Pusan film fest to kick off with Zhang Yimou pic

Scene from Zhang Yimou's "Under the Hawthorn Tree" [Courtesy of PIFF]

The 15th edition of the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), Asia's largest film fest held in Korea, will open with veteran Chinese director Zhang Yimou's "Under the Hawthorne Tree."

The annual film event, set to run starting October 7 this year, will close nine days later with omnibus pic "Camellia" by three directors -- Thailand's Wisit Sasanatieng, Japan's Yukisada Isao and Korea's Jang Joonhwan.

A total of 308 works from 67 countries, including 103 world premieres and 51 international premieres, will be featured at the festival. The New Currents and Flash Forward categories of the fest will feature only films making their screening debut.

The fest will also pay tribute to veteran actress Kim Jimi while separately focusing on Kurdish, Spanish and Czech cinema through special programs.

Amongst the guests invited to the fest -- namely French actress Juliette Binoche, Chinese actress Tang Wei, and directors Oliver Stone of the U.S. and Carlos Saura of Spain -- Kim Jimi, Stone, Saura and famed Japanese costume designer and New Currents head juror Wada Emi, will take part in the hang-printing ceremony.

The Asian Film Market, will take place concurrently with the PIFF, and alongside project market platforms the Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP) and the Asian Cinema Fund.

Jessica Kim jesskim@