Industry Program, B.I.G, Holds its Closing Ceremony!
Winners Announced for the
Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF) Awards!



¡ã NAFF Award Winners
 

The 22nd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Festival Director: CHOI Yongbae, hereafter BIFAN)'s industry program, B.I.G (BIFAN Industry Gathering), held its closing ceremony at 7:00 p.m. on July 17th (Tue.). The awards ceremony for the Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF) also took place during the B.I.G Closing Ceremony. 

Through B.I.G's four programs, film professionals from Korea and abroad were able to actively interact with one another. Opportunities for constructing infrastructure to boost the production of genre films were also created. B.I.G's main programs include: NAFF, which is currently in its 11th year; 'Made in Asia', which examines the ongoing film industry trends in 11 Asian countries and promotes networking between producers from the different Asian countries; 'Korea Now', which aims for balanced growth within the Korean film industry; and 'New Media', which shares information regarding the experiences and current state of cinematic VR.

B.I.G 2018 was able to wrap things up successfully due to the great deal of interest shown for the industry program by domestic and foreign film professionals. Those within the film industry with a common interest in genre films have long since taken advantage of networking opportunities at BIFAN; the 'Asia Producers' Forum' and 'Case Study: Korea-China Co-production' provided a foundation for active co-productions between different Asian countries. With the third edition of B.I.G this year, the program was able to maximize the satisfaction of the attending guests and raise the expectations for next year. 

At the 11th edition of NAFF's genre film project market, a total of 26 projects - 16 official It Projects, four selections from Project Spotlight 2018: India, four selections from the Nordic Genre Invasion, one selection from Blood Window, and one selection from Sitges Pitchbox - were presented. During the NAFF business meetings that went on for three days, 67 Korean and overseas companies conducted a total of 495 meetings. A three-person jury made up of film experts from Korea and abroad chose ten projects to receive awards for nine award categories based on a strict judging process and individual interviews. 

The jury members for this year were comprised of producer Michael J. WERNER (M. Werner Strategic Consultants, USA), producer of Train to Busan (2016) - which attracted more than 11 audience members in Korea - and Psychokinesis (2017), LEE Dongha (REDPETER Films, South Korea), and producer Tim KWOK (Convergence Entertainment, Hong Kong). The jury members judged each project on how well its concept coincided with BIFAN, on whether a NAFF award could increase the probability of the project going on to completion, on its marketability, and finally on its artistic value. In addition, the jury members also said that they aimed to contribute to the overall development of the fim industry by taking factors such as the growth of female filmmakers and regional balance into consideration.

The awards are divided into a total of 10 categories. The four cash awards, which amount to 36 million KRW in total, are comprised of the Bucheon Award, NAFF Award, NAFF Korean Award, and the DHL Award. The three post-production support awards are comprised of the Moneff Award (editing), The Color Award (digital intermediate), and the Mocha Chai Award (post-production). The Sitges Pitchbox Award and the new Blood Window Award - established this year - give the winners a chance to attend overseas film festivals and pitch their projects. The Gwangmyeong Weta Workshop Award, which was established last year through an agreement between Bucheon City, Gwangmyeong City, the Gwangmyeong Cave International Fantasy Festival (GIFFESTA), and BIFAN, announced its winner during the B.I.G Opening Ceremony on the 14th - 11+1 by HA Hyogyeong (G300 Entertainment) and  AHN Gyeongmin.

The Bucheon Award - in the amount of 15 million KRW - went to director Abdul ZAINIDI's Worm and the Widow and director Sokyou CHEA's Soul Searching. Worm and the Widow is a story about outcasts in society who lean on each other to overcome social prejudices and pressures. The town of Tutong in Brunei provides a unique backdrop to the project, which makes it all the more interesting.  The story of Soul Searching begins with the stories of people who claim to have sensed the presence of a soul or have had an out-of-body experience. The project, which is both captivating and terrifying, will capture the attention of audiences with its wit and humor.

The B.I.G NAFF Award - in the amount of 10 million KRW - was presented to director Vishal FURIA's Bogie No. S4. This project, which was introduced through 'Project Spotlight: India', is the first-ever horror film that is set in a train in India. The project attempts to strike a sympathetic chord with the people of India by capturing the background of an Indian society where 4,500 people commit suicide on the country's trains every year. 

The B.I.G NAFF Korean Award - an award in the amount of 6 million KRW given to a Korean film among the It Project selections - was presented to Remember, Spring. This project, which began with the question, “Would it be possible to change our lives by going back in time?”, is a story of people who have survived a tragic history that overcome their reality by crossing over to a parallel universe.  

Presented by DHL Korea, the DHL Award went to Sound from the Deep by directors Joonas ALLONEN and Antti LAAKSO. This project, which was inspired by a legend that was created by writer H.P. Lovecraft, was turned into a short film last year; the praise it received from genre film festivals led to the production of a full-length version of the project.

The winner of the Sitges Pitchbox Award was a project that was so popular that it had to stop taking applicants for NAFF project business meetings. The winning project was none other than Siri by director WOO Ming Jin, which is a story about reconciling between life and death. Bogie No. S4, which stood out from the pack for its creative flair, received recognition for the second time during the ceremony when it was presented with the Blood Window Award. The three post-production support awards were given to the following projects: the Moneff Award (editing support) to The Saigon Visitor by director Dave BOYLE, The Color Award (digital intermediate support) to Superpower Girl by director KIM Sooyoung, and the Mocha Chai Award (final cinema mixing/grade with DCP output only) to Matilda Corkscrew by director Victor JAQUIER.