BAFA 2023

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Dean SUWA Nobuhiro Director / Japan

Suwa Nobuhiro was born in Hiroshima, Japan and came to the forefront with his official debut, 2/Duo (1997) which was honored with the NETPAC Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam 1997 and the Dragons and Tigers Award – Special Mention at the Vancouver International Film Festival 1997. Afterwards, he became an influential director with his film, M/Other (1999) which won the FIPRESCI Award at the Cannes Film Festival and the Grand Prize at the Jeonju International Film Festival 2000, and
A Perfect Couple (2005) which received the Jury’s Special Prize and the C.I.C.A.E Award at the Locarno International Film Festival.
Renowned as a Japanese director working in France, he was invited to the Un Certain Regard of the Cannes Film Festival with
H Story (2001), a remake of Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959). In 2006, he directed an omnibus film, Paris, je t'aime (2006),
which was the opening film at the Un Certain Regard of the Cannes Film Festival 2006. Yuki & Nina (2009), which he co-directed with French actor Hippolyte Girardot, was filmed in France and Japan, promoting cooperation of the film industry between countries, and officially screened at the Berlin International Film Festival 2010.
Suwa Nobuhiro also served as a jury of the Sonje Award at the Busan International Film Festival 2015, and was invited to the festival in 2017 with the official selection, The Lion Sleeps Tonight (2017), while Voices in the Wind (2020) received a Special Mention by the International Jury in Generation 14plus at the Berlin International Film Festival 2020. He is currently a professor at the Tokyo University of the Arts, devoting himself to educating emerging filmmakers.

Directing Mentor KIM Hee-Jung Director / Korea

Graduated from Łódź Film School in Poland, director Kim Hee-Jung was selected for the Cannes Residency in Paris and completed her first scenario for The Wonder Years (2007). In 2011, she completed Grape Candy (2012), the Pitch & Catch Award winner at the Seoul International Women’s Film Festival 2011, while Snow Paths (2015) was selected for Jeonju Cinema Project at the Jeonju International Film Festival 2015, and invited to several film festivals including the Göteborg International Film Festival 2016. A French Woman (2019) was awarded the APM KOCCA Award at the Busan International Film Festival 2016, followed by screenings at various film festivals such as Jeonju International Film Festival, Seoul International Women’s Film Festival, and
San Diego Asian Film Festival. Her latest film, Where Would You Like to Go? (2023), APM 2021 selection, was the official closing film of the Jeonju International Film Festival 2023.
Director Kim Hee-Jung was appointed a jury member of the KIM Jiseok Award at the Busan International Film Festival 2022 and the TOKYO FILMeX 2022. Currently, she serves as a professor in the Department of Creative Writing at Chosun University, Korea, putting her efforts in fostering new talents.

Cinematography Mentor Artur ŻURAWSKI Cinematographer / Poland

Artur Żurawski is a Polish cinematographer, director, and photographer. He studied cinematography at the Polish National Film School and is a member of the Polish Society of Cinematographers (PSC) and the Polish Filmmakers Association. Starting his professional career as an animator, assistant director, and co-author of special effects for the animation film called Piet Mondrian (1995), produced for Polish National Television, he went onto expand his experience in the field by participating in various projects such as feature films, short films, and documentaries, as well as TV series, advertisements, and music videos. Starting his career in the Hindi film industry in 2011, he earned global recognition through the films Mardaani (2014) and Sultan (2016).
His recent credit includes Where Would You Like to Go? (2023) directed by Kim Hee-Jung, which was filmed in Korea and Poland. Currently, he is shooting a Polish film called Idz pod prad about a 1970s punk rock band of Poland. In addition, he took the role as the cinematography mentor of Asian Film Academy at the Busan International Film Festival 2018.