Confirming the Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP) as one of the world's leading co-production workshops, two-time Cannes Palme d'Or winner Imamura Shohei is to submit his latest project for scrutiny and international funding at the forthcoming event (Nov 12-14).

Imamura's Shinjuku Cherry Blossom Fantasy is joined by scripts from The Isle director Kim Ki-duk, Tadjikistan's Bakhtyar Khudojnazarov director of Luna Papa, and Chinese director Lin Cheng-sheng, who presented Betelnut Beauty at the PPP in 1999 and went on to win the Silver Bear at Berlin earlier this year. A total of 19 projects with directors from 11 Asian countries will present scripts and projects in various stages of development in the main section.

The event organisers have also launched a sidebar, New Directors In Focus (NDIF), dedicated to finding finance for the feature debuts of local Korean directors. All eight presented have achieved recognition with their short films and two, Cho Eun-Ryung and Lee In Kyun, have appeared at Cannes in the competition and Cinefondation sections, respectively. Awards for the NDIF projects, are worth $30,000 (Won 35m).

Giving additional weight to the event as a market is the expanded Industry Centre, where some seven Korean sales outfits have already booked space and executives from most of the US majors have confirmed their attendance.

PPP takes place during the Pusan International Film Festival (Nov 9-17), now in its sixth edition.