2023 CHANEL X BIFF Asian Film Academy Finishes

The 2023 CHANEL X BIFF Asian Film Academy has come to a close with the graduation ceremony and screening of the two short films produced by the fellows over the 20 days. This year’s edition presented a strengthened educational program by extending the program period from 18 to 20 days to secure additional time for pre-production and feedback, enhancing the quality of the projects, and introducing a ‘script doctor’, a screenplay specialist, to the line-up of instructors, in addition to the original faculty of dean, directing mentor, and cinematography mentor. 

From hands-on training to get familiarized with filming equipment to a masterclass session by the dean, director Suwa Nobuhiro, which will provide insight into his experience and expertise, and workshops to better understand the film industry, such as MPA-BAFA Film Workshop: Bridge to Hollywood, the practical programs and mentoring by the faculty, who are deeply invested in the future of the film industry, were met with praise and enthusiastic participation by the fellows. 

The 2023 CHANEL X BIFF Asian Film Academy graduation ceremony, the final agenda of the 20-day long program, which took place on Oct 12 (Thurs), was attended by Busan International Film Festival’s interim festival director, Nam Dong-Chul, and this year’s CHANEL X BIFF Asian Film Academy faculty, dean Suwa Nobuhiro, directing mentor Kim Hee-Jung, and cinematography mentor Artur Żurawski.

During the ceremony, the dean and mentors were given a certificate of appreciation, and the 24 fellows from 20 countries received the certificate of completion. Furthermore, fellows who demonstrated outstanding growth during the program were selected and awarded the CHANEL X BAFA Promising Filmmaker Award, ARRI Award, and MPA Award, meant to encourage and support their future endeavours. The CHANEL X BAFA Promising Filmmaker Award, which grants USD 5,000 to the recipients, was awarded to Samara Sagynbaeva (Kyrgyzstan) and Sadeq Es-haqi (Iran). The ARRI Award, which is presented to 2 cinematography fellows with an opportunity to visit either the ARRI Main Office in Munich, Germany or the Asia Pacific branch to participate in the Training Program at ARRI Academy, was received by Amar Maharjan (Nepal) and Yiyao Kelsey Zhu (China). Lastly, the MPA Award, which selected two winners through the project presentation at the pitching workshop co-hosted by Motion Picture Association (MPA), was received by Pascale Asmar (Lebanon) and Nguyen Phan Linh Dan (Vietnam). The award will provide the recipients with an opportunity to visit industry events in the United States and Australia, respectively. Furthermore, in consideration of the high completion of this year’s projects, MPA will provide a reward of USD 1,000 each to 5 additional fellows; Amar Maharjan (Nepal), Khozy Rizal (Indonesia), Lin Htet Aung (Myanmar), Saman Hosseinpuor (Iran), and Suraj Bhattarai (Bhutan).