Dong-Eui University, Busan: Is Documentary Film the Way Forward?

Dong-Eui University Film & Transmedia Research Institute, 'Busan Documentary Revitalization Policy Seminar'

The Dong-Eui University Film and Transmedia Research Institute held a film policy seminar on documentary revitalization measures at the Busan Video Industry Center on the 10th.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The Dong-Eui University Film and Transmedia Research Institute held a film policy seminar on the theme of ‘Measures to Revitalize Busan Documentary’ on the 10th at the Busan Haeundae-gu Video Industry Center.

About 30 people, including documentary directors and film industry figures from the Busan area, attended the seminar. Three presentations aimed at revitalizing documentaries were made under the moderation of documentary director Park Bae-il, a graduate of Dong-Eui University’s Department of Journalism and Broadcasting.

First, Kim Yi-seok, director of the Dong-Eui University Film and Transmedia Research Institute (professor of the Department of Film Studies), gave a presentation on the theme of ‘The Landscape and Achievements of Busan Documentaries.’

Professor Kim pointed out, “Since the 2010s, Busan documentaries have become more active and the quality of works has improved, but since documentaries are produced mainly by individual creators and creative groups, there are limits to the spread of achievements compared to the level of works.” This meant that even if good documentary films are made, it is not easy to distribute and release them in theaters.

Next, Cha Min-cheol, chairman of the Busan International Short Film Festival (professor of the Department of Film Studies at Dong-Eui University), gave a presentation on the theme of ‘The Transboundary Potential of Documentaries: Focusing on Post-Documentary Discourse and Industrial Possibilities.’

Oh Min-wook, chairman of the Busan Independent Film Association (documentary director), proposed ‘Policies for Revitalizing Busan Documentaries.’

Professor Cha said, “The focus is shifting to OTT (Over-The-Top) documentaries, led by Netflix,” and added, “There are cases where documentaries receive production support, win awards at various film festivals, and even get theatrical releases, but there is little support at the planning, development, and pre-production stages, and even if there is, it is regrettable that competitive pitching is required.”

The Dong-Eui University Film and Transmedia Research Institute was selected for the ‘2017 Humanities and Social Sciences University Research Institute Support Project’ hosted by the Ministry of Education and the National Research Foundation of Korea with the research theme ‘Post-Documentary Research: From Anthropological Films to Interactive Documentaries.’

From 2017 to 2022, it received 1.2 billion KRW in research funding over six years to conduct comprehensive research on documentaries and experimental films, provide research equipment and space, hold academic conferences and seminars, publish research papers, series, and journals, and create documentary and experimental film works, among various research activities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.