26 Asian short films you shouldn’t miss at the 38th Busan International Short Film Festival (Part 2)

By Asian Film Festival on April 7, 2021 • ( Leave a comment )

I continue with my list of Asian short films that you shouldn’t miss at the 38th Busan International Short Film Festival which will take place from April 21st – 26th (2021) in Busan, Korea.

About the festival:
Founded in 1980, the Busan International Short Film Festival launched with the aim of creating the film-making friendly environment and finding talented film professionals. It has introduced many different kinds of films, including 8mm and independent films made by students and general public. Many young talents in those days are now taking the lead in the Korean cinema. The BISFF has been introducing short films and cultures of the Guest Country. In addition to the competition section, various sections have given audience the chances to see the trend in a short film in the world and to guess its future.

Selected Films:

**Mr. Driver** by Kim Seoyoon – Korea | 2018 – 24 minutes
Section: Korean Shorts, Ceasefire Chronicles

A South Korean man in charge of delivering food supplies to Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea falls in love with a North Korean woman who works there. When they listen to music together, their love grows stronger. The man puts songs into his MP3 player and heads to the North. On the surface, the film appears to be a sad love story between a South Korean man and a North Korean woman. However, beneath the surface, the film makes us realize that we live in exceptional circumstances; an abnormal reality created by living in a divided nation. (BISFF)

**My Clown** by Kim Sehui – Korea | 2020 – 15 minutes
Section: Korea Shorts, Busan IN

Hyein has given up her dreams and is now studying for the civil service exam. She believes that her father is pathetic because he does whatever he wants and lives like a slacker. She is frustrated in her life and becomes even more so when she learns her father is preparing for an acting audition and that an old friend is preparing for a solo exhibition. This study of a mature daughter and an immature father depicts the agony and anxieties that younger people face when making sacrifices rather than pursuing their dreams. The film was completed with the support from the 2020 Busan Citizen Filming Festival. (BISFF 2021)

**Night is Young** by Kwok Zune – Hong Kong, China | 2020 – 26 minutes
Section: Hub of Asia, Silent Voices

A night alongside a jaded taxi driver in Hong Kong as a citizen protest rages on. Each interaction with a new passenger provides its own perspective on, or critique of, the tense political situation, and reveals a clear, growing and probably unsolvable divide between people. As such, the taxi slowly transforms into a shelter and the driver into a potential rescuer of stray souls. (BISFF 2021)

**Pro-ana** by Gwak Garim – Korea | 2021 – 15 minutes
Section: Operation Kino

Have you ever had the feeling that your body isn’t yours? Jiwon, who is struggling to maintain a normal life, has not been freed from “it”. The disease that has been ruining her life and gnawing on her sense of “me”. Will she be able to avoid the smell of regurgitation? Jiwon tries to let go of her indescribable longing for a slender body and completely embrace herself. Fragmented and broken bodies become completely one. (BISFF 2021)

**Rats in the House** by Hong Yeoni – Korea | 2020 – 19 minutes
Section: Korean Competition 1

Hanbin’s mother did not return home for a month. Rats begin to enter the house. They expand their territory from the kitchen to the living room, and eventually, spread all over the house. So, Hanbin lives in a room with her younger sister Hana, avoiding the rats. (BISFF 2021)

**Recites a Life** by Kim Younghyo – Korea | 2021 – 16 minutes
Section: Operation Kino

After serving 20 years in prison for his involvement in North Korean partisan activity during the Korean War in 1950, a man in his nineties is suffering his own unresolved war. What is it that he is battling against in society? The film depicts his recollections of the war. (BISFF 2021)

**Salvia At Nine** by Jang Nari – Korea | 2020 – 7 minutes
Section: Korean Competition 5

In the neighborhood where a 9-year-old girl lives, there is a father who watches erotic videos next to his child and an old man who molests the local elementary school children. The girl goes to a corner shop and tries to steal some snacks, but the shop owner catches her red-handed. The girl puts a coin on the counter, which she had been holding onto to pay for her candy, and quickly runs from the shop. (BISFF 2021)

**Sister** by Na Han – Korea | 2020 – 28 minutes
Section: Korean Competition 1

High school student Mina lives with her younger brother. One day, siblings, who remind her of her childhood, appear in front of her. The siblings steal from the convenience store Mina works at. Mina sees the theft, but she pretends she didn’t, because the siblings remind her of her childhood. Mina helps them by giving them food, but she brings unexpected tragedy by doing so. (BISFF 2021)

**Snail** by Kim Taeyang – Korea | 2020 – 20 minutes
Section: Korean Competition 2

After getting off the bus at the wrong stop, a guy walks along a familiar street. That night, he happens to walk along the same street again, but something has changed. (BISFF 2021)

**The Shoes of a little Girl** by Kedar Shrestha – Nepal | 2019 – 13 minutes
Section: Hub of Asia

A little girl with an amusing shoe-inverting problem must find her own, playful solution to recognize her left from her right. This irresistible short film highlights daily life in a Nepalese mountain village while subtly hinting at more social and economical aspects such as the education of children and tourism as a money-earning necessity. (BISFF 2021)

Screening Dates:
April 23rd, 2021 | Busan Cinema Center, Cinema II | 10:00 am
April 25th, 2021 | Busan Cinema Center, Cinematheque | 13:00 pm

**There** by Yu Fen Wu – Taiwan | 2020 – 29 minutes
Section: international Competition 2

Grandfather had passed away. The Indonesian caregiver, Shally helped to organize the funeral with grandma and uncle. Yet, none of the children came home. Shally is forced to help on behalf of one of the family members. (BISFF)

**Today’s Jisoo** by Kim Yeonjin – Korea | 2021 – 20 minutes
Section: Korean Shorts

Jisoo, a normal office worker, finds everything annoying and meaningless, including grocery shopping, cooking and eating. One day, Jisoo meets Yooni who brings a small change into Jisoo’s life. Thanks to Yooni, Jisoo remembers her forgotten dreams and gradually regains her energy for life. The film provides solace to those who have forgotten something important and are feeling trapped. The film was created at the Busan Cinema Center Academy. (BISFF 2021)

**Wade** by Kalp Sanghvi, Upamanyu Bhattacharyya – India | 2019 – 11 minutes
Section: Hub of Asia, Animal Farm

As man-made ecological disasters impact the environment durably, our very cities may become actual shelters or turn into hazardous places, as much for us as for the wildlife. Try running for your life from a pack of hungry tigers in the remnants of a derelict megalopolis! (BISFF 2021)

To see the first part of this article please go here: PART 1

To know more about this festival please go to: http://bisff.org