Bucheon animation festival takes on new title

French animated feature “April and the Extraordinary World” will be screened at the upcoming Bucheon International Animation Festival (BIAF), which will take place at venues in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, from Oct. 23 to 27. / Courtesy of BIAF

By Baek Byung-yeul

The Puchon International Student Animation Festival, which has been dedicated to animation features produced by student animators since 1999, is ready for a fresh start this year with a new title -- the Bucheon International Animation Festival.

With the intention to elevate the festival as one of the most notable animation festivals in the world, the organizing committee removed “student” from its official title so that it can allow every animator to compete in the festival. Also, it changed its official English title from Puchon to Bucheon in accordance with the country’s official language Romanization system.

“Starting this year, we’ve decided to include animated films created not only by talented students but also by animators from both home and abroad,” Jang Dong-yeul, chairman of the organizing committee of the Bucheon International Animation Festival (BIAF), said during a press conference at the Press Center in downtown Seoul on Sept, 17.

For this year’s 17th BIAF, 1,137 animated films from 55 countries have been submitted and 160 among them will premier in Bucheon, a suburban city on the southwestern outskirts of Seoul, from Oct. 23 to 27. Of these, 130 films will compete in the festival.

“As the country’s only international animated film festival, we will do our best to stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s most regarded animated festivals such as the Annecy International Animated Film Festival of France, the Animafest Zagreb of Croatia and the Ottawa International Animation Festival of Canada,” the chairman said.

Sunny, a member of K-pop girl band Girls’ Generation, was named the honorary ambassador. “I’ve always been interested in animated films,” she said. “And it’s an honor to be named as the honorary ambassador of the country’s only animation festival.”

The singer has participated in animated features as a voice actress of the Korean edition of “The Outback” (2012) and “Rio 2” (2014).“Starting with this year’s BIAF, the festival is not only for students but for everyone. I would like to ask viewers who love animation to pay attention to the BIAF,”Sunny said.

The opening film will be Franck Ekinci and Christian Desmares’ animated feature “April and the Extraordinary World,” which won the Crystal award for the best feature film at this year’s Annecy International Animated Film Festival, and will screen on Oct. 23 at the Korea Manhwa Museum Theater right after the opening ceremony.

Known in French as “Avril et le monde truque,” the 90-minute animated feature portrays a girl’s journey through a world where scientists have been imprisoned.

Korean director Jeon Yong-seok’s “My Ghost Girl Friend” is nominated in the feature competition program, in which seven films will compete for the best feature film.

With the slogan of “Ani+One,” meaning to become one through animated films, the 17th BIAF will take place at Bucheon City Hall, CGV Bucheon and the Korea Manhwa Museum. For more information, visit www.biaf.or.kr.