The 31st Busan International Film Festival confirmed the three jurors for the New Currents Award on September 22. Indian director Rima Das, Chinese producer Shan Zuolong and Korean actor Shim Eun-kyung were appointed. The films under consideration are those in the Competition section and the Vision section. The award has been described as going to a single debut work by a new director.
The New Currents Award is called a gateway for emerging Asian directors.
When a first feature is named in Busan, the director gains grounds for raising the budget for a second work. The credibility the festival has built over 31 editions is added to that as well.
This year's festival opens on Tuesday, October 6, and closes on Thursday, October 15. The main venue is the Busan Cinema Center. The full lineup of invited films was announced on September 1. Two weeks remain until the opening.
The three jurors come from different professions. Directing, producing and acting have gathered at one judging table. A director looks at how the scenes were cut, and a producer looks at how those scenes were completed.
The festival had earlier assembled a seven-member jury for the Competition section and appointed Zhang Yimou as jury president. Since the films under consideration for the New Currents Award are specified as those in the Competition section and the Vision section, how the two juries relate to each other is not clear from the announced lists alone. The picture is expected to take shape once the festival announces the judging schedules for each section around the opening.
New works by well-known directors sell tickets quickly, and first features often struggle to fill half the seats. Even so, the festival sets aside one award for debut works by newcomers. It has kept that decision for 31 editions.
In October, wind off the sea passes through the outdoor plaza of the Busan Cinema Center. It carries salt and feels rough against the cheek. When you open the screening schedule, try picking one Vision section showing with an unfamiliar name on it. The three jurors will be sitting somewhere in that audience, watching the same screen.
