Busan International Film Festival

The Kinder Programmer

The Kinder Programmer: Program Director NAM Dong-chul

Presenting The Kinder Programmer:

The Kinder Programmer is a project designed to bring to our audience members and subscribers recommendations from this year's selection, hand-picked by BIFF's very own programmers.

Program Director

NAM Dong-chul

"Notable Japanese and Iranian Films"

Two new films by Kurosawa Kiyoshi

Serpent's Path (2024)

Cloud

Kurosawa Kiyoshi, the recipient of this year’s Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award, released two new feature films in 2024: Serpent’s Path (2024) and Cloud. Serpent’s Path (2024) is a French remake of the director’s 1998 film with the same title. Hamaguchi Ryusuke mentioned the original 1998 film as one of Kurosawa Kiyoshi’s best works. Cloud, starring Suda Masaki, is an unpredictable story filled with tension, characteristic of director Kurosawa's style. Though set in modern Japan, the spectacular shootout action scenes evoke the collective madness of Western films.

Films featuring famous actors, including The Solitary gourmet

The Solitary Gourmet

Aimitagai

Beyond Goodbye

Desert of Namibia

Several Japanese films stand out with casts, including famous actors. The Solitary Gourmet is the first film adaptation of the popular TV series The Solitary Gourmet (2012 – present). Matsushige Yutaka, who not only starred as the main character Goro but also directed the film, has created a hearty comedy. Aimitagai, starring Kuroki Haru from Sleepeeer Hit! (2016), brings out emotions as it follows a chain reaction starting from a small incidental relationship. Aimitagai is a nominee for the Kim Jiseok Award. Beyond Goodbye, a melodrama starring Arimura Kasumi from We Made a Beautiful Bouquet (2021) and Sakaguchi Kentaro from The Last 10 Years (2022), will be showcased in the On Screen section. The film tells the story of a woman who develops feelings for a man who received a heart transplant from her deceased boyfriend. Desert of Namibia, invited to the Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival this year and won the FIPRESCI Prize, stars Kawai Yuumi, who previously appeared in A Balance (2021) and Plan 75 (2022). Kawai Yuumi mentioned that watching Yamanaka Yoko’s previous work, Amiko (2017), during her teenage years was a significant turning point for her as an actor.

Animation selections, including Ghost Cat Anzu

Ghost Cat Anzu

The Color Within

Magic Candies

Japanese animation films continue to thrive, and three films have been selected this year: Ghost Cat Anzu, The Color Within, and Magic Candies. Ghost Cat Anzu is reminiscent of My Neighbor Totoro (1988), as it tells the story of a girl living at a temple who embarks on an adventure with an immortal cat named ‘Anzu’. Co-directed by Yamashita Nobuhiro, best known for Linda Linda Linda (2005), Ghost Cat Anzu was invited to the Director’s Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival, which is a rare feat for an animation. Yamada Naoko’s The Color Within, which premiered as part of the competition section at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, is the result of a collaborative effort by the same production team behind her previous works A Silent Voice (2016) and Liz and the Blue Bird (2018). The Color Within portrays the shimmering youth of a teenage girl like a watercolor painting. Magic Candies is an adaptation of the picture book by Baek Heena, the author of Cloud Bread (2004). Toei Animation, a key creative force behind The First Slam Dunk (2022), has transformed Baek Heena's picture book into a short animation.

Japanese selections for 'Teen Spirit, Teen Movie'

Swimming in a Sand Pool

Happyend

My Sunshine

Yamashita Nobuhiro of Ghost Cat Anzu also has a film featured in the Special Program in Focus, ‘Teen Spirit, Teen Movie,’ titled Swimming in a Sand Pool. The film is an adaptation of a play created by actual high school theater club students and captures life at high school like a photograph. Happyend is another film that vividly portrays the life of high school students. The stories of students resisting oppression and surveillance seem to manifest the school as a microcosm of Japanese society. Happyend, selected for the Venice International Film Festival’s Orizzonti section, is also the first feature film directed by Sora Neo, who previously directed Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus (2023). My Sunshine tells the story of two young figure skaters and their coach. Directed by Okuyama Hiroshi, this film was invited to the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival and is a heart-wrenching coming-of-age drama.

Notable Iranian Films

The Seed of the Sacred Fig

My Favorite Cake

The Witness

For Rana

One of the most talked-about films at this year's Cannes Film Festival was Mohammad Rasoulof's The Seed of the Sacred Fig. While it directly addresses the political situation in Iran, it is not merely a social critique film. Through a tragic story caused by a patriarch, it offers a profound exploration of the connections between family, society, religion, and politics. My Favorite Cake, widely loved after its premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival, depicts a night in the life of an old woman who lives true to her desires. The Witness, invited to the Venice International Film Festival, portrays an old woman who refuses to yield to the authorities. Both films feature highly compelling lead characters. For Rana, selected for the New Currents section, follows the desperate journey of parents searching for a heart for their child in need of a heart transplant. The contrast between a world devoid of compassion and the desperate hope of those in poverty is striking.

Emerging Directors

The Height of the Coconut Trees

Kaneko's Commissary

Super Happy Forever

Traveling Alone

The Height of the Coconut Trees marks the directorial debut of Du Jie, who previously worked as the cinematographer for films of Chinese director Ning Hao and commercial blockbusters such as Moon Man (2022). The film showcases the director’s unique style, weaving a distinctive narrative that traverses between male and female, past and present, and reality and ghosts. Kaneko’s Commissary tells the story of a man's struggle for salvation. The film's intricate narrative, where good and evil reflect each other like a mirror, is supported by solid performances from the cast. Igarashi Kohei, known for his previous work, The Night I Swam (2017), returns with a new film, Super Happy Forever. The film explores the traces of time that are small, often overlooked, yet undeniably present. It is particularly in the scenes where the story shifts from the present, burdened by the pain of loss, to the past, where the first meeting occurs, that this film beautifully illustrates the cinematic magic of reviving time. Ishibashi Yuho’s third film, Traveling Alone, also portrays the pain of loss by contrasting the past and present, delicately depicting the memory of first love and the sense of loss.