From October 14th to 18th, Platform BUSAN was held in Busan’s BEXCO convention center. The event offered various programs such as ‘VOICES OF ASIA’, ‘Incubating Asia – On the possibility of documentary co-production between Asian countries’, ‘Filmmaker’s Talk’, ‘Asian Female Filmmakers’ Talk’ and ‘Film Fund Talk’. More than 150 indie filmmakers from 19 countries attended this year’s inaugural event which boasted lectures offered by Chinese master filmmaker Jia ZHANGKE, cinematographer Tom Stern who is known for his work on Gran Torino (2008), American Sniper (2014) and SULLY (2016), renowned Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz and producer Jon Kuyper who has worked on films like Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) and The Hobbit series (2012, 2013 and 2014). Additional talks and forums were held by figures of major film festivals such as the Locarno International Film Festival, the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) and the Cannes Film Festival. 

“Platform BUSAN arranges an interactive arena for Asian independent filmmakers who lack networking opportunities offered by the major film industry.” a BIFF official said adding “This event is expected to serve as a significant gathering place for Asian independent filmmakers seeking a path for joint growth via sharing their experiences.”