The year 2023 holds a special significance as Bucheon celebrates its 50th anniversary of attaining the status of a city. In honor of this milestone, BIFAN has curated a special program to commemorate Bucheon's remarkable journey. BIFAN programmers selected one film each that were all released 50 years ago, from 1973, as a tribute to this meaningful occasion. Through the selection of gems from the history of cinema, BIFAN aims to honor Bucheon's transformation into a cultural hub for cinema, comics, and webtoons.
On July 20, 1973, fifty years ago, Bruce Lee passed away. Just a month after his death, his final film, Enter the Dragon, was released and achieved massive worldwide success, setting a new box office record. The film was a joint US-Hong Kong project produced by Bruce Lee in collaboration with Hollywood. If Bruce Lee hadn't died so young, would the representation of Asian-American filmmakers have held a different position in Hollywood history? Enter the Dragon, recognized by the U.S. Library of Congress as culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant in 2004, remains preserved in the U.S. National Film Registry. The film significantly impacted action films as well as the convergence between martial arts films and blaxploitation films.
Fifty years after its release and with direct inspirations from filmmakers including Ari Aster, Robert Eggers, Ben Whitley and more, Robin Hardy's landmark film The Wicker Man is getting 4K Ultra HD restoration celebrating its half-a-century anniversary. We proudly present its final cut for the first time in Asia.
American Graffiti, directed by George Lucas, artfully captures the vibrant energy and nostalgic essence of the youth from a bygone era through the collective performances of renowned actors and directors who represent their generation, such as Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, and Harrison Ford. With its timeless rock 'n' roll numbers, the film will seamlessly bring back cherished memories and romantic feelings to anyone who reminisces about those days.
Among the noteworthy films featured at this year's BIFAN is Flesh for Frankenstein, an ambitious project conceived by the Andy Warhol and his associates. Although initially intended and produced in 3D, it was screened in 2D when released. BIFAN will showcase the film in restored 3D version for the first time in Korea.