The Busan Film Commission will organize pitching events for new projects which reflect new trends at the 2018 LINK OF CINE-ASIA (Asian Film Forum & Business Showcase), to be held at Paradise Hotel Busan, Haeundae for 3 days, from Sunday 7th to Tuesday 9th October.

Firstly, the Busan Asian Film School will hold Parts 1 and 2 of the AFiS Project Pitching on Sunday 7th and Monday 8th October, and present a total of 21 projects. The 2018 class of the International Film Business Academy have taken part in a series of workshops for project planning, development and pitching by AFiS faculty members and guest mentors since their matriculation in March. They have interacted and inspired one another in developing feature film projects. A total of 21 projects will be presented at pitching event and business meeting with investors, producers and other industry experts will be followed.

At the event, a panel of experts invited for each session after the pitching will answer questions about the work and assess the future direction of development and potential for filming. Particularly noteworthy this year is the awarding of a grant, which will cover planning and development costs, for an outstanding project in the Southeast Asia region by Thailand’s Purin Pictures. Expert panel members include Aditya Assarat (Purin Pictures), Sophie Bourdon (Head of the Open Doors Program at Locarno Film Festival), Isabelle Glachant (Founder of Asian Shadows), Hyun Woo Kim (Managing Director of Kross Pictures) and Raymond Phathanavirangoon (Executive Director at SEAFIC).

On Sunday the 7th October, SEAFIC (Southeast Asia Fiction Film LAB), a representative planning and development program in Southeast Asia established by Thai producer Raymond Phathanavirangoon, will pitch 5 works which were planned and developed over 8 months from Singapore, Indonesia, Laos and Thailand.

The Southeast Asian projects, which have been closely involved in the pitching of the LINK OF CINE-ASIA project, demonstrate the potential of Southeast Asian films that are playing an active role in the international arena and are evidence of the growing market.

Meanwhile, the Busan Asian Film School will recruit fellows for the '2019 International Film Business Academy', a primary course focusing on producing, until 6 pm on Thursday 25th October. Applicants must be able to communicate in English and be of Asian nationality as determined by the United Nations. There are no restrictions relating to age or academic background. South Korean male applicants must have completed, or be exempt from, military duty. After submitting the application online, applicants need to submit the relevant documents by e-mail (contact@afis.ac). Approximately 20 students will be selected through a 1st and 2nd round of selection.