Christopher Murray’s witchcraft and revenge thriller Sorcery won the top prize at the 27th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Bifan) tonight (July 7) in South Korea.
Onstage at the closing ceremony at Bucheon City Hall, the Chilean filmmaker dedicated the Best of Bucheon award for his folk horror film “to the people from the island where the film was shot – that is Chiloe - because it’s a story that is based on their story,” noting “the people from the island also participated in the film”. The award includes a cash prize of $15,400 (KRW20m).
Scroll down for full list of winners
The Chile-Mexico-Germany co-production made its world premiere at Sundance in January and its Asian premiere in Bifan’s Bucheon Choice: Features international competition.
The international competition jury lauded Sorcery for “vividly taking the audience to an atmospheric place and time” and blending “drama and mysticism to astutely depict a collision of colonial attitudes, local politics and indigenous magic”.
In the Korean Fantastic: Features competition, first-time feature director Kim Sung Hwan’s sports drama Iron Mask picked up the top Best Korean Fantastic Film award, also worth $15,400 (KRW20m), and local OTT platform Watcha’s Pick for Korean Fantastic award.
Award-winning Japanese horror master Takashi Shimizu and lead actress Tomoko Hoshi were on hand to present the world premiere of closing film Sana at the ceremony.
Shimizu confessed that he was still “wondering if this film is suited to be a closing film” while thanking the festival, and Hoshi elicited an audibly appreciative response and applause speaking in Korean as she introduced herself and said: “Thank you really for today.”
This year’s festival kicked off June 29 and runs until July 9. Enthusiastic audiences have been back to packing festival venues, and on the industry side, participants – many returning to Korea and Bucheon for the first time in years since the pandemic – made the most of the screenings, meetings, forums and networking opportunities as well as the unofficial nocturnal eats and drinks for which the festival is also known.
Some 262 films from 51 countries screened, including 83 world premieres and 26 international premieres with a selection of titles also receiving online screenings on local OTT platform wavve.
The festival recorded 38,978 ticket sales (as of July 9), up 14% on the 34,214 sold in 2022. There were 13,901 streams online through local OTT platform wavve, down on the 15,721 recorded in 2022 - although this year’s figure is as of July 8 so will rise slightly. Bifan’s XR Beyond Reality strand notched up 8,530 viewings, up 22% on last year’s 6,975.
As previously reported, the Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF) saw Malaysian director Ananth Subramaniam’s black comedy drama The Passport pick up the top Bucheon Award at the project market where 122 companies had a total of business 605 meetings.
BIFAN 2023 winners
Bucheon Choice: Features
- Best of Bucheon (KW20m): Sorcery, dir. Christopher Murray
- Best Director Choice (KW5m): Superposition, dir. Karoline Lyngbye
- Jury’s Choice (KW5m): The Artifice Girl, dir. Franklin Ritch
- Audience Award: The Artifice Girl, dir. Franklin Ritch
Korean Fantastic: Features
- Best Korean Fantastic Film (KW20m): Iron Mask, dir. Kim Sung Hwan
- Korean Fantastic Best Director (KW5m): Risk Society, dir. Kim Byung Jun
- Korean Fantastic Actors (2 persons): Jung E-seo (Her Hobby) / Jang Seongbeom (Abroad)
- Korean Fantastic Audience Award: Abroad, dir Giovanni Fumu
- Nonghyup Award (distribution award with KW10m): Her Hobby, dir. Ha Myung-mi
- Watcha’s Pick for Korean Fantastic (KW3m): Iron Mask, dir. Kim Sung Hwan
- Special Mention: Unknown Narrative: Skyrocket Junipers Under The Crescent, dir. Yang Gun-young
- Méliès International Festivals Federation (MIFF) Award for Best Asian Film: Best Regards To All, dir. Yuta Shimotsu
- NETPAC Award: Hungry Ghost Diner, dir. Cho We Jun
- Odd Family Award (two films selected by children’s jury): Battery Mommy, dir. Jeon Seungbae / Burger Song Challenge, dir. Kim Min-ha
-
‘Tiger Stripes’ director Amanda Nell Eu tracks the wild journey of the award-winning Malaysian film
No comments yet