The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) is lining up Korean Cinema programmer Jung Hanseok for its new festival director role, though the selection process isn’t yet complete.
The festival has named Jung as its preferred candidate, and revealed that the final selection process will take place at the second general meeting of this year, scheduled for March 20 at the Busan Cinema Center.
Jung has served as the festival’s Korean films programmer since 2019 and served as a jury member for the Buil Film Awards, Jeonju International Film Festival and Seoul Independent Film Festival, and as an advisor for the Florence Korea Film Festival and Hong Kong’s Asian Film Awards.
BIFF experienced a tumultuous 2023, during which four managers resigned. Then-BIFF chairman Lee Yong-kwan appointed a close associate, Cho Jongkook, as Managing Director alongside Artistic Director Huh Moonyung, a decision that proved highly unpopular with some sectors of the local Korean film industry.
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Looking toward the future, the festival said that Jung has been “spotlighting trends in Korean cinema and bridging the domestic film industry with the festival” through his work as a programmer for the last six years. Previously, Jung worked as a journalist and film critic with Korean film publication Cine21.
The festival’s Executive Recommendation Committee conducted two rounds of open recruitment for the festival director position, in January and March this year, with two candidates eventually recommended for the position.
BIFF Chairperson Park Kwang-su selected Jung as the final candidate, with the selection committee comprising of seven members with balanced representation across regions, fields and genders, the festival stated.
Park was appointed to the chairperson role just one year ago and made his mark as an acclaimed filmmaker from the Korean New Wave. He was a founding member of BIFF and the festival’s Deputy Director for three consecutive years from its first edition.
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