that is best representing “Save energy, Save earth” spirit, awarded with KRW 5,000,000 cash prize.
Comprised of twenty children of Bucheon City, BIFAN Children’s Jury Committee selects the best feature film from the Family Zone section.
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