Korean Fantastic: Features have expanded the scale of screening dramatically to broaden the base of Korean genre films and discover new ones. This year is no exception. It hopes to introduce a wider spectrum of Korean genre movies by presenting more diversified works in both quantity and quality.
The competition section presents nine new films where directors’ individuality meets the rules of different genres, such as horror, comedy, thriller and mystery. Dogs in the House is a brutal yet comic brawl between the men from a local sauna, a loan shark and his family, who gathered in one house over three billion won. The excellent acting of the actors and the exciting plot that makes it difficult to predict the ending surely catch the eyes. The DMZ by Director OH In-chun starts with a scene of a female police officer who steps on a mine during a mission in the DMZ. Its few characters and limited movement in confined spaces are enough to keep the audience nervous until the end. Also, not to be missed are Land of Happiness, a movie giving serious food for thoughts about the living and the dead, about crime and punishment, The Goose Goes South, which offers warm comfort to the sense of guilt and sadness that have wrapped our society for a long time, and Live Hard, a gloomy musical film that features amazing performances of bands that try to perform at live clubs and young musicians who cannot give up their dreams although they are not sure whether they can make it. Another noticeable trend is that a number of movies deal with female revenge or show an attempt to realize the rules of genre films through female characters amid the recent course of resistless movement for changes, including The Uncle, which depicts the psychology and revenge of a woman who has been exposed to the violence carried across generations and the trauma from her childhood with sensuous scenes and various symbols. Moreover, Bad Boss, a film adaptation of a very popular webtoon by Neon_B that has shown a new paradigm for adult webtoons, will be world premiered in BIFAN.
The non-competition section selects some Korean films released last year and this year that has drawn attention for their meaningful attempts specific to genres. A previous work of Director JUNG Bum-shik, whose recent title GONJIAM: Haunted Asylum has signaled the revival of Korean horror films, will be screened. Also, Psychokinesis by Director Yeon Sangho, who has tried a Korean superhero film, and The Merciless by Director BYUN Sung-hyun, which has created unprecedented fandom and new audiences, and exhibited a different phase of Korean thriller films, will demonstrate the accomplishments Korean genre movies have so far made. Furthermore, this section offers new titles in which directors’ personality stands out clearly, including a new work of Director BACK Seung-kee Super Margin and Hakuna Matata Pole Pole by Director KIM Sun-ung, who has shown his continued interest in games and superhero movies For Korean Fantastic: Shorts, 1,006 Korean short films were submitted. The three jurys for preliminary competition are film director CHANG Hyun-sang, film producer JE Jeong-ju and film journalist Rhana JANG. They carefully reviewed all the submissions, and six films have been selected after competition more intense than ever: Transfusion, deals with the issue of life and death from the perspectives of religious beliefs and medical senses, and So Sorry begins as a cheerful comedy but shows an unpredictable tragedy, which is life’s ironies. Six short yet intense films are waiting to be selected as the best at BIFAN.