[29th International Film Festival] For the first time ever...Why the Netflix movie was chosen as the opening film

ⓒ OSEN, the main characters of the film 'Jeon and Lan' selected as the opening film of the 29th Busan International Film Festival

Park Do-shin, acting chairman of the Busan International Film Festival, revealed why Netflix's work was selected as the opening film for the first time in the festival's history.

This afternoon (2nd) at the Busan International Film Festival Film Center, the movie "Jeon and Lan," which marks the beginning of the 29th Busan International Film Festival, was unveiled through a press preview. Director Kim Sang-man, who directed the film, and the main characters of the film, Kang Dong-won, Park Jung-min, Cha Seung-won, Kim Shin-rok, Jin Sun-kyu and Jung Sung-il participated in the press conference immediately after the premiere, and Park Do-shin, acting chairman of the Busan International Film Festival, participated as a modulator.

Director Park Chan-wook participated in the production and screenplay, "Jeon-Ran" is a Netflix film about a time of chaos during the Japanese War, when "Jong-ryeo," the son of Joseon's top military officer who grew up together, and his body type "Cheon-young" became enemies with the closest officer of "Sunjo" and the righteous army and met again. It is a magnificent epic drama full of brilliant battles and actions, featuring the brilliant performances of Kang Dong-won and Park Jung-min.

'Jeonran' attracted attention from the production stage with colorful casting and directing, but the Busan International Film Festival drew more attention when it selected OTT works as the opening film for the first time in the festival's history.

In response, Park Do-shin, acting chairman of the Busan International Film Festival, said, "When I first saw the movie, I personally enjoyed it so much that I thought it was a good movie to approach the public. I thought that not being able to watch teenagers was an adventure, but it was also an adventure worth trying. I've been selecting high-quality independent films as the opening film, but this time I thought about popularity," he said, explaining the reason for selecting the opening film of "Jeon and Lan."

He said, "I worked as a programmer for 20 years, and 'Jeon and Lan' was a work that I thought would be good to introduce to the audience as an opening film."

However, as the Busan International Film Festival has mainly introduced works that value messages rather than popularity in its opening films, acting Park could not give a clear answer to the message of Jeon and Ran. Acting Park said, "I personally judged it to be a highly complete commercial film among commercial films. I don't think it's meaningful to put more meaning than that," he replied.

He emphasized, "It may seem big that OTT works are selected as the opening film, but the Busan International Film Festival is centered on independent films and it will remain unchanged."

Director Kim Sang-man added, "Even if we live in the same era, our views on that era are all different, and the movie depicts the stories of characters who have different views on class and time."

What kind of movie will Jeon-ran, which emphasizes popularity based on colorful casting and cheerful action, capture the hearts of countless filmmakers who visited the Busan International Film Festival and be remembered? "Jeon and Lan" will be unveiled for the first time around the world at the opening ceremony this evening.

Meanwhile, the 29th Busan International Film Festival, Asia's top film festival, will be held for 10 days from today (2nd) to 11th around the Busan Cinema Center. There are 224 official invitations and 55 community beef screenings will be screened. The opening film "Jeon and Lan" will be screened three times on October 3 and 4, starting with the opening ceremony this evening.

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