The 17th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival

The Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival – or PiFan, for short – is gearing up for its 17th installment commencing this coming July 18th and running through to the 28th.

As is always the case with PiFan, the focus on genre films means a quite eclectic range of screenings from a variety of countries, and the 2013 edition continues the trend. A total of 219 films – 133 feature films and 86 shorts – from 40 countries are on offer, opening with the Asian premiere of animated all-star cast feature The Congress by director Ari Folman, and closing with the World Premiere of Korean film The Terror Live (더 테러 라이브) by director Kim Byeong U (김병우).

The Congress

Opening Film – The Congress

Israeli director Ari Folman, who previously made waves with Waltz With Bashir in 2008, finally returns to the director’s chair with The Congress. An international co-production between Israel, Germany, France, Luxembourg Poland and Belgium, The Congress features an all-star cast in a story that sees Robin Wright ‘sell’ her image to create a digital actress. However in doing so she can never act again, and more importantly, she loses all rights in the control of her very image. Please see below for the trailer:

The Terror Live (더 테러 라이브)

Closing Film – The Terror Live (더 테러 라이브)

PiFan wraps up the festival with the world premiere of Korean film The Terror Live (더 테러 라이브). Director Kim Byeong U’s (김병우) thriller features Ha Jeong-woo (하정우) as disgraced anchorman-turned-radio host Yoon Young-Hwa. When a terrorist calls the show threatening to blow up a bridge, Yoon calls it a hoax – only for the bridge to explode. Believing this to be an opportunity to become a TV anchorman once more, Yoon works hard to become involved in the incident, only for it to escalate even further. Please see below for the trailer:

Furthermore, PiFan will feature several films by some of the most prolific directors working today, including Johnnie To – Blind Detective, Drug War -, Miike Takshi – Shield of Straw, Lesson of Evil – and a special program dedicated to Japanese director Tsukamoto Shinya – Tetsuo, The Iron Man, Tetsuo II: The Body Hammer, Tokyo Fist, Bullet Ballet, A Snake of June and Kotoko.

Cult films will be present in the Ourselves, Our Robots: The Thin Line Between Human and Robot showcase, featuring the likes of THX 1138, Robocop, Manborg, The Machine, and Computer Chess. Meanwhile Urban Cult: The Dark Side of the City will feature The Warriors, Escape From New York, Maniac, Maniac Cop 2 and Vigilante.

Fo the full line up and timetable of screenings, please visit the official PiFan website here.