The awards ceremony also recognized fellows who demonstrated remarkable growth during the program. Firstly, the CHANEL X BAFA Promising Filmmaker Award, including a 5,000 USD prize, was presented as an encouragement to Annie Song (China) and Sein Lyan Tun (Myanmar), with special mention to Yeung Kinglun (Hong Kong, China), who exhibited outstanding talent during the program. The ARRI Award, originally given to two cinematographer fellows each year, has expanded its recipient this year to eight cinematography fellows for the opportunity to receive ARRI online training.
Lastly, the MPA Award, assessed by the project presentations during the workshop co-hosted with the Motion Picture Association during the program, was awarded to Aakash Chhabra (India), Sein Lyan Tun (Myanmar) and Tran Hoang Ha (Vietnam). They will be able to attend film industry events held in the United States and Australia.
Eight short films created by the fellows were presented at the following screening, including: Lusthouse, which tells the story of a Lighthouse keeper, Da-hee, and how her solitary summer ignites when a handsome young man washes ashore; A Gift That You've Left, a narrative exploring a young man's dilemma between fear and loneliness; The Artist, depicting the hidden truth veteran police finds through a crime scene cleaner; A Nice Night, a story of a woman in her early thirties encounters someone she hasn't seen in a long time at a convenience store; Visitor, a story of a realtor who stumbles upon disturbing clues at a house sale; Nomads by the Sea, addressing the reality faced by two Chinese immigrant labourers in Busan; Errands, which follows the story of babysitter Nina who fancies going out on a date, but struggles too; and Last Days of Us, a narrative of the Korean immigrant returning to Korea to sell her old family home, confronting the buried memories and lingering emotions.
Since 2005, the Asian Film Academy has produced numerous filmmakers from Asia, and the alumni returned to Busan after visiting many prestigious international film festivals. Viet and Nam, by 2012 alum director Truong Minh Quy and producer Bradley Liew which was selected at Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival and Don't Cry, Butterfly, the debut feature of the 2016 graduate Duong Dieu Linh which won the Grand Prize at Venice Film Festival Critics' Week 2024, were screened at A Window on Asian Cinema section in this year’s Busan International Film Festival.
Successfully concluding the 20-day program, the 2024 CHANEL X BIFF ASIAN FILM ACADEMY marked a new beginning for emerging Asian filmmakers and will continue to discover and support promising film talents across Asia. |
