Former Actress And Seoul Cinema CEO Ko Eun Ah Donates W100 Million To Busan International Film Festival
May this year, the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) - a government-funded organization - announces a 45% budget cut for the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) which agitates filmmakers and organizers of the film fest.
KOFIC reveals on its website that from $1.33 million annual budget, the state-backed organization has cut down its budget for BIFF to $732,500 this year.
The Hollywood Reporter forecasts on May 12, 2015 that BIFF organizers submitted a letter to KOFIC complaining about the budget cut, which the latter explains that they wanted to distribute the funds equally to other film festivals.
"This decision makes no sense, considering how Busan faces increasing competition from other regional film festivals in China, Japan, Hong Kong and other parts of Asia," BIFF said in a dispatch. "It is easy to suspect that KOFIC's budget cut is a political retaliation because we tried to defend BIFF's artistic freedom."
"Ever since we screened the [controversial ferry disaster] documentary 'The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol' last year, our artistic freedom has been under much threat, such as pressure for director Lee Yong Kwan to resign."
"We are demanding an explanation whether KOFIC's recent decision had anything to do with [this conflict]."
KOFIC addresses the BIFF's concerns and swiftly release a statement: "The meetings were kept closed because the budgeting decision had to be made very quickly, before the start of the Jeonju Film Festial.. [and] because we feared there would be much protest [from organizations like BIFF]."
"It is in order to provide more state support to emerging film festivals. There was no mention of 'The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol' during the meetings."
Meanwhile, amid budget cut, BIFF receives W100 million from former actress and Seoul Cinema CEO Ko Eun Ah, who also wants to support Kang Soo Yeon - elected as the co-executive director of BIFF last July 6.
"I learned of the tight budget of the festival and I also wanted to support [actress] Kang Soo Yeon, who became the co-executive director this year," says Ko, according to The Chosunilbo's report on Tuesday.