Documentary filmmakers will compete for new honors at the 29th Busan International Film Festival this fall. The influential South Korean film festival said on Monday that its upcoming festival will introduce an Audience Award for feature documentaries. The festival said the decision was made to foster greater interest in the documentary form among local audiences.
The prize will be awarded to a documentary competing in the festival’s historic “Wide Documentary” section. It will be decided by referendum – “in recognition of popular and artistic appeal” – and will receive a cash prize of 10 million won.
Busan has previously awarded only two Audience Awards, one in the New Trends category and the other in the Pop-up category, which showcases first or second films from filmmakers from Asian and non-Asian backgrounds.
“The award hopes to promote and popularize documentary filmmaking by bringing audiences closer to documentaries, and further support the creative efforts of Korean and Asian filmmakers,” the Korea Film Festival said in a statement.
The 29th Busan International Film Festival will be held from October 2 to 11, and the industry-focused 19th Asia Content and Film Market will be held simultaneously from October 5 to 8.
The event, long considered Asia’s most influential, is trying to turn the page on a long history of behind-the-scenes turmoil. There have been a series of sweeping changes in leadership over the past two years, including the resignations of former festival chairman Li Yongkuan, festival director Xu Wenying and market boss Wu Shigen. But festival organizers have been working hard to assemble a new team to regain the confidence of the Korean industry. Influential film producer and industry manager Park Kwang-su will serve as the festival’s new chairman in 2024, while former senior programmers Pak Dosin and Kang Seung-ah will Serves as co-assistant director. In March, Busan said it would delay the appointment of a permanent festival director until after this year’s festival “to allow sufficient time to find the most suitable candidate.”
