Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi’s Midday Meal won the Best Film Award at the close of the Busan International Film Festival tonight. As a result of the win, the film automatically qualifies for submission to the Best International Feature category of the Oscars.
Set in a parched badlands village, the film revolves around a school teacher, played by Mohammad Rahimi, struggling to keep the school that he teaches in open following the death of a benefactor. Majidi, known internationally for films such as Children Of Heaven, made his first trip to the Busan film festival this year to present the film.
Among other winners, Ibuku, from Indonesian filmmaker Eddie Cahyono, was presented with the Busan Award Special Jury Prize. The film stars Christine Hakim as a widow forced to marry off her only daughter to clear her late husband’s gambling debts.
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The Busan Award for Best Director went to Taiwan’s Lee Yun Chan (a.k.a. Robin Lee) for To Be Ordinary, about a grieving family struggling to recover from a fragile relationship after an unexpected tragic accident. Lee has previously had two films in Busan competition – her short film The Magical Washing Machine played in Wide Angle, while her debut feature, The Shoe Fairy, was selected for New Currents in 2005.
Best Actor awards went to China’s Zhou Xun for The First Taste of Loneliness, directed by Gu You, and Japan’s Kashun Himeno for Satoko Always, directed by Shuichi Okita. The Busan Award for Artistic Contribution was presented to Li Danfeng for sound in The First Taste of Loneliness.
The New Currents Award went to Birds In The Dark, directed by Shashank Walia, a Punjabi-language film that played in the Vision – Asia section. The film also won the Songwon Vision Audience Award for an Asian film at BIFF’s Vision Awards last night. Beach Fictions, from Korea’s Lim Hayeon, was presented with a New Currents Award Special Mention.
Earlier in the day, BIFF reported that this year’s edition had drawn an audience of more than 200,000 across the film festival, Community BIFF and BIFF Everywhere programs, marking its highest film audience since 2015. An additional 77,000 people attended program and special events. The festival noted that the growth coincides with key changes, including a new opening date and an expanded screening program.
In addition to Majidi, guests at the festival included Alfonso Cuarón on his first official visit to Korea, along with Charlotte Gainsbourg, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Fan Bingbing, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Lee Chang-dong, Na Hong-jin, Lav Diaz, and Rintaro, who interacted with audiences through Master Classes, Cine Classes, and Special Talks. Michelle Yeoh was presented with the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award at the festival’s opening ceremony, while Ann Hui was presented with the Camellia Award.
Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM, October 10-13) drew 30,484 participants and 339 companies from 32 countries. Award winners at the Asian Project Market, including A Chronicle Of Minor Things, Goldfish and Casparina, were announced on the last day of the market. Also during ACFM, Korean content investment firm Solaire Partners and Japanese entertainment finance company Questry Co signed a memorandum of understanding to create a joint Korea-Japan content fund worth $75m (KRW100BN).
Mongolia’s Zogsool, directed by Sakhya Byamba, won four awards in the festival’s Vision section, including the Vision of Jiseok Award, while Full Moon from Korea’s Jeong Jihye scooped three awards.
