Ellen Y. D. Kim has been appointed director of the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM), the industry platform of Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).
Kim begins her four-year term on Friday (March 8) and joins from Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Bifan), where she has spent eight years as programme director.
The move comes eight months after the resignation of Oh Seok Geun, who stepped down as ACFM director in June 2023 as one of a string of high-level departures from BIFF last year.
The appointment also marks Kim’s return to the leading festival and industry platform in South Korea having previously held roles at BIFF in the 1990s as programme team manager and planning and budget team manager. Notably, she played a crucial role in establishing ACFM in 2006.
Kim’s expertise spans film production, investment, distribution, and global marketing, having co-produced features including Cry Woman (2002), Night And Day (2008), Hanaan (2011), and Sewing Sisters (2020), and launching them at international festivals.
In a statement, BIFF said “her vision for the ACFM includes initiatives such as expert governance representing the Asian film industry and a platform dedicated to showcasing innovative technologies and content.”
Kim’s hiring marks the first time an open recruitment process has been held to appoint the director of ACFM.
The selection was made at BIFF’s general meeting today (March 4), where the agenda for this year’s business plan, the budget and the appointment of 18 board members and one auditor were elected to participate in the newly reformed BIFF executive committee.
It marks an ongoing process to refill key positions at the organisation, which began last month with the appointment of Park Kwang-du as chairperson.
However, the hunt continues for a festival director for BIFF “due to the unavailability of an adequate candidate from the initial recruitment,” according to a statement. Submissions are being invited online from March 7-19 and a decision is slated for the April general meeting.
Chairperson Park replaces Lee Yong-kwan, who stepped down last year to take responsibility for top-level departures that included festival director Huh Moonyung and managing director Cho Jongkook less than four months before the 28th edition of the festival.
The 29th BIFF is set to run October 2-11 while the ACFM will be held from October 5-8.
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