European Film Promotion (EFP) has unveiled the list of titles it will support at this year’s Busan International Film Festival (Oct 1-10) in South Korea.

EFP at Busan 2015

It marks the 18th year that EFP has supported cultural exchange between European filmmakers and Korean audiences as well as helping European films find their way onto Asia’s screens.

EFP’s programme, Opening Doors, is backed by the Creative Europe – Media Programme of the European Union and participating EFP member organisations.

A total of 13 mostly young European film artists will travel to Busan with the support of EFP to present their titles at the Asian film showcase.

Several of the films have already been recognised this year on the film festival circuit.

Babai, the feature debut of Kosovo-born, Germany-based filmmaker Visar Morina won best director at Karlovy Vary in July. The film tells a father-and-son-story of unwanted economic migrants.

Adriano Valerio’s debut film, Banat, about two lovers who have to bridge the gap between Italy and Romania, has been selected for Venice’s Critics’ Week and will compete for the Flash Forward Audience Award at BIFF.

Pavle Vučković’s debut, Panama, which screened at Cannes, centres on the influence of social media on a young man’s relationship. The Serbian film will be released in South Korea following BIFF.

Swedish teen drama, Flocking, by Beata Gårdeler mixes crime, mob mentality and internet revenge. The film was awarded the top prize in the Generation 14plus section of this year’s Berlinale.

Grozny Blues by Nicola Bellucci from Switzerland was introduced in Locarno and follows a few people around the war-torn Chechnyan capital of Grozny.

Dalibor Matanic’s drama, The High Sun, screened at Cannes at Un Certain Regard, looks back at a cruel ethnic war in former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Croatian actor Goran Marković will introduce the film to BIFF audiences.

Woodlands-based fantasy horror The Hallow is the feature debut of British visual artist and pop promo director Corin Hardy.

Irish film Viva, by Paddy Breathnach, is set in Cuba and focuses on 18 year-old Jesus, who struggles to find his true identity.

Asian Film Market

At the Asian Film Market, alongside Unifrance films, EFP is inviting European sales companies to take part in an enlarged Umbrella Booth from Oct 3-6.

Regularly attending companies, such as TrustNordisk from Denmark, WestEnd Films from the UK and Wide from France, have already registered with EFP, while some new companies will come on board as well, according to the organisation.

The following film artists will be presenting their films in Busan with the support of their respective EFP member organisations:

Grozny Blues (Switzerland)
Nicola Bellucci (director)
EFP member organisation: Swiss Films

Viva (Ireland)
Paddy Breathnach (director)
EFP member organisation: Irish Film Board

Cafard (Belgium, France, Netherlands)
Jan Bultheel (director)
EFP member organisation: Flanders Image

11 Minutes (Poland, Ireland)
Paulina Chapko (actress)
EFP member organisation: Polish  Film Institute

Horizon (Iceland)
Fridrik Thór Fridriksson (director)
EFP member organisation: Icelandic Film Centre

Flocking (Sweden)   
Beata Gårdeler (director)
EFP member organisation: Swedish Film Institute

The Hallow (UK)
Corin Hardy (director)
EFP member organisation: British Council

Summer Camp (Spain, USA)
Alberto Marini (director)
EFP member organisation: ICAA, Spain

The High Sun (Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia)
Goran Marković (actor)
EFP member organisation: Croatian Audiovisual Centre

Babai (Kosovo, Macedonia, Germany, France)
Visar Morina (director)
EFP member organisation: Kosova Cinematography Center, German Films

Raven The Little Rascal 2 (Germany)
Ute von Münchow-Pohl (director)
EFP member organisation: German Films

The Weather Inside (Germany)
Isabelle Stever (director)
EFP member organisation: German Films

Banat (Italy, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania)*
Adriano Valerio (director)
EFP member organisation: Istituto Luce Cinecittà

Panama (Serbia)
Pavle Vučković (director)
EFP member organisation: Film Center Serbia