Concerns about the future of the Busan International Film Festival

Many Korean film industry figures have expressed concern about the future of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), after the festival’s director, Lee Yong Kwan, was forced to resign. Previously, Mr. Lee had a conflict with Busan government officials, related to the issue of film censorship.

“The current situation is terrible,” Im Kwon Taek, 79, one of South Korea’s most prominent film directors, said at a public hearing in Seoul on March 10, regarding recent events surrounding the festival. “I wonder if any director would want to bring his film to a festival where the organizers censor and restrict the subject matter of the film.”

The South Korean film community is reacting quite strongly to the Busan government’s moves to undermine the independence of BIFF. Tensions between BIFF and the Busan city government have been high since the festival organizers decided to screen The Truth Shall Not Sink with Sewol, a controversial documentary about the infamous Sewol ferry sinking, at the 2014 festival despite opposition from the Busan government and the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Im Kwon Taek (center), one of South Korea's most famous film directors, appears at the hearing.

Also known as Diving Bell, the film raises questions about the South Korean government's slow response to the ferry sinking that killed more than 300 people.

Earlier this year, Busan Mayor Suh Byung-soo asked Lee to resign after the city's auditors conducted an irregular audit of BIFF. Suh said Lee's resignation was necessary to pave the way for a personnel shake-up within the BIFF organizing committee.

However, the Korean film community has strongly criticized Mr. Suh's request, saying "this is an act of retaliation for the decision to screen the film Diving Bell".

Last month, BIFF and Busan City reached an agreement to have two people co-run the festival. However, Lee said at a public hearing that he was essentially resigning and that BIFF had never proposed having two people run the festival.

Shim Jae Myung, CEO of Myung Films, immediately said that Mr. Lee's resignation would not be a "step forward" for BIFF.

"It would be unreasonable for Mr. Lee to resign," said renowned director Park Chan-wook. "I consider BIFF to be a relatively smooth-running event in the current social turmoil in Korea. But given the new situation, I am wondering where our country is headed," he said.

According to Sports & Culture