26th BIFF opens with Im Sang-soo's 'Heaven: To the Land of Happiness'

From left, director Im Sang-soo and the cast of "Heaven: To the Land of Happiness" attend a press conference held at Busan Cinema Center in Busan, Wednesday. Yonhap

By Kwak Yeon-soo

BUSAN ― The 26th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) kicked off Wednesday for a 10-day run with director Im Sang-soo's "Heaven: To the Land of Happiness."

A year after a scaled-down event due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this edition promises to be attract 1,000-plus participants. A raft of stars have been confirmed to attend the festival, including Song Joong-ki of "Space Sweepers," Jeon Jong-seo of "Mona Lisa and The Blood Moon," Han So-hee of "My Name" and Yoo Ah-in of "Hellbound."

Strict health protocol measures include a 50 percent screening capacity are in place and all public and professional attendees must show a pass, proving they are either fully vaccinated or have tested negative for COVID-19.

A total of 223 films from 70 countries will be screened at BIFF, slightly higher than the 192 films showcased last year.

"Heaven," which opened the festival, was selected for the official selection in the 2020 Cannes Film Festival. The film revolves around two men ― played by Choi Min-sik and Park Hae-il ― who inadvertently become wealthy and go on a road trip together in pursuit of happiness.

Choi, best known for his previous hit films "Old Boy" (2003) and "Roaring Currents" (2014), plays the role of Inmate 203, who breaks out of jail after hearing he will only live for two more weeks because of a brain tumor. Park, known for his role in "The Host" (2006), stars as penniless patient Nam-sik, who accompanies Inmate 203.

In addition, Academy Award-winning actress Youn Yuh-jung appears as the glamorous Madame Yoon.

Seats at the outdoor theater of Busan Cinema Center in Busan, Wednesday / Yonhap

At the press conference for the film held in the Busan Cinema Center, director Im explained "Heaven" as being very different from his earlier films such as "The Taste of Money" (2012) in which he vividly critiques the haves.

"This film is a soft-spoken, kind-hearted film. Some might say it's a bit generic and unsophisticated. However, I wanted to write about a dying man's last journey because I think about death more concretely as I age. This subject matter naturally struck me because I have more experience with the deaths of loved ones," Im said.

The renowned filmmaker explained that he wanted to balance out the story by displaying more female characters in the film. "It's often described as the two men's road movie, but I wanted to have a fair gender representation. Many actresses, including Youn, Lee El and Lee Jae-in, take on pivotal roles. They appear less, but have strong presence in the film," he said.

Veteran actor Choi revealed he clicked well with Park while filming. "This is actually the first time that we got to actually work together. However, we got along really well and had a great time," he said.

"Actually, there were a lot of liquor bottles between us. At first, we stayed sober, but later on, we were mostly drunk when talking to each other."

Park said it was an honor to star alongside Choi. "I've been longing to act opposite Choi for about 15 years. It was a real honor to work together with director Im, Choi and my fellow actors," he said.

"Choi was so diligent that he always arrived on set 30 minutes earlier than the promised time. So I always tried to arrive earlier than him and be prepared."

Altogether, 11 films are vying for the prestigious New Currents Award, including "The Absent Director" by Arvand Dashtaray, "Photocopier" by Wregas Bhanuteja and "Farewell, My Hometown" by Wang Er Zhuo.

To reflect the increasing popularity of OTT platforms, the organizer launched the On Screen section, in which they showcase highly anticipated drama series via OTT platforms.

Director Leung Longman's "Anita," a biopic film about Hong Kong singer and actress Anita Mui, will close the festival.

The 26th edition of BIFF will be held until Oct. 15.

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