International
Arnold Schwarzenegger to inaugurate Busan West Film Festival in California
NEW DELHI: South Korea‘s Busan International Film Festival (BIFF is to present its films in the United States in a festival titled Busan West Film Festival. The festival will take place from 8 to 10 March is in collaboration with the Chapman University‘s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts in Orange city of California.
Award-winning writer/director Kim Jee-woon and Hollywood icon Arnold Schwarzenegger, along with screenwriter and Dodge College alumnus Andy Knauer (MFA/Screenwriting‘06), will open the festival with a special presentation of their recent collaboration "The Last Stand" on 8 March at Marion Knott Studios on Chapman University‘s campus in Orange. Kim Jee-woon will be honoured with a special icon award and participate in a moderated discussion with Schwarzenegger.
The Busan West lineup will feature acclaimed films from five countries: China, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and the U.S.
New to the festival this year is a competition for short films. Twenty short films are scheduled to screen during the festival and awards will be presented at the festival‘s Closing Night reception, 10 March. The two winning short films will be programmed at the 2013 Busan International Film Festival in October.
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The official Busan West 2013 lineup is comprised of the following films:
Busan West presents a unique filmmaker showcase that brings select notable Asian films and filmmakers to the U.S. to create a new and unique platform for heightened recognition outside of Asia.
Over the course of three days, the public is invited to experience a showcase of contemporary and classic Asian films, many selected from the Busan International Film Festival by Dodge College Professor Nam Lee, an expert in Pan-Asian film. The 2013 Busan West program features a special opening night event honoring director Kim Jee-woon as the Icon Award recipient and a martial arts cinema panel (Sunday, March 10) which will include renowned martial arts writer/director Haofeng Xu (The Grandmaster, The Sword Identity).
The event marks the third venture between Chapman University‘s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts and South Korea‘s Busan International Film Festival to introduce the culture, look and feel of Asia‘s largest film festival to an American audience and celebrate the vibrant and emerging Korean and Pan-Asian cinema.
Previous editions of the festival have attracted some of Korea‘s most renowned filmmakers including celebrated writer/director Bong Joon-ho (Mother, Memories of Murder, The Host), award-winning writer/director Park Chan-wook (Thirst director‘s cut), writer/director Kim Jee-woon (The Good, the Bad, the Weird), director Lee Doo-yong (Last Witness), Oh Jeom-kyun (Viva, Love), Park Jin-sung (Evil Spirit: VIY), director Kim Dong-won ("Drifting Away") and writer/director Kim Young-nam (Don‘t Look Back). |
International
Council of Europe to unveil new TV and streaming co-production convention
Series Mania Forum to host landmark signing to boost global TV collaboration
LILLE: The small screen is getting a big policy push. At this year’s Series Mania Forum in Lille, Alain Berset will take centre stage to chair the opening ceremony for a new international convention aimed at reshaping how television and streaming series are co-produced across borders.
Set for March 26 at the Théâtre Marie Curie in Lille Grand Palais, the signing marks the debut of the first legal framework dedicated specifically to the independent co-production of series. In an industry where stories travel faster than ever, the move aims to make collaboration smoother, fairer and more transparent.
Backed by the Council of Europe, the convention is designed to strengthen cultural ties, give independent producers a firmer footing, and bring greater clarity to deals in a rapidly evolving content landscape. With streaming platforms fuelling a surge in global storytelling, the timing feels deliberate.
Council of Europe secretary general Alain Berset, underscored the cultural heft of series today, noting how they carry voices and viewpoints across borders. He called on member states and countries beyond Europe to sign on, framing the initiative as a way to turn culture into a tool for cooperation and democratic exchange.
For Series Mania founder and general director Laurence Herszberg, hosting the signing is both symbolic and strategic. She described the convention as a step that could widen the range of stories reaching audiences, staying true to the forum’s long-standing mission of championing diverse storytelling.
The ceremony will unfold alongside the Lille Dialogues, a high-level summit that gathers policymakers and industry leaders to debate the future of Europe’s audiovisual sector. Berset is also set to deliver the opening address there, adding political weight to a week already rich in creative ambition.
In short, as screens multiply and borders blur, Europe is putting a framework in place to ensure that storytelling keeps pace, collaboratively and coherently.
