CINEASTES GATHER AT PHILIPPINE NIGHT AT BUSAN INT'L FILM FESTIVAL

The three-hour event, hosted by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and co-hosted by TBA Films with the support of the Philippine Embassy in Korea as a way of presenting the 10 Filipino BIFF entries, was attended by close to 150 cineastes and guests at the famous Rose Room overlooking Busan Haeundae Beach.

FDCP Chair and CEO Liza Dino delivered welcoming remarks before a crowd that included Philippine Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez, Philippine Honorary Consul General to Busan Dr. An Sang-wook, and program directors from top festivals like Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Locarno, Fribourg, TriBeCa, Rotterdam, Karlovy Vary, Tokyo, Taipei, and Hong Kong.

One of the surprise participants was Mr. Kim Ji-seok, Program Director of BIFF, who came with Ms. Kang Soo-youn, a Korean actress and Festival Director of the festival.

"Your presence is very instrumental in providing a platform for our stories to be told. The value you give to our local filmmakers allows them to continuously find audience beyond the Philippines and discover new opportunities to share their beautiful works for the world to see and experience," Chair Dino said in a Facebook message to the attendees after the event.

Ambassador Hernandez congratulated FDCP and Filipino cineastes, expressing "pride for this unique opportunity to see the representatives of the brilliant creative core of contemporary Filipino cinema, which this year is experiencing one of the best years of its ongoing renaissance."

Praising the current "new Golden Era" following Filipino greats Manuel Conde, Gerardo de Leon, Lino Brocka and Mike de Leon, among others, he reassured the gathering of the Embassy's support "in order to better continue the excellent work you have been doing to introduce the stories of our people and our dreams for the future, not just overseas but also at home."

Mr. Roger Garcia (Executive Director of the Hong Kong International Film Festival), Mr. Kim Ji-seok (Program Director of BIFF), Ms. Kang Soo-youn (Korean actress & Festival Director of BIFF), Mr. Eduardo Rocha, Mr. Fernando Ortigas, filmmakers, producers, directors, and Filipino Cineastes. BIFF will be showing a total of 10 Philippine films.

Festival directors and international distributors were invited to the event, to be introduced in the "Shoot in the Philippines" campaign with the FDCP's Philippine Film Export Service Office (PFESO) program, an effort to encourage international filmmakers to choose the Philippines for their production, highlight Filipino talent and promote tourism to the country.

At the conclusion of the two-week festival, Sheron Dayoc's "Crescent Rising" about the conflict in Mindanao won the BIFF Mecenat Award as best Asian Film Documentary of 2016. The work was screened in the Wide Angle Documentary Showcase together with Baby Ruth Villarama's "Sunday Beauty Queen" about OFWs.

According to FDCP, Philippine participation at the BIFF this year were led by three key films: Berlin International Film Festival Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize-winning "Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis" by Lav Diaz, Cannes Best Actress-awarded "Ma' Rosa" by Brillante Mendoza, and Venice International Film Festival-exhibited "Singing in Graveyards" by Bradley Liew.

In addition, "Expressway" by Ato Bautista made its international premiere at the BIFF, while "Woven Wings of Our Children" by Anton Juan made its world debut at the festival.

The Filipino filmmakers were the first recipients of the FDCP's travel assistance program to help local filmmakers participate in international film festivals abroad.

The FDCP also participated in the BIFF's Asian Film Market, "a total film market covering all stages of film industry from pre-production to film sales with industry experts." Representative works of contemporary Philippine cinema will be offered for distribution via the film catalog, which compiled numerous films sent in from the FDCP's open call for filmmakers.

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