Asian filmmakers, stars to shine at Busan festival

SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) — Some of the biggest Asian movie stars and filmmakers will be in Busan this week as the region’s largest film festival kicks off its latest edition in the South Korean city.

South Korean actress Lee Na-young will visit for the premiere of “Beautiful Days” on the opening night of the 23rd Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) on Thursday. She will also attend the opening ceremony and an open-air interview program for movie fans on Haeundae beach the next day. It will be her first public appearance since the movie “Howling” (2012).

This file photo shows South Korean actress Lee Na-young. (Yonhap)

Directed by Yun Jero, “Beautiful Days” tells the story of a North Korean woman who settled in the South after fleeing from her country.

Yoo Ah-in and Jeon Jong-seo, stars of director Lee Chang-dong’s latest film “Burning,” will descend on Busan to be part of the extravaganza. They will talk about the movie in the same open-air interview program on Saturday.

Adapted from a Haruki Murakami short story, the thriller won the critics’ prize at Cannes, as well as rave reviews from audiences.

Among other eminent Korean film personalities who will hit the red carpet are actors Jang Dong-gun, Hyunbin, Cha Seung-won, Park Hae-il, Ahn Sung-ki, Shin Sung-il and directors Im Kwon-taek, Lee Joon-ik, Kim Yong-hwa and Lee Jang-ho.

This file photo shows Japanese actress Erika Karata. (Yonhap)

Japanese actors Erika Karata and Masahiro Higashide of “Asako I & II,” a Japanese film screened in competition at Cannes, will be there to promote their movie.

Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, the romantic drama follows the story of a young woman who falls in love with two men who could pass for twins in appearance but not in behavior.

Japanese animator Mamoru Hosoda, best known for “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” (2006), “Wolf Children” (2012) and “The Boy and The Beast” (2015), will visit with his latest picture, “Mirai,” another Cannes world premiere.

This file photo shows Taiwanese heartthrob Jasper Liu (Yonhap)

Taiwanese heartthrob Jasper Liu will make a return to Korea with “More Than Blue” for his fourth visit to the country this year alone, alongside the film’s director Gavin Lin and female lead Ivy Chen.

Japanese actor Yuya Yagira will visit for the world premiere of “His Lost Name.” He became the youngest winner of the best actor award in the history of the Cannes Film Festival for his portrayal of a 12-year-old boy in the highly acclaimed “Nobody Knows” in 2004.

This file photo shows Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang. (Yonhap)

Renowned Taiwanese filmmaker and Busan mainstay Tsai Ming-liang returns with his latest digital experiment, “Your Face.”

Also drawing attention on the 2018 BIFF roster are Hong Kong director-producer Stanley Kwan and Jason Blum, the founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions, which was behind well-received thrillers like “Get Out,” “Insidious” and “The Purge.”

Kwan will present the world premiere of his Hong Kong-China title “First Night Nerves” in Busan, while Blum’s visit is part of the promotion for “Halloween,” which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in Canada.

This year’s BIFF will run from Oct. 4-13 in the southern port city of Busan.