Berlinale’s Wieland Speck to Receive BIFF Korean Cinema Award

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Berlinale’s Wieland Speck to Receive BIFF Korean Cinema Award

Aug 25, 2015

Writer by Pierce Conran
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Wide Angle Juries Announced

For its 20th edition, the Busan International Film Festival will bestow its Korean Cinema Award to Wieland Speck, the curator of the Berlin International Film Festival’s Panorama section. The prize is given annually to figures who have contributed to the promotion of Korean film to overseas audiences.

In his 22 years as chief of Berlinale’s Panorama program, Speck has introduced 29 Korean films, beginning with IM Kwon-taek’s classic Seopyeonje in 1994. Confirming his enthusiasm for the nation’s films, Speck stated that “Korean cinema remains ever surprising, a vivid mirror of its diverse societal developments.” Previous winners include Thierry Fremaux, the director of the Cannes Film Festival, Richard Pena, director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Asian film critic Tony Rayns.

Meanwhile, BIFF also announced the juries for this year’s Wide Angle sections. The Mecenat Award for Documentary will be decided by a group comprising Artur Liebhart, the director of the Docs Against Gravity Film Festival in Poland, Chinese director DU Haibin (1428, 2009) and Korean director KIM Dong-ryeong (Tour of Duty, 2012). The Sonje Award for Short Film will be handed out by a jury consisting of Japanese filmmaker SUWA Nobuhiro (M/Other, 1999), Korean actress KIM Ho-jung (Revivre) and SXSW programmer Claudette Godfrey.

BIFF will reveal its full lineup during a press conference to be held on 25 August. The festival will run over October 1-10.

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