#ISupportBIFF - The Political Darkside of the Busan Film Festival - Written by Marc Smith

#ISupportBIFF - The Political Darkside of the Busan Film Festival

Written by Marc Smith 

[Foreword: I will be very, very careful as to what I write in this post. The laws in Korea around topics such as this one are somewhat sketchy. I will not include names where I can but you should be able to find them through quick Google searches]

There were murmurs and rumblings around the quad today. Boycotts. Cuts. Decisions and omissions. Truth be told, I'd heard them last year too. To my shame I hadn't really taken notice. I mean, my festival wasn't really affected by anything like that so I didn't look into it.

Yesterday I attended my fourth Q&A of the festival. It was the second where the film's director did not attend and the first where a lone producer held the event. I wanted to know why. So that's why I've made this post. Perhaps others will also wonder about, or at least be interested in, the behind-the-scenes happenings of this far-away festival.

To explore what's happening, we need to go back to 2014. On 16th April, 304 people, many of whom were school students, lost their lives when the Sewol ferry from Incheon to Jeju Island capsized and sank. A documentary was made that criticised the Korean Government's reaction to the situation. Diving Bell (다이빙벨), which you can watch on YouTube with English subtitles by following that link, is a journalist's story recording of that reaction. It strongly criticises the current administration and senior members of the public and military services. Combined with what I said in my foreword leads to what follows.

Come BIFF 19, or 2014 BIFF if you prefer, the then-director of the Busan International Film Festival decided to air Diving Bell at the festival. Senior figures were very... unimpressed with this decision. He was consequently removed from his post just in time for last year's festival and was replaced by Busan's Mayor. The ex-director was then arrested on corruption charges but they have since been dropped. Once the replacement was brought in, the public spending budget for BIFF has plummeted and the general public opinion for these actions has been poor. Even the BIFF hall contained works dedicated to what is going on behind the scenes.

As for the documentary, it's a work of art in itself. 'The Media' has had a lot to answer for around the world as of late but the reports, like this one, remind me of how great it is having a press with the freedom of stand up and speak. 

I will leave you with some pictures of the pieces from the BIFF hall and one of my favourite quotes, by George Sand.

"Art for art's sake is an empty phrase. Art for the sake of truth, art for the sake of the good and the beautiful, that is the faith I am searching for."

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

Photo 5

#ISupportBIFF